Brendan Scannell Will Make Edinburgh Fringe Debut With New Solo Show THE ABYSS
The Emmy-nominated star of Netflix's BONDING brings his mental health comedy to RBM Presents.
Brendan Scannell — star of Netflix's Bonding and Paramount's Heathers — will bring his darkly comic new solo act to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026
Emmy-nominated comedian, actor and writer Brendan Scannell will make his highly anticipated Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut in August 2026 with his new stand-up show The Abyss, a love letter to families everywhere who might be grappling with mental illness.
In The Abyss, Scannell descends deep into the darkest depths of his brain — where his Irish mother is a life coach who is obsessed with death, his bipolar brother is in psychic communication with Gwyneth Paltrow, and his inner child turns out to be a total asshole. As he dives deeper, the question becomes: will Brendan withstand the pressure, or collapse like a substandard submersible.
Part surreal comedy, part emotional reckoning, The Abyss marks a bold new chapter for one of America's most distinctive comic voices. The show explores mortality, mental health, family dysfunction and the yawning gap between who we want to be and who we actually are — with the wit and genuine darkness that has made Scannell a standout on both sides of the Atlantic.
Scannell is best known for his starring role in Netflix's dark comedy series Bonding, for which he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series. He previously co-starred in Paramount's cult TV adaptation Heathers, and has appeared on After Midnight with Taylor Tomlinson, Apple TV's Loot and FX's The Premise. As a stand-up, he was named a New Face at Montreal's JFL Comedy Festival and has headlined Netflix Is A Joke, the New York Comedy Festival and SF Sketchfest. Vulture has named him “a comedian you should and will know.”
The Abyss is directed by Emily Olcott, a performer and director based in NYC. Directing credits: The Story Pirates National Tour; My Dead Wedding (Ars Nova); Bada Swing! (Joe's Pub); The Oldest Profession (currently touring); Hadid (also at Edinburgh Fringe 2026); BETH (Joe's Pub); and Hysteria (OperaFest LA). Emily has performed in plays and musicals Off-Broadway and as a comedian/cabaret artist at UCB, Lincoln Center, MassMOCA, and in Provincetown, MA.
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