The 25 Best Stand-Up Comedy Specials on Netflix Instant
25. John Hodgman – Ragnarok
Filmed on the eve of the Mayan Apocalypse in 2012, Hodgman acknowledges that the fear of the end of the world is very common, but the way he celebrates it will only be fully appreciated by a chosen few. Beneath the steely veneer of John Hodgman’s millionaire shtick lies a comedian who’s part of a very special club, the kind that is always accepting new members. It helps if you’re someone who knows what Ragnarok is, in which comic book it is prominently featured and who is famous for drawing that comic book. It helps more if you’re someone familiar with ambergris and could also hold an extended debate about the intricacies of Watership Down. Most of all, it’s going to help if you’re not the kind of person to be put off by sober musical interludes and singalongs right out of A Prairie Home Companion. If that sounds like you, then there’s a very special place for you in the shade of Hodgman’s formidable goatee. —Tristan Cooper
24. Iliza Shlesinger – War Paint
Dallas, Texas isn’t typically a city where comics choose to tape their stand-up specials, but it made sense for Iliza Shlesinger, who was born and raised in the Big D before going on to win Last Comic Standing in 2008. But Shlesinger isn’t as polite as you might expect someone from someone from the South. She’s coarse, irreverent and unapologetically everything. She does voices—including a terrifying demonic one—to add color to jokes and no subject is off limits. The special is called “War Paint” for a reason. —Ryan Bort
23. Lewis Black – Old Yeller
Lewis, we’re here today because we’re worried about you. Not about your standup routine—after all these years, we still love hearing you rail against everything from congress to social media. Your explosions are hilarious in a way only a rabid toothless bulldog can be, but we have to imagine that the festering rage is slowly poisoning you. At this point, a submarine diving into the Mariana Trench is less pressurized than the blood festering in your veins. While that boiling anger is part of what we love about you, we could take a few less flare-ups if it meant we could keep you around a little longer. —Tristan Cooper
22. Gary Gulman – In This Economy?
There’s a gentle smile after every one of Gary Gulman’s punchlines on In This Economy. Gulman’s the master of a semi-sarcastic deadpan observation, taking simple obvious statements—like the fact that a MegaMillions jackpot winning streak for 600 consecutive weeks is “very rare”—and deploying them with precise timing and delivery to make them profound. Gulman’s letting you know that he’s in on the joke, and that you’re in on it with him. You’re in this together, and that camaraderie carries you through In This Economy as Gulman dissects differences between billionaires, re-watching The Karate Kid and ways to save money. That quick grin is something you don’t get on the album version of the special, and it’s a perfect illustration of why stand-up is about much more than the jokes you write: it’s performance art. —Casey Malone
21. Jim Norton – American Degenerate
Jim Norton is just asking for you to get offended. Literally. The title of his 2012 special is Please Get Offended. For its follow-up, 2013’s American Degenerate, Norton hasn’t pulled his foot off the gas one iota, and it doesn’t take very long for this realization to set in (i.e. his first joke is about wanting to have sex with Casey Anthony). For the next hour Norton goes into the creepy (and hilarious) details of his many sexual perversions, notes how impressive it was that John Travolta could “swing his asshole open like saloon doors” and, well, a lot more filthy, raunchy sex stuff that most people wouldn’t even dare to think about, much less discuss it in front of a theater full of people. It makes you recoil and laugh hysterically at the same time, and as long as the latter is true, Norton is doing his job. —Ryan Bort
20. Rob Delaney – Live At The Bowery Ballroom
The King of Twitter Comedy rose to fame through the 140-character medium and now has almost one million followers. He now does comedy full-time and his first big standup special is last year’s Live At The Bowery Ballroom. Delaney takes his fans through graphic, yet hilarious, adventures (most of which have to do with the human body and/or bodily functions). —Eric Gossett
19. Kevin Hart – Seriously Funny
Comedian Kevin Hart made Seriously Funny back in 2010. Filmed in Cleveland, Ohio, Hart tells stories about the difficulties of fatherhood and the dangers of fighting. Prior to making Seriously Funny, Hart had already made a name for himself with appearances in movies like The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Scary Movie 4, and Death At A Funeral. —Eric Gossett
18. Dana Gould – Let Me Put My Thoughts In You
For more than a decade, alternative comedy godfather Dana Gould skirted mainstream recognition before releasing his first live stand-up special in 2009. A writer for The Simpsons for seven years, much of the show’s sensibility comes out in Gould’s Let Me Put My Thoughts In You, an irreverent, gleefully lexical takedown of modern culture and everyday life. That’s not to say his act isn’t original: after all these years there’s still no crank quite like Gould. —Hudson Hongo
17. Reggie Watts – Why $#!+ So Crazy?
Reggie Watts is a man of many talents. His greatest, by far, is comedy. He is most famous for his part in the IFC show Comedy Bang Bang. Watts has spent years writing, playing music and doing comedy bits for a number of programs. His special Why $#!+ So Crazy?, is by far one the best things he’s ever done. Released in 2010, Watts performs a set of witty hip-hop comedy songs in Brooklyn, NY. —Eric Gossett
16. Bill Burr – You People Are All the Same
Watching Bill Burr is like reading the world’s only self-aware YouTube comment. His routine can be (and often is) crass, crude and even ignorant, but it’s always cut with moments of clear-headed reflection. It’s even more evident in You People, in which Burr’s biggest bit wades into domestic abuse and its motives. Every time Burr veers close to a victim-blaming Men’s Rights tirade, he pulls back and lets his own humility ground him in reality. You can feel the audience’s queasiness as the pendulum swings each way, and Burr loves to call them out on it, reveling in the palpable unease. For most everyone else, saying “I’m just asking the question!” usually comes right after a copy-pasted truther manifesto, but here it’s a genuine (if exasperated) exclamation. In an age of daily social media flare-ups, Bill Burr is the thoughtful troll the Internet deserves. —Tristan Cooper
15. Maria Bamford – The Special Special Special
Lots of comics are celebrated for their perceived “edginess,” but few performers are willing to go to the avant garde extremes of Maria Bamford. In The Special Special Special, Bamford lays bare comedy’s Freudian core by recording an entire hour-long set in front of her parents (and only her parents) in her childhood home. The result is something like an HBO special as directed by David Lynch and one of the most original stand-up performances in recent memory. Whether The Special Special Special ultimately comes off as adorably intimate or just unsettling is up to the viewer, but either way it’s a hell of a high-wire act. —Hudson Hongo
14. Marc Maron – Thinky Pain
Is Marc Maron finally likable? Maron’s always been an incredible comedian and, in recent years, a talented and insightful interviewer on his podcast WTF. But those skills always came under a rage-filled veneer as Maron’s on-stage persona lashed out at the world around him, the women he dated and the goings on in his head. It was hilarious but a little off-putting. The Marc Maron in Thinky Pain is gentler, bringing a humility to his heady, introspective comedy that’s a welcome change. Starting with an anecdote about comedy legend Bill Hicks and continuing onto Maron’s fears of being an old dad or his midlife crisis, Thinky Pain still showcases all the best parts of Maron’s comedic voice, it’s just speaking a little softer. —Casey Malone
13. Eddie Murphy – Raw
Eddie Murphy ruled the standup world in the 1980s. His two specials, Delirious and Raw, are among the crudest and most sensational standup acts ever recorded. Delirious became well-known as the stand-up special that contained roughly 230 uses of the word “fuck,” while Raw comes in second around the 220 mark. Eddie Murphy, 26, recorded Raw at New York City’s Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden. In this classic performance, Murphy tells stories being lectured by Bill Cosby, not getting McDonald’s as a child, and the problems with American women. Not to mention his purple leather suit was about the most ‘80s thing anyone could ever put together. —Eric Gossett
12. Zach Galifianakis – Live at the Purple Onion
Galifianakis is one of the most unique comedians of our time and this tour documentary shows him at the peak of his stand-up career. The Purple Onion was the perfect place for this to be filmed. It’s a small, intimate room and it gives Zach the freedom to be loose with his material. But what makes this film stand out are the scenes spliced in between the stand-up. Watching Zach travel, make his friend try on dresses and interact with a redneck is just as fun as watching him perform. Three short years before The Hangover films made him a household name this fascinating documentary shows a comedian on the rise. —Chris Donahue
11. Aziz Ansari – Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening
I remember watching and taping this special when it premiered on Comedy Central. I then remember rewatching this special with my college roommates at least 50 times for the next three months. Aziz recorded this special at the impressively young age of 26 and in it he covers everything from his cousin Harris to hanging out with Kanye West, before finally closing out with his experience at an R. Kelly show. Needless to say, this was one of my favorite specials when it came out and it still is. —Chris Donahue
10. Jim Gaffigan – Beyond The Pale
Beyond The Pale was Jim Gaffigan’s first big standup special that launched his career as a big-time, standup comedian. Released in 2005, this was the special that introduced the “Hot Pocket” routine, along with an additional hour of hilarious classics. —Eric Gossett
9. John Mulaney – New In Town
John Mulaney’s New In Town starts silly and doesn’t stop. Mulaney’s boyish energy and looks couple with his goofy inflection to give the entire special a high energy that the comic gently grounds by focusing on his life. Mulaney digresses, but each joke—including the definitive Ice-T on Law & Order: SVU routine—is so deftly weaved into the larger story that you never feel a single segue. Instead of a well-rehearsed performance, New In Town feels like an old friend showing up to dinner with stories he can’t wait to tell you. As a special bonus to those who would watch the special rather than listen to the record, the opening credits are done up like an early eighties sitcom, with a theme by Reggie Watts. —Casey Malone
8. Louis C.K. – Chewed Up
Louis C.K.’s 2008 special Chewed Up is definitely one of his
strongest. Filmed at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston, Mass.,
C.K. covers everything from the difference between girls and women to
destroying his body by eating copious amounts of Cinnabon. —Eric Gossett
7. George Carlin – Back In Town
George Carlin is in fine, cantankerous form in his 1996 HBO special Back In Town. And I do mean cantankerous. Like much of Carlin’s latter-day output, Back In Town can border on a soapbox screed. Of course, it’s also funny as hell. Carlin gets right into it by taking on abortion, eviscerating conservatives who give more credence to fetuses than those breathing oxygen. “If you’re pre-born, you’re fine, if you’re preschool, you’re fucked.” He also takes aim at the death penalty, suggesting we ramp it up, but direct it toward the right offenders. Carlin takes a few digressions from real life to talk about farts, and to run down the “24 minor cultural items I’m bored with, tired of, and pissed at.” The funniest of these being white guys over 10 years of age, who wear their baseball caps backwards. “You’re never going to be as cool as black guys. You’re white, and you’re lame,” he says, adding. “It’s the law of nature.” Yep, Carlin was so good, this special is as relevant today as it was two decades ago. —Mark Lore
6. Eddie Murphy – Delirious
Before Eddie Murphy came on to the scene, no other comic had the audacity to take the stage in tight, red leather. Delirious is Murphy’s masterpiece—a snapshot of fearless 22-year-old not giving a fuck about anything. Of course, this was 1983, and some of Murphy’s attitudes towards women, homosexuals and AIDS were dated to say the least (he’s since apologized for some of the material). To modern ears, this is caustic stuff (and interesting from a sociological standpoint). But the real highlights here are Murphy’s firecracker energy and his spot-on impressions of James Brown, Elvis and Stevie Wonder, as well as his own exaggerated tales of growing up. But despite its warts, Delirious is still a monumental stand-up performance—it’s clear who Murphy idolized, and who he would influence in the years to come. And with its off-color moments, the fact we’re still talking about it three decades later says something for Murphy’s genius. —Mark Lore
5. Aziz Ansari – Buried Alive
Aziz Ansari’s take on marriage is one of the highlights of his comedy special Buried Alive. His breakdown is pretty spot-on as he invites the audience to imagine the process if there weren’t centuries of tradition attached to it: “I want to keep hanging out till one of us dies. Put this ring on your finger so people know we have an arrangement.” In his third major special, the Parks and Recreation star digs into some pretty standard comedy tropes for a guy who just turned 30—online dating, gay marriage, having kids… dick pics. In doing so Ansari strikes a perfect balance between charm and raunch, and he lets it fly like any good comedian should. I have to say the best moment of Buried Alive comes when Ansari asks a gentleman in the front row how he proposed. Turns out his wife didn’t immediately answer on account of the breadsticks arriving at the table of a “five-star” restaurant. Needless to say Ansari pounces on it like a pro. —Mark Lore
4. Mike Birbiglia – My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend
Sleepwalk With Me, Mike Birbiglia’s one-man show about a tough break-up and sleep disorder that he eventually adapted to a book and feature film, looked for a while like the defining work of his career. And yet My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend manages to improve on Sleepwalk in almost every way. In it, Birbiglia tells us about coming to terms with the compromises in his romantic relationships, both today and as a teenager, as well as his views on marriage after the events of Sleepwalk, and it’s all wrapped in the story of a terrifying car accident that turns into a bureaucratic nightmare. Birbiglia’s an incredible storyteller, jumping from the present to his adolescence and to the recent past seamlessly, never dropping a thread and using every small tale to reinforce the larger story. —Casey Malone
3. Richard Pryor – Live on the Sunset Strip
A landmark concert film, 1982’s Live on the Sunset Strip is also one of the great comeback stories in stand-up history. A mere 18 months after setting himself on fire in a drug-related suicide attempt, Pryor waves a match in front of
his audience and jokes, “What’s that? Richard Pryor running down the street.” Long known for his frank and hilarious observations, Pryor is equally uncompromising when he puts himself under the microscope, discussing his cocaine addiction and recovery at length. Not all of Pryor’s subjects are that grim, of course. “I was gonna talk about something that’s very serious,” Pryor opens his set, “and I hope no one gets offended. I wanna talk about fucking.” —Hudson Hongo
2. George Carlin – Jammin’ in New York
For quintessential George Carlin (and the special he considered his personal favorite), turn to Jammin’ in New York, an undeniable classic in the controversial comic’s canon. Ripe with Carlin’s signature political commentary and studies of semantics and humanity, it is incredible how fresh the jokes remain some 20 years after the special’s release. From his microscopic breakdown of pre-flight announcements to a hilarious weigh-in on the planet’s desire for plastics, Carlin’s passionate oration is at its peak here. Balancing staunch politics and a unparalleled ability to dissect the second-hand aspects of our culture, Jammin’ in New York proudly displays Carlin’s voice of reason that, despite inspiring many contemporary comedians and social critics, remains unmatched in popular culture today. —Maren McGlashan
1. Louis C.K. – Hilarious
As a divorced 40-something white man, Louis C.K. has made self-deprecating storytelling and socially conscious humor into an art close to poetry. With his 2009 stand-up concert Hilarious, he was in full stride, riffing about the differences between Hitler and Ray Charles, mocking the overuse of the word “genius” and sharing the special moment when he saw his three-year-old daughter take a shit in front of him. But nothing beats his tirade about society’s disgruntled relationship with technology, saying that all of today’s groundbreaking advances are “wasted on the shittiest piece of shit assholes.” He’s a genius—and I really mean that. —Dino-Ray Ramos
7. George Carlin – Back In Town
George Carlin is in fine, cantankerous form in his 1996 HBO special Back In Town. And I do mean cantankerous. Like much of Carlin’s latter-day output, Back In Town can border on a soapbox screed. Of course, it’s also funny as hell. Carlin gets right into it by taking on abortion, eviscerating conservatives who give more credence to fetuses than those breathing oxygen. “If you’re pre-born, you’re fine, if you’re preschool, you’re fucked.” He also takes aim at the death penalty, suggesting we ramp it up, but direct it toward the right offenders. Carlin takes a few digressions from real life to talk about farts, and to run down the “24 minor cultural items I’m bored with, tired of, and pissed at.” The funniest of these being white guys over 10 years of age, who wear their baseball caps backwards. “You’re never going to be as cool as black guys. You’re white, and you’re lame,” he says, adding. “It’s the law of nature.” Yep, Carlin was so good, this special is as relevant today as it was two decades ago. —Mark Lore
6. Eddie Murphy – Delirious
Before Eddie Murphy came on to the scene, no other comic had the audacity to take the stage in tight, red leather. Delirious is Murphy’s masterpiece—a snapshot of fearless 22-year-old not giving a fuck about anything. Of course, this was 1983, and some of Murphy’s attitudes towards women, homosexuals and AIDS were dated to say the least (he’s since apologized for some of the material). To modern ears, this is caustic stuff (and interesting from a sociological standpoint). But the real highlights here are Murphy’s firecracker energy and his spot-on impressions of James Brown, Elvis and Stevie Wonder, as well as his own exaggerated tales of growing up. But despite its warts, Delirious is still a monumental stand-up performance—it’s clear who Murphy idolized, and who he would influence in the years to come. And with its off-color moments, the fact we’re still talking about it three decades later says something for Murphy’s genius. —Mark Lore
5. Aziz Ansari – Buried Alive
Aziz Ansari’s take on marriage is one of the highlights of his comedy special Buried Alive. His breakdown is pretty spot-on as he invites the audience to imagine the process if there weren’t centuries of tradition attached to it: “I want to keep hanging out till one of us dies. Put this ring on your finger so people know we have an arrangement.” In his third major special, the Parks and Recreation star digs into some pretty standard comedy tropes for a guy who just turned 30—online dating, gay marriage, having kids… dick pics. In doing so Ansari strikes a perfect balance between charm and raunch, and he lets it fly like any good comedian should. I have to say the best moment of Buried Alive comes when Ansari asks a gentleman in the front row how he proposed. Turns out his wife didn’t immediately answer on account of the breadsticks arriving at the table of a “five-star” restaurant. Needless to say Ansari pounces on it like a pro. —Mark Lore
4. Mike Birbiglia – My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend
Sleepwalk With Me, Mike Birbiglia’s one-man show about a tough break-up and sleep disorder that he eventually adapted to a book and feature film, looked for a while like the defining work of his career. And yet My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend manages to improve on Sleepwalk in almost every way. In it, Birbiglia tells us about coming to terms with the compromises in his romantic relationships, both today and as a teenager, as well as his views on marriage after the events of Sleepwalk, and it’s all wrapped in the story of a terrifying car accident that turns into a bureaucratic nightmare. Birbiglia’s an incredible storyteller, jumping from the present to his adolescence and to the recent past seamlessly, never dropping a thread and using every small tale to reinforce the larger story. —Casey Malone
3. Richard Pryor – Live on the Sunset Strip
A landmark concert film, 1982’s Live on the Sunset Strip is also one of the great comeback stories in stand-up history. A mere 18 months after setting himself on fire in a drug-related suicide attempt, Pryor waves a match in front of
his audience and jokes, “What’s that? Richard Pryor running down the street.” Long known for his frank and hilarious observations, Pryor is equally uncompromising when he puts himself under the microscope, discussing his cocaine addiction and recovery at length. Not all of Pryor’s subjects are that grim, of course. “I was gonna talk about something that’s very serious,” Pryor opens his set, “and I hope no one gets offended. I wanna talk about fucking.” —Hudson Hongo
2. George Carlin – Jammin’ in New York
For quintessential George Carlin (and the special he considered his personal favorite), turn to Jammin’ in New York, an undeniable classic in the controversial comic’s canon. Ripe with Carlin’s signature political commentary and studies of semantics and humanity, it is incredible how fresh the jokes remain some 20 years after the special’s release. From his microscopic breakdown of pre-flight announcements to a hilarious weigh-in on the planet’s desire for plastics, Carlin’s passionate oration is at its peak here. Balancing staunch politics and a unparalleled ability to dissect the second-hand aspects of our culture, Jammin’ in New York proudly displays Carlin’s voice of reason that, despite inspiring many contemporary comedians and social critics, remains unmatched in popular culture today. —Maren McGlashan
1. Louis C.K. – Hilarious
As a divorced 40-something white man, Louis C.K. has made self-deprecating storytelling and socially conscious humor into an art close to poetry. With his 2009 stand-up concert Hilarious, he was in full stride, riffing about the differences between Hitler and Ray Charles, mocking the overuse of the word “genius” and sharing the special moment when he saw his three-year-old daughter take a shit in front of him. But nothing beats his tirade about society’s disgruntled relationship with technology, saying that all of today’s groundbreaking advances are “wasted on the shittiest piece of shit assholes.” He’s a genius—and I really mean that. —Dino-Ray Ramos
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