SHOWTIME(R) TO DEBUT NEW COMEDY SPECIAL "AL MADRIGAL: SHRIMPIN' AIN'T EASY" ON FRIDAY, MAY 5 AT 9 PM ET/PT

Madrigal's Special Is The First In Network's Rollout Of Three Stand-Up Specials From Comedians Starring In The New Drama Series I'M DYING UP HERE

LOS ANGELES, CA - April 17, 2017 - Comedian and I'M DYING UP HERE star Al Madrigal returns to the stage in the debut of his new one-hour comedy special AL MADRIGAL: SHRIMPIN' AIN'T EASY on Friday, May 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME. Madrigal's sidesplitting stand-up kicks off the first of three standalone comedy specials from the stars of the new SHOWTIME drama series I'M DYING UP HERE premiering Sunday, June 4 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Following Madrigal's special will be the premieres of ANDREW SANTINO: HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE on Friday, June 2 and ERIK GRIFFIN: THE UGLY TRUTH on Friday, July 7.

In AL MADRIGAL: SHRIMPIN' AIN'T EASY, Madrigal tackles relatable topics like cilantro politics, parenting, anger management, dark family secrets and an unbelievable tale of seafood gone wrong. Directed by Neal Brennan (Chappelle's Show), the former Daily Show correspondent's unfiltered commentary takes aim at his kids, Yelp reviews and a revenge-fueled ballet recital.

Madrigal has parlayed his talents as a comedian into a successful career as an actor, correspondent and podcaster. He has filed regular correspondent pieces for The Daily Show and has appeared on Conan, The Tonight Show, The Late Late Show, @Midnight and Jimmy Kimmel Live. Madrigal headlined The Ortegas, and has also been seen in About A Boy, Free Agents, Welcome to The Captain, Gary Unmarried and The Tax Men. His stand-up specials include Why Is The Rabbit Crying and the award-winning docu-comedy Half Like Me. In 2013, Madrigal and fellow comedian Bill Burr launched All Things Comedy (ATC) network, a podcast and video network founded, owned and operated entirely by comedians.

In addition to Madrigal's special, SHOWTIME will debut two additional comedy specials from I'M DYING UP HERE stars Andrew Santino (Mixology) and Erik Griffin (Workaholics). ANDREW SANTINO: HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE, premiering Friday, June 2, follows the comedian through his hometown of Chicago, stopping at landmark moments of his life that have shaped him into the comic he is today. Griffin's debut special, ERIK GRIFFIN: THE UGLY TRUTH, featuring the comedian's hilarious deconstruction of everything from modern romance to popular culture, premieres on SHOWTIME on Friday, July 7.

SHOWTIME is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Apple(R), Roku(R), Amazon, Google and Samsung at www.showtime.com/samsung. Consumers can also subscribe to SHOWTIME via Hulu, YouTube TV, Sling TV, Sony PlayStation(R) Vue and Amazon Channels. The network's authentication service, SHOWTIME ANYTIME, is available at no additional cost to SHOWTIME customers who subscribe to the network through participating providers. Subscribers can also watch on their computers at www.showtime.com and www.showtimeanytime.com.