Showtime Kills Off Dying

“I’m Dying Up Here” is officially dead.

After two seasons attempting to explore the world of stand up comedy in the 70’s in L.A., Showtime has given up trying to make the series work. And it’s probably fine. Although the series had some high points, inevitably it was too inconsistent and failed to capture hardcore comedy-philes with its soap-opera heavy storylines that had nothing to do with history or comedy. Most of us had hoped it would more closely follow the book that it took inspiration from, or had tighter parallels to the famous comedic personalities who inhabited that time and place. And everyone complained that the series made it seem that nobody in the 70’s ever had fun.

It also failed to attract the straight drama crowd, going down too many tangents without payoff, delivering a smorgasbord of unlikeable characters, and becoming the latest in a list of series about the seventies that didn’t feel anything like the seventies.

Showtime officially canceled the show late this week after its fate remained in limbo.

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