I’m Dying Up Here airs Sunday nights, 10pm on Showtime.
*Spoilers Follow*
I’m Dying Up Here chronicles the journeys of stand-up comedians trying to make it big in the 70s. We all know that the most important job of any comedian is making people laugh, so we decided to rank the main character’s stand-up sets from least funny to funniest, based on the premiere.
5) Bill
His was the first stand-up act, and also the lamest. Bill joked about abortion becoming legal, and how it’s insane that people still have so many “accidents.” “It’s not that difficult. Scientists aren’t questioning where babies come from.” He also added a Albert Einstein impression, which was an odd choice.
4) Cassie
Her pet rock bit got more groans than laughs, but she turned her spot into insult comedy. Carrie’s quick-witted responses to the drunk men shouting obscenities were excellent. When she finds out that the men are there for a bachelor party she responds with “Well what are you doing here? That hooker in the back of the truck ain’t gonna bury herself!”
3) Edgar
Edgar had a pretty impressive routine. His joke about Mexican being a dirty word was great. Adding the word “Mexican” to anything makes it sound sketchy. “For example, if I say I took my kids to the circus, fine. But if I said I took them to the Mexican circus… ew. Or, we saw the clown. Now change that to a Mexican clown.”
2) Cassie
She initially went for the Texas gal routine, but quickly shifted gears. She froze for a couple of seconds, but then started crying and giving an apparent eulogy of her ex-boyfriend Clay. Goldie wanted to take her off-stage but she let her go on, and Cassie ended up doing a great job, telling hilarious stories about her relationship with Clay.
1) Clay
In his 1st appearance on the Johnny Carson show, Clay nailed it. He started with a bit about his being “Italian Bostonian.” “We still talk with our hands, but we only use one finger.” He followed that up with some more great jokes about his Italian upbringing, talking about how they follow violence up with food. “Would you like some pasta with that bruise?” He even got the couch!
TV and City 