The Story

MURDER, HE JOKED tells the story of Crash Anderson’s complicated journey back to comedy after the traumatic event of an audience member dying of laughter during the biggest show of his career.

While everyone acts as if this is the single greatest thing that could ever happen to a comedian, the “murder” sends Crash into a moral crisis that ultimately leads to him quitting comedy. After all, how can he get back on stage and risk someone else falling victim to his humor?

Unfortunately, many people stand to benefit from Crash’s sudden rise in fame — namely his agent Javi, manager/girlfriend Katrina and less-successful comedy friends — which makes his decision to quit quite troubling.

Therefore, Crash leaves his comedy family behind in lieu of actual family; in the form of his older brother Mickey - a once-promising baseball pitcher who now runs the family auto shop. The sibling’s relationship has strained in recent years as Crash’s dream has slowly come true while Mickey’s died long ago. This unspoken resentment makes for a contentious reunion when Crash moves into Mickey’s garage; temporarily.

Having completely blown up his life in less than a day, Crash spends the majority of Season One trying to atone for the “murder” he truly feels he committed.

MURDER, HE JOKED takes the absurd concept of someone dying of laughter at a comedy show and uses it as a springboard to explore grief, trauma, family dynamics and the cost of 21st Century fame.