Television executives seem to be obsessed with the ’70s lately, thought the results so far have been pretty middling. HBO tanked with the rock ‘n roll “Vinyl,” while Netflix has been pretty quiet about their expensive boondoggle “The Get Down,” which still has a second batch of episodes to unveil. But maybe Showtime can find success where there counterparts have failed with “I’m Dying Up Here.”
Executive produced by Jim Carrey, the series offers an intriguing premise, focusing on the ’70s comedy scene in L.A., where you worked your way up the ladder, hoping to break out to a national audience by landing a late-night TV spot.
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“At that time there was a beam that could catapult people to the stars, and that was ‘The Tonight Show,’ ” Carrey said at the Television Critics Association (via Deadline). “We all gathered around the heat of that. … If Johnny liked me it meant something to me, that I’m not only good at what I do but he thinks I’m intelligent and likes to talk to me.”
Certainly, the trailer reveals that the show is leaning hard into the ’70s, right down to using the gauzy cinematography that weirdly makes it harder to see everything. But let’s hope there’s some good substance to go with the style.
Starring Melissa Leo, Al Madrigal, Ari Graynor, Michael Angarano, and RJ Cyler and more, “I’m Dying Up Here” launches on June 4th.