Plot Synopsis

This six-episode docuseries follows seven up-and-coming comedians in New York and Los Angeles as they vie for a spot in the Just For Laughs (JFL) New Faces of Comedy showcase in 2018 at Salle Ludger-Duvernay at the Monument National on July 25, hosted by Alonzo Boldden. New Faces is responsible for propelling the careers of many world-renowned artists, including: Jimmy Fallon (1996), Gabriel Iglesias (1999), Kevin Hart (2001), Hannibal Buress (2006), Amy Schumer (2007), Pete Holmes (2009), Chris D'Elia (2009), Colin Jost (2010), Jerrod Carmichael (2011), Ali Wong (2011), The Lucas Brothers (2012), Pete Davidson (2013), Michelle Wolf (2014), and Hasan Minnhaj (2014).

INSIDE JOKES opens with Howie Mandel, Gabriel 'Fluffy' Iglesias, Alonzo Bodden, Colin Jost, Hannibal Buress, and Chelsea Peretti discussing the significance of JFL and the New Faces showcase. In the rest of the first episode, Los Angeles stand-up comics get ready to compete in final auditions. Daphnique Springs confidently prepares, while MK Paulsen tries to find his comedic voice. Kellen Erskine wonders if he's too structured, while Simon Gibson thinks he may be too wild. Then, the second episode shifts to New York, where struggling stand-up comics compete in final auditions for the prestigious and career-making Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal. Can Rosebud Baker overcome her insecurities? Can Robert Dean succeed in his eighth year trying? Can Alzo Slade be as funny on stage as he is in real life? In the third episode, the comics find out if they've been selected for the prestigious Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal. The notification calls come when least expected: while they're about to go on stage, at their jobs, at home, even out with friends. How will they react when they hear whether their years of hard work and sacrifice have paid off? Next, with the festival just seven days away, some of the comics choose to reconnect with family. For those who didn't make the cut, it's a time to regroup. Will they stay with comedy? For those going, it's time to finalize their sets and prepare themselves emotionally for the biggest night of their lives. Then, the series shifts to Montreal for its final two episodes. The Just for Laughs comedy festival has begun. The streets of Montreal are filled with thousands of comedy fans. The New Faces Showcase stage, where our unknown comics will perform, seats 800 people, half of whom will be network execs, agents and other king makers of the comedy world. Our comics are about to perform on the biggest stage of their lives. The New Faces Showcase is finally here. Will these unknown comics be able to channel their nervous energy and "kill it," or will they fall apart and bomb under the pressure? Years and years of work and sacrifice have led to a six-minute set that will determine their future.