The Magical World of Julio Torres

Julio Torres is unlike any other comic in the contemporary alt-comedy landscape—an embodiment of what alternative comedy aspires to be at its most imaginative and boundary-pushing. Born and raised in El Salvador before moving to New York City, Torres brings a distinctly otherworldly sensibility to his comedy, creating work that feels both deeply personal and universally enchanting.

Torres first gained widespread recognition as a writer for Saturday Night Live (2016-2020), where his sketches stood out for their dreamlike quality and visual precision. Unlike the show's typical political or pop culture-driven comedy, Torres specialized in surreal, meticulously crafted pieces that often explored unexpected objects, identities, and perspectives.

What sets Torres apart in the alt-comedy world is his commitment to beauty as a comedic element. While much alternative comedy embraces awkwardness, discomfort, or deliberately anti-aesthetic approaches, Torres creates comedy that is visually stunning and carefully composed. His work feels like a Salvador Dalí painting come to life—surreal yet meticulous, dreamy yet precise.

Comedy of Objects and Shapes

Torres' breakthrough special, My Favorite Shapes (HBO, 2019), exemplifies his unique approach to comedy. Rather than delivering traditional stand-up, Torres sits at a conveyor belt, presenting a series of objects—from a crystal to a tiny plastic staircase—and spinning elaborate narratives about their inner lives. This object-oriented comedy creates a surreal yet emotionally resonant experience that defies categorization.

In Torres' world, inanimate objects have careers, desires, and existential crises. A square might struggle with imposter syndrome among more interesting shapes. A cactus might wonder about its purpose. These whimsical premises reveal deeper truths about human experience, using the distance of abstraction to touch on themes of belonging, identity, and purpose.

Visual Aesthetic and Cinematic Approach

Unlike many alt-comedians who embrace a DIY aesthetic, Torres approaches his work with a filmmaker's eye for composition, color, and lighting. His 2023 feature film directorial debut Problemista, starring Torres alongside Tilda Swinton, continues his exploration of magical realism and visual storytelling within a comedy framework.

This cinematic sensibility extends to his HBO series Los Espookys (2019-2022), which he co-created with Fred Armisen and Ana Fabrega. Set in a fictional Latin American country, the show follows a group of friends who stage fake supernatural events. The series blends Torres' signature visual style with gentle absurdism and queer perspectives, creating a wholly original comedy landscape.

Identity and Immigrant Experience

As an immigrant and queer artist, Torres often incorporates themes of otherness and belonging into his work, though rarely in direct or didactic ways. Instead, his comedy approaches these experiences through metaphor and magical thinking, offering fresh perspectives on displacement, cultural identity, and finding one's place in the world.

Torres' gentle, softly-spoken delivery contrasts with his incisive observations, creating a disarming quality that allows him to explore complex ideas while maintaining an atmosphere of wonder rather than confrontation. His ability to transform everyday anxieties into magical set pieces represents a distinct evolution in alternative comedy's capabilities.

Legacy and Influence

Though still relatively early in his career, Torres has already influenced a new generation of comedians who are exploring more visual, conceptual approaches to comedy. His work has helped expand alternative comedy's vocabulary beyond traditional stand-up or sketch formats, demonstrating how the genre can incorporate elements of visual art, magical realism, and abstraction.

By bringing a fine art sensibility to comedy without sacrificing humor, Torres has created a distinctive niche that continues to evolve and surprise. In a comedy landscape often divided between mainstream accessibility and alternative experimentation, Torres has charted a third path: creating work that is genuinely unique yet emotionally resonant, conceptual yet accessible, and always infused with a sense of wonder.