Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Bad stand-up comedy is painful to endure. Excruciatingly so. You’re watching a fellow human being at their most vulnerable, a live wire of raw emotion. It can evoke a visceral reaction that runs the gamut of emotions. But like any creative endeavor, sucking is a necessary detour on the way to proficiency. You can’t be good without first being bad, and while other shows about stand-up comedy bypass the grimy beginnings and focus on the fruits of their labor, Crashing, Pete Holmes’ exceptional new comedy that premiered last night on HBO, revels in the wonderfully messy journey.
Executive produced by Judd Apatow and loosely based on Holmes’ life, Crashing follows Holmes’ character (also named Pete) as he immerses himself in the New York comedy scene after he discovers his wife — portrayed by comedic dynamo Lauren Lapkus — is cheating on him. A sojourn into the world of NYC comedy, a breakup as an impetus for change, yes, these are episodic roads littered with many a footprint, but Crashing offers a refreshingly fun take on the familiar trope. Pete didn’t just have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, his world was knocked completely off its axis. He went from being financially supported by his parents to being financially supported by his wife, so he now has no money, no wife, no job, and no place to live.
Out of options, Pete begins crashing on various comedian’s couches.
This type of seismic shift would send most of us down a maudlin spiral of melancholy leading to the rockiest of rock bottoms, but what makes Crashing such a unique delight is the show’s optimistic disposition. Holmes’ cheery resilience in the face of adversity is inspirational. With his life unraveling, he double downs on his dreams and finds solace in comedy. Pete Holmes and Judd Apatow’s undeniable love and admiration for the art of stand-up is prevalent throughout the series. Crashing isn’t an effusive love letter to the romanticized version of stand-up; it’s a captivating behind-the-scenes look at the realities of the industry through the eyes of a novice.
“I have no money, but I’m kinda having the best time of my life,” Holmes muses in a later episode.
Like many Apatow projects, Crashing’s protagonist is an underdog with hidden potential. But unlike the brash and often self-centered leads in Love or Girls, Pete’s defining trait is his unrelenting sincerity. His guileless, aw-shucks temperament is the perfect foil for the gruff comedians of the east coast comedy scene. In fact, many of his comedy cohorts believe his amiable, deer in headlights demeanor is a bit. While Crashing has a clear vision and stays true to that vision, many episodes — particularly early installments featuring superb appearances from Artie Lange and T. J. Miller — feel like short independent films about stand-up comedy.
The one word I keep coming back to when thinking about Crashing is authenticity. The comedy doesn’t dwell on how life should be. No character has been left unscathed by the drudgery of life, but nobody is damaged beyond repair. Comedians are often portrayed as dark characters, and while Crashing touches on that, it’s more content to focus on the unwavering devotion to the craft as opposed to the demons that sometimes accompany a career in comedy. At its core, it’s an aspirational series about how devastation can lead to inspiration and the relatable adversity that accompanies the pursuit of an artistic endeavor.
I know Pete Holmes the person is doing well; I’m watching his new HBO series after all. But in a future episode, Pete the character has a minor victory; a good day at work. Nothing too crazy, just one of those rare glimmers of affirmation one occasionally receives when pursuing a dream. A much-needed cosmic reminder amidst the crummy jobs and empty pockets that maybe, just maybe, you’re exactly where you need to be, doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing.
I can’t help but feel the same way about Pete Holmes and Crashing.
