Fresh off his directorial film debut with A24’s Problemista, Julio Torres is shaking it up on Max as the creator and star of his new surrealist comedy series, Fantasmas. However, this isn’t Torres’ first rodeo—he previously had a hand in creating HBO’s Los Espookys, which lasted two seasons before being axed by the network.
But it was Torres’ major entertainment breakthrough a few years prior that not only served as his largest platform but also allowed him to share what would become his most widely recognizable work. The only catch? You never see his face. As a writer on Saturday Night Live from 2016-2019, Torres wrote some of arguably the most popular sketches of the show during those years, many of which went viral on YouTube.
Torres’ newest project, Fantasmas, allows him to take a different approach to his recognizably wacky comedic style, with more inspiration from his real life. Still, this doesn’t mean that he tones down his artistic style; if anything, he purposefully makes the set design resemble an acid trip.
Explaining the plot is difficult, given that each episode consists of everything from gay hamster nightclubs to sequined toilets, but the one thing guaranteed is that you’re always in for a wild ride. With Max currently releasing the first season of Fantasmas, below, we look back on some of Torres’ most popular SNL sketches (both those that went to air and those that were released as digital shorts) and how they may have inspired some of the newer segments and vignettes of his new show.
“Wells for Boys”
We’re starting off strong with a sketch promoting a fictional Fisher-Price toy for sensitive boys. Emma Stone met her future husband, Dave McCary, while filming the sketch—Stone was the host, and McCary was the director. The couple currently serve as producers on Fantasmas, further supporting the creative goals of their unintended matchmaker. The character of Julio in Fantasmas (a fictionalized version of the real-life Torres) describes his feeling of otherness, and the lengths he went to to purposefully not fit in, and reject conformity. When talking about his time in school, he says, “I’m not at the bottom of the pyramid. I’m not in the pyramid. I’m not losing the race, idiot. I’m not running at all.” “Wells for Boys” is not only reflective of Fantasmas, but of Torres’ own childhood.
“The Actress”
Stone returns for this sketch featuring the internal monologue of an actress hired to play the wife who gets cheated on in a low-budget gay porn (she’s paid with a meal voucher). Her process for understanding her character, and her complete devotion to a role which only she cares about, is reminiscent of Fantasmas’ character Vanesja and her quest to understand why young men like to keep empty Gatorade bottles like trophies. Like The Actress, Vanesja is on a quest to dig deep into the meaning of the actions of others—with, of course, soulful piano music backing her up.
“Papyrus”
Widely considered to be Torres’ most famous sketch, Ryan Gosling’s performance, as well as the absurd concept, made this sketch about the use of the papyrus font on the official Avatar logo a hit on arrival. Shining a light on something which Torres, and many others, might consider to be an issue, and expanding upon it for three minutes seems to be one of his many trademarks. In Fantasmas, Torres brings a bit of his standup routine to the screen, explaining his belief that the letter Q is too avant-garde to be positioned so early in the alphabet and would be more appreciated if it showed up closer to X, Y, and Z. Steve Buscemi, who portrays “Q” in Fantasmas, delivers an excellent performance as a misunderstood musician the public just isn’t ready for.
“Papyrus 2”
Just as with the first Avatar film, the original Papyrus sketch was so good, it earned a follow-up! Host Ryan Gosling gives it his all, as a man who still hasn’t gotten over Avatar’s graphic designer’s use of the papyrus font… but now, for the sequel, it’s bolded. This feeling of being misunderstood, and no one fully recognizing the problem (no matter how small it is) is depicted in Fantasmas as the character of Julio tries to convince the Crayola company that they need to create a clear crayon.
“Melania Moments”
Torres’ first aired sketch may be less than a minute long, but it’s humorous all the same. It follows Melania Trump as she gazes out the window of Fifth Avenue’s Trump Tower, contemplating the possible existence of a Sixth Avenue. Reminiscent of a princess trapped in a tower, Torres again parodies children’s media in Fantasmas’ pilot. A clear reference to the popular ‘80’s sitcom, Alf, Torres’ version follows Melf, a similarly freakish Muppet-like alien. The similarities end there, however, as upon joining a nuclear family, Melf has an affair with the husband (Paul Dano), who gets divorced and remarried to Melf, which makes the muppet the children’s new “step-Melf.” Just saying–Alf would never be a homewrecker.
“The Sink”
Centering on a bathroom sink contemplating its purpose, complete with an overly self-conscious internal monologue (voiced by none other than Emily Blunt), this sketch follows Torres’ trend of focusing on inner thoughts (like with the Melania)—but now with an inanimate bathroom appliance. Torres’ interest in bathrooms carries over to Fantasmas, with a spokesperson (played by SNL alum Aidy Bryant) advertising her toilet-dressing business: Whether it’s bedazzled with sequins or a cowboy look, she promises to clothe toilets in the way that they desire.
“Barbie Instagram”
This recurring sketch proves that Torres was ahead of his time, with this sketch not only predating the 2023 film Barbie, but even going so far as to predict the existential crisis plotline of the Barbie. The sketch follows Mattel interns attempting to write captions for some of Barbie’s Instagram posts, but their ideas are so awful they get themselves kicked out of the building. Torres proves it takes talent to write ideas that are so terrible, and this creative spirit and fearlessness of the weird is seen with the outlandishness of a Fantasmas vignette centering on a queer hamster nightclub, a place “where [hamsters] could walk in, dance, misbehave, and forget about the tedious, endless loop of their exercise wheels.” Torres’ humor is crafted to fit its audience, whether it be for SNL, or a show with the hamster-equivalent of Studio 54.
“Sara Lee”
One of the first times Torres’ face appeared on television screens across the nation was in this sketch, where he was called a “random fashion twink.” Written by Torres and fellow SNL writer Bowen Yang, this collaboration was years in the making after a previous cut that prevented the script from making it past the dress rehearsal. However, it was finally included when Harry Styles guest starred, exposing audiences to not only how not to slide into someone’s Instagram captions, but also double check that you’re not posting hookup comments using a business account. Torres later brought Yang in as a guest star on Fantasmas, as an elf suing Santa for unpaid labor, but the real scene of Fantasmas which feels somewhat inspired by this sketch centers on the idea that the goal of customer service representatives is to annoy their “valued” customers. Comedic takes on what goes on behind the scenes at office jobs, ranging from insurance to desserts, are all tackled in different ways by Torres.
Fantasmas, Fridays, 11/10c, Max