Love at The Store

Jerrod Carmichael delivers his jokes like a guy who just woke from a nap and remembered a few troubling thoughts he wants to share. His cadence is quiet and measured, a stark contrast to his actual material. He casually weighs the trade-offs of poverty against wealth, questions why extreme talent constantly excuses a total lack of morals, and jokes about finally making enough money to slap someone and be free by Friday.

Directed by Spike Lee, the 2014 hour was filmed at The Comedy Store in Hollywood and served as an introduction to a premium cable audience just as the comic’s acting career was taking off.

Before his network sitcom or the confessional specials that defined his later work, this set captures someone figuring out how to weaponize a relaxed demeanor. He gets the room to side with awful premises simply by refusing to yell about them.