Netflix certainly offers its fair share of
original dramas, comedies, and animated series.
But it's also given standup comedians a powerful
new platform.
The streaming giant is releasing new comedy
specials at a breakneck pace.
With the standup game notoriously crowded,
Netflix's commitment to putting out quality
specials has been a boon to veterans and up-and-comers
alike, and it doesn't appear to be slowing
down.
With a ton of quality offerings to choose
from, here are the cream of the crop, the
funniest laugh-out-loud comedy specials on
Netflix right now.
Ali Wong, Hard Knock Wife
Ali Wong is an extremely funny woman, but
before her debut Netflix special Baby Cobra
in 2016, she was relatively unknown.
That changed practically overnight, as the
pregnant Wong delivered a hilarious set of
profane, edgy stand-up, leading to a much
higher profile and an inevitable followup
that dropped in 2018.
Any concerns about a sophomore slump are shot
down within the first few minutes of Hard
Knock Wife.
"The TV is taking care of the baby, ok?
The windows are open she's got plenty of vitamins,
she's fine!"
Hard Knock is a rapid-fire hour long set largely
concerned with parenthood and pregnancy, but
even non-parents will be surprised by her
insightfulness, hilarious stage presence,
and crack comic timing.
John Mulaney, The Comeback Kid
Former SNL writer and occasional actor John
Mulaney's 2012 special New in Town announced
him as a potential force in comedy, with his
gift for hilarious turns of phrase.
"And then I go over to the Delta help desk
which is an oxy moron and I go 'Can I please
go home?'
And they go 'No!
In fact, we're going to frame you for murder.'"
Mulaney followed that with his 2015 standup
offering The Comeback Kid, in which the comic
takes on everything from relationships to
pet ownership to Bill Clinton.
It's a high-impact set densely packed with
gags, and it's proof that Mulaney is never
more in his element than when he's on stage.
Kevin Hart, What Now?
Kevin Hart is the rare comic who has no trouble
selling out stadiums, or playing to stadium-sized
crowds.
The comic's brash, larger-than-life stage
persona makes him perfect for larger venues,
as the 2016 concert film What Now?
makes perfectly clear.
But it's the contrast of that persona with
surprising digressions into insecurity and
vulnerability that really makes his stage
material tick.
And while Hart's been busy carving out a respectable
film career, his considerable talents are
arguably best suited for standup.
Hart takes the stage already holding the enormous
crowd in the palm of his hand and launches
into relatable topics like male friendships,
parenting, and the perils of failing to respond
to your girlfriend's text messages.
"Fellas let me tell you something, the worst
thing that you can do in life is not respond
to your lady's text messages, do you hear
me?"
It's a 90-minute long demonstration of Hart's
star power, comic chops and one-of-a-kind
presence, and if you're not a fan already,
What Now? will probably make you one.
"She said 'So if I got attacked by an animal
you wouldn't come out there and help me?'
I said it depends on the animal.
If it's a cat, I'll come out there and kick
the cat."
Trevor Noah, Afraid of the Dark
In 2015, South African comic Trevor Noah was
given a coveted yet nearly impossible assignment:
he was tapped to replace the legendary Jon
Stewart on Comedy Central's long-running series
The Daily Show.
Noah turned out to be a great replacement,
but for a display of just how formidable his
comedic talent really is, his 2016 special
Afraid of the Dark is more than worth checking
out.
From an observational bit about New York traffic
through the eyes of a foreigner to a closing
piece about actual fear of the dark, Noah
casually tosses off zingers while jumping
from topic to topic.
"He stared that truck driver down as he was
crossing just looking at him like 'I've got
the light, I've got the light, you know I've
got the light."
He's a thoroughly warm and engaging presence,
making it easy to see why Comedy Central producers
thought he'd be the perfect fit for their
flagship series.
Here's hoping that his tenure is just as long
and successful as Stewart's, and that he keeps
dropping quality specials like this one.
Donald Glover, Weirdo
Few stars are as hot right now as Donald Glover,
who began his career as a writer on 30 Rock
and a main cast-member of Community.
"How many?"
"36.
You win."
"Best of three?"
"Ya!"
Best-known now for creating and starring in
the FX comedy/drama series Atlanta and for
his recent music video "This is America,"
Glover has taken the long road to stardom,
and the 2012 standup special Weirdo was captured
when he was still relatively unknown.
"Toys r Us, Toys r Us, and we never went to
Toys r US.
We always went to f——— Auschwitz for
kids f——-- Home Depot."
It almost doesn't seem fair for one guy to
be so good at so many things, but if the acting,
writing, producing, and rapping all happen
to fall through, Glover can always fall back
on his standup skills.
Bill Burr, I'm Sorry You Feel That Way
If you've seen the Netflix original animated
series F is for Family, then you're already
familiar with the comic sensibility of Bill
Burr.
Family's creator and main voice actor, Burr
is a comic who's never funnier than when he
seems on the verge of completely losing his
mind.
Burr's crass approach to comedy may not be
for everyone, but his 2014 special I'm Sorry
You Feel That Way is the most on-point example
of his loud, relentless style.
Burr hammers away at touchy topics such as
gun control, domestic abuse, and religion.
"Why wouldn't there be some bearded baby moonwalkin
across the lake.
Throwin out bottomless buckets of shrimp,
whatever he did."
Steve Martin and Martin Short
Here's a special sure to hit smack-dab in
the middle of the nostalgia center for comedy
fans of a certain vintage.
In An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest
of Your Life, Steve Martin and Martin Short
are back onstage together for a night of hilariousness,
and, at times, banjos.
"Let's count the awards that you have won.
One two three four five six none."
Peppered liberally with asides and references
to their decades of work in television and
film, Evening doesn't shoot for edgy humor
or gross-out gags.
Some of the material might be considered downright
safe, but you can't deny the simple pleasure
of seeing Martin and Short working the audience
like the pros they are.
Sarah Silverman, A Speck of Dust
Sarah Silverman blazed her initial path in
standup by courting controversy.
Her early standup work mined laughs by contrasting
Silverman's girl-next-door charm with the
utterly profane, jaw-droppingly frank nature
of her material, and that reputation has continued
to follow her around throughout her career.
For 2017's A Speck of Dust, however, Silverman
tried a slightly different tack, easing off
the vulgarity and relying on her writing and
comic timing to carry the day, and it worked
out pretty well.
There's still some risque material in her
set, but it's not the star of the show.
Silverman's conversational, relaxed delivery
is front and center here, as she tackles topics
ranging from a recent medical scare to the
insanity of working for a major TV network.
She's a comic who has grown by leaps and bounds
since her standup debut, and if Speck of Dust
isn't exactly the Silverman you're used to,
it may very well mark the debut of the Silverman
who is destined to be a major standup player
for many years to come.
"It said 'I just spent the morning, with a
woman who watched her son get murdered.'
And I was like 'You think that's bad…'"
Leslie Jones, Problem Child
Saturday Night Live star Leslie Jones has
always been funny, but it's taken the general
public awhile to catch on.
Her role in the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot raised
her profile considerably, but her criminally
unseen 2010 Showtime special Problem Child
put her on comedy fans' radar long before
Ghostbusters made her a household name.
In keeping with her brash manner and outsized
persona, it's an hour of outrageous anecdotes,
peppered with surreal asides on everything
from basketball to an animal conspiracy against
Steve Irwin.
"Them motherf——— had a undisclosed meeting
at a uh uh location by a tree stump in the
woods.
Everybody came, even animals that Steve ain't
f——- with showed up."
Throughout the set, Jones returns to a theme
of self-improvement, calling out those who
would judge her by her appearance and using
exchanges with the crowd to help drive home
some of her gags.
But it's when those surreal, philosophical
ramblings take over that she really shines.
Jones is a comic powerhouse with an incredible
knack for playing to a crowd, and perhaps
the most underrated sense of comic timing
in the business, and in Problem Child, the
full range of those talents are prominently
on display.
Jim Gaffigan, Cinco
As one of the most consistent and cleanest
comics working today, Jim Gaffigan is no stranger
to Netflix.
As you may have guessed by its title, Cinco
is his fifth standup special for the streaming
service.
"I have one for each of my five children,
so hopefully this is the last one."
As always, Gaffigan's deadpan, somewhat awkward
manner and keen gift for observation make
him tailor-made for standup, even though he's
been successful as a writer and actor, it's
obvious that he is most at home on the stage.
"There's pressure to enjoy summer, right?
I'm from the midwest, it's almost a panic.
'Go out there, have fun!
Winter's coming to kill us!'"
With Cinco, he brings an act that's been honed
to a fine point.
Fans won't find him breaking any new ground
here, but when you're as consistently awesome
at your job as Gaffigan is, that's not much
of a complaint.
Gaffigan spends a lot of time taking shots
at his favorite target, himself, while making
regular asides to offer up hilariously clever
observations.
Some comics are biting, some are profane,
some are downright vulgar, but Jim Gaffigan
endears himself to his audience by being none
of the above, and proving that you don't have
to be any of those things to be absolutely
hilarious.
"My favorite are the people that carry around
the dog in a bag.
Whenever I see that I always think 'What an
adorable way to let us know you're crazy.'"
