Fantasmas

Julio Torres’s hilariously absurd HBO show, Fantasmas, doesn’t so much defy categorization as much as it hopes to do away with categories altogether. Its protagonist, Julio (Torres) bemoans the need to prove his talent (let alone his own sense of self) by obtaining “proof of existence,” a piece of bureaucratic nonsense that’s required to participate in this bizarro world where Zappos produces IP content, Exxon-Mobile has gotten into the real estate business, and water is voiced by none other than Tilda Swinton. At once a sketch-like comedy bonanza featuring uproarious turns from the likes of Emma Stone (an executive producer on the show), Aidy Bryant, Martine, Bowen Yang, and Steve Buscemi (as the letter “Q,” no less!) the latest from the Los Espookys creator is also a fable about how hard it is to remain wholly oneself in a world that demands you contort yourself into conformity. For dreaming up a surreal world that nevertheless holds up a fun house mirror to our very own, grappling with everything from government bureaucracy and reality TV to customer service agents, fitness fads, and everything in between, Fantasmas wins a Peabody award.