For a show about stand-up comedy, I’m Dying Up Here is remarkably soulful, honing in beyond just the struggle to win laughs, to the comedians’ struggles to develop a sense of self. We’re meeting to talk about her role in Showtime’s I’m Dying Up Here, in which Graynor plays Cassie, the lone girl in a group of struggling stand-up comedians hustling for their big break at a Los Angeles comedy club in the 1970s. But you also feel like, oh god, maybe I just sound like a total fucking idiot.” “I feel like the point of doing these interviews is sharing experiences that might be useful or helpful to people, or make them feel acknowledged or less alone. “I’m still trying to figure out all of this,” she says, adjusting the straps on the denim overalls she wore to lunch at Café Cluny in Manhattan’s West Village, where she lives. The truth is Ari Graynor is not a brash hypersexual drunkard, like she’s played in her most attention-grabbing film roles, nor is she a horrible pretentious asshole. Maybe it was when she was funding her rent through phone sex work for 1-877-MMM-HMM in For a Good Time, Call. It’s likely that you fell in love with Ari Graynor in Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist when you saw her picking her half-chewed gum out of the vomit in a toilet at a Port Authority bathroom and putting it back into her mouth. Gazette media columnist Terry Terrones is a member of the Television Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association.“I hope that all my deep thoughts won’t make me sound like a horrible pretentious asshole.” 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. Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams and George Carlin were a few of the comics I grew up idolizing, so this series was right in my wheelhouse. As a kid, I'd listen to my dad's collection of comedy albums, and as a teenager, I'd buy my own. Grade (A-): I've always been fascinated by comedians. If you think all a comedian does is go onstage and tell jokes, you're missing the point of this series. If you're a comedy die-hard, this series is for you. It's an examination of what fuels the type of person with the guts to go onstage and say things they wouldn't tell their own mother. There's plenty to laugh at, but this isn't a sitcom. Lows: Don't expect this series to be like "Last Comic Standing" or the latest Netflix comedy special. But these comedians can appreciate a good quip, especially if it's bathed in truth. The rapid-fire jokes can be extremely personal and painful. The onstage acts are funny, but where this series really shines is in the give-and-take between comics. Some of my favorite moments in "I'm Dying Up Here" were when characters were interacting offstage. While this series makes it seem that most comics have a dark side, it's also clear that a successful comedian can maintain a semblance of balance with razor-sharp wit. But these are comedians after all, so even when a character dies in the first episode, there's humor to be found. For those who have chosen this way of life, a club is a safe place to bare your soul and be around like-minded people. Viewers will see comics as tortured souls who use comedy as a catharsis and understand why the comedy club is a comedian's version of church. If you've ever wondered what makes a comedian tick, you'll get a peek behind the curtain. Carrey isn't an executive producer in name only - some of his experiences are in this show.
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