I'm Dying Up Here

While I'm Dying Up Here is fictional and made up of composites from comic personalities, the characters will resonate with fans of the genre.

By the end of the first episode of this utterly seductive tale about the comedy-club scene of early-1970s Los Angeles, it’s clear that the lives of these aspiring comedians with all their inexhaustible yearning, their whining, their gratitude for any spot onstage--2 a.m., before an audience of 15, including drunken hecklers, what could be wrong with that?--is the stuff of irresistible drama.

Not all the historical references will resonate for a younger audience, but the palpable desire to break through, juvenile pranks and constant barrage of one-liners -- on stage and off -- should make this relatable even for those who don't fully appreciate the terror of having to follow a young Richard Pryor on stage.

The series gradually finds its voice, along with profound ambitions pointed toward the political movements of its time (and our time). But it's most impressively a good hang, reveling in the tense camaraderie and striving one-upmanship of desperate comedians yearning for more stage time. [2/9 Jun 2017, p.94]

The series, created by David Flebotte, doesn’t break any particularly new ground--dying is still easy but comedy is still hard--but it is a compelling character-driven attempt to capture a moment in time when comedy and the culture were evolving.

Like the comedians, the scripts try too hard. Once the stage is set (and those conceits are out of the way), I’m Dying starts to breathe and draw us in.

Considered for what it really is—a sharply observed soap opera about a wholly debauched and dysfunctional group of friends preying upon their mutual insecurities—I'm Dying Up Here offers considerable viewing pleasure.

It can feel a little predictable at times, even a little phony, including the odd meaningful speech made about purpose and authenticity.

This fictionalized version has strong moments, and the cast is so deep and the level of incidental detail so rich that it’s an eminently watchable show, but one that hasn’t quite figured out how to properly exploit the setting it knows so well.

The smoother storylines of the earlier episodes and an ensemble with no sore thumb pieces kept me watching through the rough sections and left me with hope that even though TV's need for another show about comedians is nonexistent, I'm Dying Up Here might continue with an approach that's different enough and expansive enough to be worthwhile.

The cast is quite good — though Leo overdoes the tough-mother-hen bit-- and for actors not schooled in standup comedy, Griffin, Santino, Graynor et al. fire off one-liners (both funny and derogatory) with the panache of seasoned on-stage comedians. ... It’s hard to root for a coterie of self-involved, vicious people with nothing likable about them.