Home Field Advantage

Andrew Santino spends his first hour-long special trying to reconcile his identity as a tough, old-school Chicago kid with the softer realities of a guy who now lives in West Hollywood and does expensive tourist activities on vacation.

Filmed at The Vic Theatre in his hometown, the 2017 Showtime special caught Santino just as he was starring in the network’s stand-up drama I’m Dying Up Here. He leans heavily into his Midwestern roots. His grandmother introduces him onstage, and his backdrop features a cartoon bear wearing Air Jordans and eating deep-dish pizza.

Santino’s material thrives on cynical comparisons. He contrasts the bleak survival of Chicago’s homeless population in freezing winters with those in Los Angeles who have made it to the beach. He also works through a mix of progressive logic and blue-collar skepticism, famously questioning the utility of bathroom stalls in bars by asking why anyone is attempting to use them for anything but a quick pit stop. Other bits touch on his red hair, the bizarre nature of childhood Catholic prayers, and why he skipped his own bachelor party because a touring comic’s life is already a perpetual night out.