Shrimpin' Ain't Easy

Al Madrigal operates with the low-key exasperation of a tired parent who is entirely done with the performative anxieties of modern life. He delivers his material with a relaxed, dry narrative rhythm, peaking with a 22-minute tale about a missed ballet recital and a bizarre quest for seafood revenge. He acts as a teller of deeply personal, slightly dysfunctional stories, leaning into his own flaws rather than pretending to have anything figured out.

The 58-minute performance was filmed in December 2016 at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles and premiered on Showtime in May 2017. Directed by Neal Brennan, the show arrived at a transition point for Madrigal. He had recently wrapped a five-season run as the Senior Latino Correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and was preparing to co-star in the network’s drama series I’m Dying Up Here.

Madrigal touches on his mixed heritage, describing himself as a “Mexican Rick Moranis” due to his allergies and astigmatism, and details his theory of cilantro contamination at Chipotle. He also vents about his wife’s reliance on Yelp reviews, recounting a tense dinner at a Madison steakhouse. The special earned critical praise, securing spots on year-end lists from Vulture and Decider.