Comedy Central Presents

Al Jackson knows what it’s like to be out of his depth. The former Miami middle school teacher spends a significant chunk of his 2011 Comedy Central Presents half-hour recounting a bathroom emergency on I-95. The crisis is brought on by a fundamental misunderstanding of what goes into a Starbucks white chocolate mocha when you are lactose intolerant, and it turns into a highly detailed story about trying to protect the upholstery in his prized 2007 Hyundai Sonata.

Filmed at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater in New York City, the set caught Jackson at a career transition point. He had moved on from teaching, put in appearances on Last Comic Standing, and was building his resume on the festival circuit. Here, he leans into his knack for extended storytelling. He casually strolls the stage while outlining the stress of parent-teacher conferences, the logistics of assembling a reliable drinking crew, and the specific results of taking a Viagra at a Las Vegas comedy festival purely for research.