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Cover image credit: Thumbnail: YouTube · Sam Morril

I Got This

Sam Morril

YouTube · 2020

A lean, punchline-heavy set filmed in a New York basement.

Watch it free on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sam Morril spends much of I Got This proving that a dark premise can be redeemed by airtight mechanics. At one point, he explicitly tells the crowd at New York’s Village Underground that while they might hate the subject matter of his riskier jokes, they have to respect the structural integrity of the setups. It is an accurate self-assessment. Whether he is analyzing the self-congratulatory nature of men wearing condoms, comparing the act to volunteer work, or recounting the time he accidentally drank a woman’s roofied cocktail, Morril works with a clinical, deadpan precision that keeps the room laughing through the tension. Filmed at the basement club in Greenwich Village, the 2020 special was a pivotal moment in his career. Rejected by major streaming platforms, he took a gamble and bankrolled the production himself, eventually partnering with Comedy Central to release it for free on YouTube. The set runs a lean 47 minutes, focusing on punchline-heavy stand-up that eschews theatricality, and includes a detailed closing story about befriending an eccentric, self-styled vigilante in Cleveland.

The set list

5 bits
  1. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    Befriending a Cleveland vigilante named the White Knight closer

    An extended narrative showcase detailing an encounter with an eccentric self-proclaimed street hero, concluding the performance with a callback.

  2. The low bar for being a good guy and society's expectations of men

    Explores #MeToo themes and self-deprecatingly recounts being an accidental hero by unintentionally drinking a woman's roofied beverage at a party.

  3. Dark jokes about abortion and school shootings

    Tackles touchy, controversial subject matter while meta-commenting that audiences may dislike the content but must respect the airtight structural craftsmanship.

  4. True-crime entertainment raising the bar for murderers

    Examines how captivating true-crime media has elevated murder standards and ponders whether killers critique each other's work.

  5. Hatred for Naples, Florida

    Routines stemming from being heckled by the audience in Naples and receiving a scathing TripAdvisor review.

How it plays

Tone
Dark, cynical, offensive, and tightly structured.
On stage
Pleasantly cynical, jaded barfly with a dark, sarcastic voice and casual, effortless delivery.
Pace
Effortless, casual tempo designed around creating, holding, and playing with comedic tension.
About
The low bar for men and #MeToo, True crime and murder, Abortion and taboo topics, Dating and relationships, City life and loud neighbors

What the critics said

Praised by critics for its exceptionally tight joke construction, effortless command of comedic tension, dark cynicism, and successful narrative storytelling.

In the room: An intimate, representative New York underground comedy club crowd enjoying raw, boundary-pushing club material.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: vulture.com, cbsnews.com, vice.com, pastemagazine.com, imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org, theinterrobang.com, sandiegouniontribune.com.

Backstory

After being turned down by major streaming platforms like Netflix, Morril self-financed the taping with a crew of friends before selling hosting rights to Comedy Central's YouTube channel; it debuted weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.

Details

Released
Taped
Village Underground, New York
Where
YouTube
Topics
Before
Positive Influence (2018)
After
Up on the Roof (2020)

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