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Upward of150 stand-up specials were released in 2023.
I dont know what AI is, he says.
I think it was one or the other, and I saw the donkey, so Im out.
I cant believe somebody would make millions and millions of dollars for making people feel unsafe, she continues.
And thats what Buteau does.
All those people, they were just trying to lift weights.
They werent trying to cause an insurrection.
They didnt even know what that word meant!
I said, I dont know.
Thats a pretty big decision … How old is your baby?
Instead, he packs his comedic perspective into the most concentrated dose possible to maximize its impact.
And yet, she screams, I fucking know whimsy!
I grew up in the 2010s!
Matafeo is proudly a member of theAmeliegeneration: Amelie to women my age, shes our Travis Bickle.
And there have been a lot of specials made by comedians fulfilling deals they made before the pandemic.
But most have only briefly referenced this time in historys most defining aspect.
Im talking about death.
And to Rachel Blooms credit, inDeath, Let Me Do My Special, she does talk about death.
She even sings about it.
The moment is tough, and she beautifully lets it be tough.
And it works, because like any great roast comedian,Meyers is excellent at crafting jokes.
Hasan Minhaj,Off With His Head(Netflix)
Hasan Minhajis in his Reputation Era.
There are still NBA references, but the jokes are edgier.
While its a bit structurally strained, the joke reflects Minhajs new willingness to polarize his audience.
And there is something more true sorry,emotionallytrue about that.
The performance is both profound and profoundly stupid.
What a difference a divorce makes.
In the special,Adomians vocal gifts are showcased in a masterful bit about airplane rewards programs.
Its a well-worn topic, but in his hands it becomes an allegory for the constructed nature of class.
Throw in his beloved Bernie Sanders impression and this seven-minute joke features upwards of ten distinct voices.
He continues, I had just put out a fresh roll, right?
This motherfucker was at my house all of three hours.
When she left, it was just cardboard spinning in that motherfucker …
I caught her one day just wrapping her shit.
[Pantomimes wrapping his hand.]
When somecomedians get more famous, their material suffers because they become too rich to write relatable jokes.
The only difference is, for Cole, it was Angela Bassett.
The special features some really good and varied jokes that blend old-school observational humor with understated whimsy.
Its the kind of quiet bit that few comedians can pull off at this scale.
Plus, the frequent audience-applause breaks ruin the momentum for viewers at home.
Its worth watching but maybe while youre cooking dinner so you dont notice the constant interruptions.
Not to spoil it, but all of this is very much in play withEnds.
Nonetheless, its hard to finish the show without feeling moved and a bit provoked.
But with Tollemache, who mostly just sways a little, you believe it.
And there is something captivating about how casual she is.
They probably stopped watching after 20 minutes.
Her demeanor lulls the viewer, so when she delivers her more developed jokes, they hit harder.
There are structural similarities between the two comedians; both seamlessly pair well-crafted premises with sketchlike act-outs.
His word choices create a sense of physicality that compensates for his relative stillness onstage.
Shes an effervescent beauty.
I think you meant to say her cheeks remind you of the clouds that wrap around mountaintops.
Tell me she makes you feel like the warmest day in winter.
Say you want to kiss her, softly.
You a pedophile for my baby.
You going to jail, you sick fuck.
The hour primarily revolves around whether having a baby is the best thing that ever happened to him.
The counterargument begins with running into Forest Whitaker at an IHOP and only intensifies from there.
But first, it must be acknowledged that nearly every joke Rife attempts is bad.
Hes quick on his feet, but his responses often are knee-jerk.
For example, he asks the audience if anyone feels like they missed an opportunity to pursue a dream.
He points to the blue T-shirt man.
Despite this, Rife excels at creating an environment where the crowd feels comfortable sharing some really wild secrets.
(He reminds blue T-shirt man, for example, that male pole dancers exist.)
The warmth of Rifes connection with his audience is emphasized by director Erik Griffin, himself a comedian.
Adam Sandler,Love You(Netflix)
The Josh SafdiedirectedLove Youopens in chaos and anxiety.
But when Sandler takes the stage, theres relief.
/ Or at least buy fucking toys that float?
/ What the fuck has happened to my fucking life?
Its one of the best marriages of concept and execution in the history of comedy specials.
Well, not exactly Marge its more like Marge doing an impression of bully Jimbo Jones.
Either way, this magical voice is key to the juxtapositions Socci plays with throughout her special.
I hope I see you in these streets.
You little keyboard warriors.
These contrasting personas make it impossible to predict where Socci will take a bit at any moment.
Reggie Watts,Never Mind(Veeps)
There are no comedians likeReggie Watts.
The makeup and direction of every moment at a Watts show hinges on the audience each night.
WithNever Mind, Watts doesnt make a run at solve this problem.
Instead, he offers a different way to interact with his material by trading immediacy for nostalgia.
and the future that is the viewers present day.
It will be a lot easier on you when they abandon you for their life.
It is essentiallyLady Birdfor dads.
If it werent already clear how ambitious the series was, the finale istwo hours long.
Thanks to the space the longer run time affords, Siddiq maintains a very careful tone.
He opens the special with the story of being placed in the soft tank and fighting to get out.
Hannah Einbinder,Everything Must Go(Max)
Hannah Einbinder is not her character fromHacks.
He performs increasingly absurd act-outs, picturing what it would look like after ten kids and 83 years.
He runs over to the side stage to flap the curtains as if they were his mothers labia.
He does a strangely accurate and grotesque impression of an old camel eating straw.
He adds, Somebodys been doing their Kegels, and shouts for his brother Shawn to come see.
This is what the whole special is like: strange, ridiculous, concerning, and somehow heartfelt.
Im more of a silly goose, you know?
Vulcano was terrified of the tooth fairy.
He was terrified of moths.
And it goes on from there.
And then there is the closer, an act-out about gangbangs thats surprisingly touching and poignant.
That makes one such gig a perfect setting for Colin Quinn,comedys biggest proponent of bombing.
Is he a truth teller of societys ills or a madman?
The setting also fits nicely with Quinns overall thesis that social media is a psych ward.
Your identity is who the government says you are, Quinn argues during one rant.
Your personality is who the people that know you think you are.
Your reputation is who the people that dont know you think you are.
Your social-media profile is who you think you are.
And your web client history is who you are.
More than anywhere,Just for Usshines in its pacing.
Kyle Kinane,Dirt Nap(YouTube)
Jesus!
Yes,the joke is virtuosic and moving in its scale, but its also really, really funny.
This special is loaded with jokes on jokes like this.
And away he goes!
Pacing and tonal range?
Thats for the one-person shows.
Macintosh is a tea kettle always on the heat.
I honestly have no idea, she says.
Its a strange, experimental special, so you might not like it, but watch it anyway.
The camera cuts back as she tells the audience to open them, and wouldnt you know?
She does, in fact, look Russian.
