Good Son

Paul Elia built his sophomore hour on the premise that immigrant parents are loving but deeply illogical. His physical style, honed under the direction of a hired clown coach, is highly deliberate, utilizing long silences and expressive face-work to act out the terror of lying to Chaldean-Assyrian parents. He details the specific brand of respect required of a first-generation son, including translating his family’s pure-blood marriage expectations (likening them to Voldemort) and his father’s decree that a person is not allowed to be gay until they turn 21.

Filmed at The Den Theatre in Chicago and released in April 2026, the self-funded special represents a major bet for Elia, who previously released Detroit Player in 2024. The special’s post-release trajectory became a story of its own when Google Ads restricted paid promotion over a brief joke mentioning Donald Trump. Refusing to edit the bit, Elia partnered with the streaming platform Watermelon+ to distribute the hour unedited and free.