![]() ![]() A few years later, no one is questioning Hannah Gadsby’s raw, angry, and yet still quite funny exploration of what it means to do comedy as an LGBTQ+ non-binary person. The debut of Nanette was so seismic that for a little while there, people were fighting over whether it even counted as stand-up comedy. Bittenbinder and always underscored by Mulaney’s self-deprecating, observational demeanor, Kid Gorgeous at Radio City more than lives up to its name. Populated with memorable, larger-than-life characters like Detective J.J. With that being said, there are a handful of gems that still rise to the top, with “horse loose in a hospital” being one of the best pieces of comedy revolving around the Trump era. With extremely minimal set dressing and his favorite suit pressed, Mulaney took to the stage for an hour with a truly impeccable flow - it’s hard to even identify the points between bits and stories. While John Mulaney has shared three really stellar specials on Netflix, Kid Gorgeous at Radio City is perhaps the best of the bunch. Miller John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City (May 1st, 2018) The stories are fun, but it’s the ease with which he builds a relationship with attendees right from the start of this special which demonstrates how he’s become one of the world’s most popular stand-ups. There are waves and waves of that love to be felt in I’m Sorry for What I Said When I Was Hungry, his first special for Netflix, and one that captures his intense gift for audience engagement, drawing a stadium-sized crowd into the most intimate details of his stories. It’s an approach that works for him, because his fans love him. ![]() The Fluffy-est comedian on this list (which is to say, the only comedian on this list whose nickname is Fluffy) often performs live shows that go for hours and hours. Wren Graves Gabriel Iglesias: I’m Sorry for What I Said When I Was Hungry (December 20th, 2016) Everyone who watched Baby Cobra felt the truth in her filthy jokes, and Wong became a household name nearly overnight. ![]() Whether she’s mining resentment at the easy life of husbands or yawning at how procreational sex becomes just another chore, her audience isn’t just laughing, they are wheezing with recognition. With the release of Baby Cobra, a seven-months pregnant Ali Wong went from a mostly anonymous writer on Fresh Off the Boat to the chapped, cramped, and horny voice of a new generation of moms. This includes one honorable mention that may not fit perfectly with the idea of a stand-up special, but does represent how a Netflix special can be more than just comedy - it can altogether redefine how we think about comedy.įrom the beginning Netflix tried to bring huge stars to its stand-up roster, but it hadn’t produced a big breakout of its own until Mother’s Day, 2016. The below represents just some of the stellar voices who battle the algorithm to be funny for strangers, including perhaps some talents you might not be familiar with alongside the clear classics. Other platforms for stand-up of course exist, but the streamer’s impact on the comedy world cannot be underestimated today during his 2019 Netflix special One Show Fits All, comedian Gabriel Iglesias literally refers to Netflix as “the people that replaced Comedy Central.” On November 1st, 2013, Netflix released its first stand-up special - Aziz Ansari: Buried Alive - and has since launched over 350 specials, along with the Netflix Is a Joke festival showcasing live performances (a 2024 edition is in the works). ![]() The platforms for distributing recorded stand-up have evolved dramatically since the earliest days of media, with literal vinyl records now replaced by, increasingly, taped specials released on Netflix. A point of pride for many comedians - the evidence that they’ve truly made it - is when they can take material lovingly workshopped during dozens of live shows and turn it into a definitive expression of who they are as a comic… and maybe even as a person. ![]()
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