Critic Reviews

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.

I’m Dying Up Here convincingly recreates both a period and the primal scream existence of would-be star comedians who seem to most enjoy trading very barbed insults during frequent gatherings at a local diner.

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Not all the historical references will resonate for a younger audience, but the palpable desire to break through, juvenile pranks and constant barrage of one-liners -- on stage and off --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.

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.

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.

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

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.