All Time Greatest Stand Up Comedians

How did the top stand-up comedians all terminate up on Netflix? When the streamer started premiering original stand-up specials last decade, it entered a earth with a pretty articulate structure. Comedy Central might've had the well-nigh original stand-up every yr, merely HBO was all the same the biggest game in town, the opportunity every comedian hoped for. Netflix quickly upended that by cranking product up to a new special a week, opening the floodgates of comedy to a home audition hungry for new content. Netflix hasn't stayed put with simply a weekly hourlong, though—information technology's experimented with formats and release schedules, letting younger comics make a national debut with 15-minute specials, and allowing some comedians to drop multiple career-spanning specials at the same time. Netflix quickly conquered comedy not just because of the sheer volume of content, but considering of a sharp critical centre that helped turn comedians like Ali Wong and Hannah Gadsby into breakout stars. At that place'south an overwhelming amount of stand-upwardly comedy on Netflix, and much of it is very good; here's the best of the best stand upwardly comedy specials on Netflix.

One quick note, though: perchance the best original Netflix stand-up special isn't even on Netflix. Dave Chappelle's powerful viii:46—an impromptu response to the murder of George Floyd produced in back up of the Equal Justice Initiative—is exclusively on YouTube, and is an absolute must watch. I've left it off this list since it'southward not actually streaming on Netflix itself, just information technology would come in at number 3 below if it was on Netflix.

Alright! Let's get to information technology.

i. Richard Pryor: Live in Concert

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Richard Pryor's Alive in Concert is the ur-stand-up motion-picture show. It wasn't the first stand-up routine to be released equally a long-grade video, simply it was the get-go to be released in theaters, and as the greatest unmarried work of the greatest stand up-up comedian in history, it'due south probably the all-time stand-upwards special of all fourth dimension. Pryor'south extremely night cloth—he pulls from his impoverished upbringing in a brothel, his addictions and heart attack, and the unending racial turmoil in America—shouldn't exist funny, simply his ability to turn this pain into unforgettable comedy is a kind of existent-life alchemy. Despite all the things in this world that limited Pryor's freedom, from drugs to race to health, he comes off as the freest and virtually clear-eyed observer of what it means to be human and alive during these 78 minutes.—Garrett Martin

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ii. Bo Burnham: Inside

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Bo Burnham's expertly edited suite of giddy songs and sketches about the pandemic, low, and the vapid and aimless state of today's nearly certainly doomed culture is the one-act hit of the season, capturing the late pandemic zeitgeist in a style that clearly resonates with a large audience. Burnham constructs a façade of profundity to indicate out how thoroughly unprofound pretty much every aspect of life is today, a technique best crystallized in the vocal "That Funny Feeling". He punctuates certain songs and moments with prolonged shots of himself staring sadly into the distance, and underscores the isolation of the pandemic and the passage of time through his increasingly haggard appearance and depressed countenance. Burnham knows how to give the special an artificial weight, the sense that he'south saying something big and timely and evocative, while revealing how easy it is to use the language of film to make something seem wiser or more important than information technology actually is. Inside and Burnham, like all of usa, are trapped by the terminal superficiality of modern life, and although that ways this comedy special is ultimately a sad, draining bummer of a show, that makes it more self-enlightened than a lot of comedy. And hey, information technology's funny, besides, which has gotta count for something.—Garrett Martin

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3. Eddie Murphy: Raw

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Raw is not quite at the level of Febrile, Murphy'southward first stand-up film, but information technology'southward still a vivid, blistering snapshot of one of the all-time best during the near radioactive period of his nuclear popularity. It'south too deeply problematic past today'southward standards, and should've been past the standards of 1987; although it'due south not every bit virulently homophobic equally Delirious, it'due south nonetheless full of outdated material guaranteed to offend many. Nonetheless, Murphy at his top might be the almost purely charismatic comedian of all time, and his confidence on the stage this nighttime is unparalleled. His well-known evisceration of Pecker Cosby, which has get only more relevant over the decades, can exist found here, and is a must-spotter for any comedy fans. If y'all haven't seen Raw, tread carefully; you'll discover information technology either hilarious or horrible.—Garrett Martin

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4. Hannah Gadsby: Nanette

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Nanette grows past the confines of a one-act special and into something completely unlike—a riveting screed against misogyny in all forms that utterly abandons its reliance on jokes. It is, despite being extremely funny, the anti-comedy special. That'south not a characterization I'm putting on it—Gadsby announces her intentions for the special very clearly. It'southward a piece of work of fine art that—as someone who both loves one-act and oft feels conflicted nearly its place in our cultural landscape—I've been waiting for for a long time without even realizing it.

It is an extremely angry hour, an extremely cathartic one and an extremely necessary ane. An art form cannot thrive if it refuses to look itself in the face up and question its own necessity. If information technology does, it might emerge on the other side stronger and more vital.—Graham Techler

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v. John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City

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John Mulaney: Child Gorgeous at Radio Urban center is of a piece with his last two specials. Equally before he doesn't tell jokes, per se; he weaves long, elaborate stories out of his daily life, both now and as a kid, focusing on how cool the mundane tin be. That might make him sound like some kind of Seinfeldian observational comic, but he avoids the clichés of that genre. It'south not the observation that makes Mulaney funny, or the recognition we might have for whatever he's talking virtually. It's the level of detail that he goes into, like when he talks near elementary schoolhouse assemblies. He doesn't just bring up that familiar setting and tell a few broad jokes about kids, teachers and schoolhouse. He goes deep into i specific assembly he had to attend every yr, describing in detail the Chicago police officer who specialized in child homicide and would give annual presentations on how to avert or escape "stranger danger." Mulaney creates a whole tableau out of this assembly, from the outlandish appearance of Officer J.J. Bittenbinder, to the cop's increasingly ridiculous scenarios, with the comedy growing with every new particular. At that place's no conventional setup or punchline, and petty reliance on the universality of his topic; it's just a story ostensibly pulled from Mulaney'southward life and told in a fantastic fashion.—Garrett Martin

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6. Chris Stone: Tamborine

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Tamborine proves that Stone'due south comedy is just every bit smart and sharp as information technology's always been. He immediately starts off by talking about cops shooting black kids, wasting no time to dive correct into one of the most depressing problems undermining our country. He effortlessly cuts through the feeble "bad apples" defence regularly carted out by constabulary departments when this happens, and calls for a "world with real equality"—one where every bit many white kids are shot by police each month every bit black kids. From here he segues into gun control, and then into an extended bit about how one of his primary goals as a parent is to prepare his kids for the white man and besides making sure they get bullied enough. Every bit he puts it, the main reason Trump is president today is considering we no longer know how to handle bullies. Rock hits on one hot button issue after another, regularly flirting with jokes that some might be offended by, only with a perspective that's so thoughtful, original, and, in its own wicked way, respectful that information technology would exist hard to argue that he ever crosses a line, even if you believe there are lines that shouldn't exist crossed.—Garrett Martin

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vii. Natalie Palamides: Nate: A One Man Show

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Nate: A One Man Show is a daring farce about consent and machismo that's oftentimes hilarious and always provocative. Don't expect anything similar a traditional stand up-up show, which is one of its strengths. Natalie Palamides is far more outrageous and boundary-pushing than those jurassic stand-upwardly bozos who act like racism, sexism and homophobia are somehow nonetheless shocking later being the standard for most of homo history, and she raises serious questions nigh real issues along the way. It's not as tense, transgressive, or hilarious as seeing it alive, simply information technology'due south notwithstanding one of the well-nigh unforgettable things yous'll sentry on Netflix.—Garrett Martin

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8. Tig Notaro: Happy to Be Hither

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Notaro, ane of the true masters of deadpan, seems near comfortable with her life on her latest special. Certain, she's still self-effacing, to an extent, and still approaches her celebrity and success with a bemused distance, simply she positively beams when she talks virtually her wedlock and her two young twin sons. Later on all the grief that she mined for her career-making stand up-upwardly specials and sitcom, Notaro has more than than earned the confidence and joy she shows in Happy to Be Here. Likewise fans of the Indigo Girls absolutely need to sentinel this special.—Garrett Martin

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9. Maria Bamford: Old Baby

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Like her demeanor, Bamford'southward textile ranges from the intimate to the grandiose. An early joke, delivered to her husband and their pugs, pokes at the apologetic language people use to depict their relationships. "Um, well we just met, and we genuinely liked each other, and, you lot know, there'south ups and downs, but we like each other, so we stay together," she intones, in grapheme, her tone painfully earnest. Then her face turns common cold and stony; she's dorsum to herself: "Oh, I'm pitiful—if yous're bored with your miracle!" Her husband chuckles, patting the dog. You can tell he'due south heard this joke before but it'south non a pity laugh. The beauty of their domestic setting is that it's imbued with context, from the painting of their dog to the little bride-and-groom figurines resting atop the couch. This feels like any erstwhile mean solar day for them, just hanging out and goofing effectually.—Seth Simons

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10. James Acaster: Repertoire

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Acaster has the casual conviction and slightly buzzed, motormouth tendencies of clear influences Dylan Moran and Stewart Lee, which extends to a certain loose-fitting, corduroy-heavy wardrobe—direct out of a less aggro era of British alternative comedy. Recognise, the get-go of 4 hours in Repertoire, rolls along as many specials from that era did, and it'due south a wonderful, tipsy, bubbly ride with no articulate moment-to-moment class but a remarkably cohesive worldview by the time he wraps it upwards. It's pretty amazing how formally bodacious it eventually reveals itself to be, given that Acaster seems constantly bored past our expectations of where we call up the bear witness might go.—Graham Techler

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eleven. Rory Scovel: Rory Scovel Tries Stand-Up for the Commencement Time

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This is the hazard Rory Scovel takes with his absurdist approach to stand-up: our official review wasn't especially kind to his Netflix special, even though our comedy editor (uh, me) found it to exist one of the smartest and nigh refreshing specials in years. Scovel balances conceptual metacommentary on the conventions of stand-up with fully-formed political material as biting as any other comic working today in an hr that sends up the very idea of stand-upwards fifty-fifty while showing how powerful information technology can be.—Garrett Martin

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12. Patton Oswalt: Annihilation

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In defiance of the pain and anguish he is clearly still feeling, and as a way of catharsis, he makes the discussion of his wife'due south death the centerpiece of this 60 minutes. To watch him wrestle boldly with the emotions of that feel and the backwash of information technology, while still finding those pockets of joy and strange humor, is affirming and cute. But it'southward not easy by whatever stretch. That'southward evident when director Bobcat Goldthwait pushes the photographic camera in to focus on Oswalt's face as he talks about the worst 24-hour interval of his life, which wasn't the death of his married woman, but having to break the news to their young daughter, Alice. We hang on his every word, following him every bit he takes his brave daughter back to school the next Monday. And so he pulls the ripcord, remembering getting peppered with questions by Alice's classmates and learning a niggling too much nearly their home lives. The laughter that follows is and then rich and relieving, like that beginning gulp of water after an hour on the treadmill.—Robert Ham

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13. Zach Galifianakis: Live at the Imperial Onion

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Galifianakis is one of the about unique comedians of our fourth dimension and this tour documentary shows him at the tiptop of his stand-up career. The Purple Onion was the perfect place for this to be filmed. It'south a small, intimate room and it gives Zach the freedom to be loose with his textile. But what makes this film stand up out are the scenes spliced in between the stand-upward. Watching Zach travel, make his friend try on dresses and interact with a redneck is merely every bit fun every bit watching him perform. Iii short years earlier The Hangover films made him a household name this fascinating documentary shows a comedian on the rise. —Chris Donahue

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fourteen. Hannibal Buress: One-act Camisado

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Hannibal Buress is the ideal ideal of your extremely stoned friend. In One-act Camisado, he rides the fame bump of outing a famous rapist to treat y'all to the searing specificity of his anger, be it towards the adult female who wouldn't let him check into a two and half star hotel without proper ID, or how 32 is a pointless age. He's non dropping culture irresolute bombshells this time, just he'due south still the guy you wanna smoke a bowl with.—Gita Jackson

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15. Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King

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Homecoming King has a lot to unpack and asks more of its audition than the average special. It isn't afraid to enter night territory where even a full minute goes by without a unmarried joke. The reason this works is that showtime and foremost, Minhaj is an all-effectually great storyteller. The performance could have had zero jokes and however would be a compelling piece of work. Luckily, he's a smart comedian who knows how to employ his material wisely, even if that means holding back to allow the important points striking dwelling.—Christian Becker

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16. Michelle Wolf: Joke Evidence

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In her new Netflix special, Joke Bear witness, Wolf jumps into her set immediately—no introductions, no opening goofs to ease us in, just direct into an otter rape bit. It's nigh as jarring as it sounds, but in Wolf's seasoned hands, her most annoying jokes are also the funniest. Office of why this works is her quick connection with the audience. She's non necessarily going to hold our hands, but she's set with a flashlight to guide us through the dark places she's taking us, and it'due south always worth the journey (no affair how vaguely uncomfortable).—Clare Martin

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17. Jim Gaffigan: Across The Stake

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Yep, Jim Gaffigan's breakthrough special features the Hot Pockets routine. There'due south then much more hither, though. If you're wondering why Gaffigan is respected by basically all corners of the comedy world—able to play in the biggest venues and to the almost mainstream audiences, while nonetheless maintaining credibility with the alt-one-act scene—Beyond the Pale should answer your questions. He's a master craftsman who's smart and sharp enough to bring his ain unique viewpoint to universal topics.—Garrett Martin

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18. Reggie Watts: Spatial

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For my money, the almost sublime pleasure in stand up-upwardly is less oft in the punchline than the path to it. In so many routines information technology is too possible, I think, to predict a joke'south third act in its middle, and sometimes even the beginning. But when you cannot, when you are suspended for the entire journey in a land of orgasmic unknowing, then y'all might call back the mind-quaking possibilities that drew you to one-act in the showtime place. Reggie Watts is as virtuosic as it gets, a form-bending raconteur unsatisfied to tread too long in whatsoever single territory. In Spatial, his 2nd Netflix special, he dances between joke-telling, storytelling, vocal, dance and an improvised play, featuring guest-stars Kate Berlant and Rory Scovel. The hour is infused with a level of emotion rare in stand-upwards, and which brought me nearly to tears in his closing number. This one actually is remarkable.—Seth Simons

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19. Lucas Bros.: On Drugs

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The political comedy in On Drugs is done both incredibly casually and with discernible commitment. If sometimes it seems hard to tell whether the Lucas Bros. are making it look effortless or simply non trying, we never really get the sense that they themselves are too cool for this. As far equally comedy duos go, they seem to take taken a few cues from another set of twin comedians that eschewed a straight-man/funny-man dynamic, and not just because both the Lucas and Sklar Bros. reportedly attended law school. Kenny and Keith will occasionally check in with each other on a given topic, agreeing to "smoke on it." Their hive minded brotherhood is routinely delightful, whether they're pausing a joke to wipe sweat off each other's noses, or tag teaming a letter to republicans on gun control.—Graham Techler

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20. Wanda Sykes: Not Normal

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Wanda Sykes has never been i to dance effectually a signal, and lands many direct hits throughout Not Normal, her new special for Netflix. The title refers to the state of the nation under Trump'southward presidency—"It's not normal that I know that I'm smarter than the president," she says—and material almost Trump dominates the get-go department of the hour. Trump's presidency hasn't aged him, she argues, but it'south aged the states. The tough thing about comedians addressing Trump is that it notwithstanding feels that this must be addressed at some point in order for the special to exist valid. The perfunctory-ness of this trend and the common approach it generates does often affect the performances. One of the successes of this special is that information technology largely avoids this, and though some jokes at Trump's expense tin still feel similar the kind of surface-level late nighttime barbs that experience ineffective subsequently a few years of being inundated with them, Sykes generates her criticisms from an extremely sharp place, and it shows.—Graham Techler

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21. Jen Kirkman: I'thousand Gonna Die Alone (And I Feel Fine)

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What makes this 60 minutes of fabric so refreshing is that everything Kirkman discusses is the sort of subject that women are unfortunately supposed to be ashamed about in our culture. She's supposed to be nonetheless reeling from her divorce and sad that she'southward a childless single woman, living on her ain at age 40 who will get discovered dead in her bathtub with her confront eaten off by a cat. Instead, Kirkman is light on her feet, happy nigh her electric current situation and ready for the adventures that the 2nd half of her life will bring.—Robert Ham

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22. Hari Kondabolu: Warn Your Relatives

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Anointed vocalisation-of-their-generation comedians tin can sometimes stumble when initially thrust into the cultural spotlight—as Hard Kondabolu has been with the fallout from The Problem with Apu. Not this fourth dimension. Warn Your Relatives, his showtime Netflix special, is a searingly confident statement from an extremely, proudly political comedian who injects his rapid textile with a stiff current of justified anger. "My stand-upwards isn't for everybody," he says, to laugher at such a ballsy statement from an outwardly nerdy persona. "It'due south okay, it'southward okay. That's why information technology's skilful."—Graham Techler

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23. Nate Bargatze: The Tennessee Child

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The Tennessee Kid is a special filled with tranquility, shifty confrontations with authority, all of which leave Bargatze displaying the nervous confusion of a smart kid who knows what the adult in the room is saying doesn't brand sense, but also doesn't know if information technology's worth it to correct them. When Bargatze is told a clerical error with JetBlue would require his birth document to solve, he's simply left to frown and say "I thought I was the proof of my birth." It's this disbelieving attitude that makes Bargatze an extremely agreeable presence, peculiarly since he doesn't put the kind of spin on the brawl that would turn the approach sour or smarmy. Even in a scrap where he tries to reassure us that we shouldn't need to worry nearly climate change given the state of every other planet in the solar organisation, he appreciates the value of sincerity. "It'southward unbelievable," he says of the other planets. "They're nowhere right now."—Graham Techler

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24. Ali Wong: Infant Cobra

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Baby Cobra is more than the product of a carefully honed craft. Information technology is an unusual portrait of transition: from young adulthood to machismo, single life to marriage, marriage into motherhood. Information technology is likewise the beginning network special to feature a deeply meaning comedian, which is not a gimmick simply a very applied undertaking. Wong refuses to tedious down for the uncomplicated reason that slowing down, especially for a adult female and mother in Hollywood, is the first footstep in a long fade to obscurity.—Seth Simons

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25. Sam Jay: three in the Morning

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On her kickoff-ever Netflix comedy special 3 in the Forenoon, Jay continues to strop her reputation equally a hilarious truth-teller, just this time regarding the globe around her rather than herself. 3 in the Morning time leaves you walking away with more questions than answers, which is exactly what Jay is trying to do. Field of study matter bated, careful directing choices, like a heavy use of close-ups and on-the-beat cuts, make this special experience more lively than near Netflix comedy specials. Jay isn't afraid to make a special that'southward funny withal challenging, proving herself ane of the nigh intriguing voices in comedy today.—Clare Martin

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26. Mike Birbiglia: The New Ane

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Mike Birbiglia employs callbacks regularly in The New One, his one-human being play about condign a male parent, simply with a significance that these references usually lack in lesser performances. Yeah, occasionally they're just for laughs, just in the show's most meaningful moments, Birbiglia harkens back to earlier jokes to demonstrate how he's grown from a man all but sure he doesn't want to be a father, to a dad that embraces his new, utterly inverse life. He tracks this progression in tandem with his dear for his burrow, represented onstage by a stool. It's a funny, appropriate modern metaphor; the couch symbolizes the country of his life and, coincidentally, is where he spends much of his time. Soon it is commandeered by his girl Oona, who loves sleeping on it, and likewise his wedlock and daily routine aren't every bit they used to exist. The show is well-crafted in every dimension. The title itself can refer to his new couch, his newest family member (Oona quite literally ways "one") and his new life.—Clare Martin

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27. Nicole Byer: BBW: Big Beautiful Weirdo

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With multiple successful podcasts, roles on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Unicorn, and the reboot of Rugrats, and a slew of other voice and live credits to her name, it is high fourth dimension the world gets to feel an hour of Nicole Byer'due south stand-upwardly. In her new special she touches on the political without being overcome by it; she'south poignantly observational and occasionally prescriptive without ever being lecturous. Byer discusses the emotional toll of life in the pandemic and popular response to COVID-inspired recommendations and regulations, chiefly through anecdotes about her own experience. Her performance is highlighted by incredible voice work, including utilizing yelling and screaming in an effective style that reminds 1 only a bit of the Sam Kinisons of the earth, though it's always an accent and never a crutch.

She as well expresses a combination of exuberance and earth-weariness that comes across as incredibly authentic. Byer reminds her audience of things possibly forgotten, like uncertainty nearly the Mail service Function around the 2020 election, or Rachel Dolezal. She tells a truly incredible story virtually the harrowing nature of the U.Southward. medical organisation—from toll to racial discrimination in the prescription of medication—and keeps it funny the whole time.—Kevin Fox, Jr.

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28. Joel Kim Booster: Psychosexual

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Kim Booster keeps the laughs coming throughout Psychosexual. The comedian chop-chop takes command of the room, shushing the crowd'south cheers or asking the camerawoman Janice (Is that her real name? Who knows, simply information technology sounds good yelled from the phase) to zoom in on a particular audience member. His crowd work and rapport with the attendees make Psychosexual feel more than electric and spontaneous than other one-act specials, which can autumn into static, predictable patterns. And Kim Booster's easy connection with the audience tin can't be understated—he fifty-fifty gets one guy to share what he uses to make clean up later on masturbating. Not but whatever comedian could do that.—Clare Martin

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29. Taylor Tomlinson: Quarter-Life Crunch

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Quarter-Life Crisis is a hilarious and easy picket thanks to Taylor Tomlinson'southward self-assured cadence. Her physical comedy is slight, but effective: the occasional flourish here and in that location to punctuate a chip, but nada ever too over-the-top. Storytelling-wise, she is a natural and feels more alike to comedians from decades by rather than her peers. Tomlinson manages to ally her self-deprecation and self-confidence well, never coming off every bit too pathetic or likewise cocky. She sticks to relatable, tried-and-true topics—online dating, fucked-up childhoods—merely keeps the material fresh however. You could call her the Goldilocks of one-act, the manner that she ensures that everything, from the gear up to the punchline, is simply right. Many a millennial comedian tries to deconstruct the traditional comedy formula; Tomlinson decides to work within that frame, but make it entirely her ain with gut-busting goofs.—Clare Martin

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30. Eric Andre: Legalize Everything

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The same wild ethos of The Eric Andre Show informs Andre's outset-always stand-up special, Legalize Everything, which includes an awfully timely opening segment with Andre as an unruly New Orleans cop and anecdotes well-nigh the various drugs he's taken. Legalize Everything anticipates what 2020 has become: a time to question authority and the racist systems we've been conditioned to accept, and as well to be on a lot of drugs.—Clare Martin

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31. Marc Maron: Thinky Pain

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Is Marc Maron finally likable? Maron'southward ever 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 equally Maron'due south on-stage persona lashed out at the earth around him, the women he dated and the goings on in his caput. It was hilarious but a little off-putting. The Marc Maron in Thinky Pain is gentler, bringing a humility to his heady, introspective one-act that's a welcome change. Starting with an anecdote most comedy fable Bill Hicks and continuing onto Maron'due south fears of existence an former dad or his midlife crunch, Thinky Pain still showcases all the best parts of Maron's comedic vocalism, it'south simply speaking a picayune softer. —Casey Malone

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32. Jenny Slate: Stage Fear

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Who is Jenny Slate? Her first-ever (and long overdue) comedy special Stage Fright seeks to reply this question—not for Slate herself, who is steeped in self-awareness, merely for the audience. She's not Marcel the Shell, though her viral video graphic symbol draws on the same self-deprecation and whimsy that make her so appealing. She's non Mona-Lisa Saperstein from Parks and Recreation either, but the same frenzied free energy powers her stand-upward. Slate is reintroducing herself on her own terms, separating her identity from that of the Saturday Nighttime Live one seasoner or ane of her numerous kooky voiceover parts, and instead emerging equally a vulnerable, goofy, self-sabotaging, effervescent comedian.—Clare Martin

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33. Ronny Chieng: Speakeasy

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Chieng's one-act is always intelligent, even though it occasionally veers into the holier-than-yard territory common on The Daily Prove (on which he's a correspondent). It's still fun to follow forth, though, whether he's ruminating on why D students are now clamoring to be at the front of the class during the pandemic or explaining the complexities of nascence control pills. His jokes about contraception are not just hilarious, merely also informative—I didn't learn that gastrointestinal issues dampen the pill'southward effectiveness until a few years into taking it. In all honesty, Chieng could be saving someone's peel here. Also, he gave u.s.a. the term "diarrhea babies," and for that I'll always be grateful.—Clare Martin

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34. Fred Armisen: Standup for Drummers

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The title isn't but a gag. Armisen, who was a professional drummer for indie rock bands before segueing into comedy, devotes a solid clamper of this hour to jokes that will mostly exist appreciated past drummers or anybody who'south ever been in a band with ane. He riffs on awkward soundcheck barrack betwixt drummers and audio men, about the mutual nuisances of touring with a drum kit, and nigh how bad non-drumming members of a band are at keeping time. This has to be the only stand-upward special to showtime with a drum solo, include jokes nigh paradiddles, and feature cameos from Sheila Due east., Blondie's Clem Burk, Green Day'due south Tre Cool, Warpaint'south Stella Mozgawa and legendary session drummers Thomas Lang and Vinnie Colaiuta. Early Armisen talks about the pride of being a drummer, and how it means "you're just better than everybody." That pride suffuses the entire special, undercut only slightly with a touch of tongue-in-cheek self-mockery.—Garrett Martin

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35. Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh

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100% Fresh is incorrectly named. Non considering information technology isn't practiced, but because it suggests a tone of ironic bitterness that isn't represented in the special. Directed by Sandler's frequent collaborator Steven Brill (with some sequences filmed by Paul Thomas Anderson), 100% Fresh contains ane minor dig at Rotten Tomatoes (an aggregate website that collects reviews from outside sources), simply is otherwise shaggy, earnest and inventive. Sandler grins and mutters his manner through it all, just he seems to be having fun, and information technology unlocks much of his old charm in an instant. Sandler's giggling rubs off on you. The off-kilter songs are dorsum, with lyrics like "I guess that calls for a death pillow over your face." There are duds every once in a while. But then Sandler does a vocal about Chris Farley. Information technology's funny, sweet and sad. And when he sings "I wish y'all were all the same with me, and we were getting on a plane to go shoot Grown Ups iii," information technology's chilling, but also humiliating. Because somehow we never thought to recall about how a guy who lost someone so young like that might want to spend his adult life making equally many movies with his closest friends as possible.—Graham Techler

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36. Leslie Jones: Time Machine

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Leslie Jones' physical bits are Time Machine's greatest standouts. This accomplishment is made all the more than impressive by the fact that she has a genu brace visible over her jeans. She's an indomitable force of nature equally much as she is a comedian. Afterward mulling over her five decades of life, Jones ends her special with the truism that we must alive in the moment rather than become preoccupied with the by or hereafter. In the hands of a lesser comedian, this "moral of the story" moment would experience trite and unearned. Yet, after an 60 minutes of Jones preaching to 20-year-olds about the importance of glitter and cocaine, information technology instead is imparted with all of the wisdom and good humor she possesses. This is surely a special that's worth being present for.—Clare Martin

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37. Catherine Cohen: The Twist…? She's Gorgeous

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Cohen theatrically exudes confidence but delights in oversharing about the vulnerable details of her life. Over the course of the hr and the vii songs within, she discusses validation, internalized fatphobia, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and sex, all with her own ostentatious flair.

Role of that flair is Cohen's mile-a-minute joke telling; every throwaway line is its own gag. The titles of her poems are i-liners ("Poem I wrote after yous went down on me and so chosen me 'dude'"), and the sheer amount of goofs she crams in means that this special is well worth a rewatch to run into what you missed the first time around. In some ways the speed of The Twist…? She's Gorgeous reminds me of thirty Stone (the sexy babe voice fleck brought me back to Jenna Maroney'due south invention of it), though Cohen's sense of humor and style is much more millennial and self-bodacious (fifty-fifty if self-deprecating) than Liz Lemon'south sad night cheese schtick.—Clare Martin

38. London Hughes: To Catch a D*ck

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Hughes' storytelling style slaps a fresh glaze of paint on familiar avenues, as she takes united states of america back all the mode to her grandmother's relationship history to explicate the origins of her own dick-catching adventures. She guides us on a journey from past to present, inviting u.s.a. in on the revelations she'south had along the way. The overall narrative she weaves may not be the about tightly synthetic, but it gives usa a clear idea of Hughes the person as well as the performer. Her bits are made all the better by the singing and dancing she integrates enthusiastically into the prepare, making one-liners into playful chants. By the time the special ends, she collapses onto the phase, and information technology'southward well deserved. She put her all into it.

The existent draw here, though, is Hughes herself. Charisma doesn't even begin to describe how magnetic and electrifying her presence is. The opening skit before the special starts shows her basking in Million Stalter-like overconfidence, and she regularly brings that same energy throughout the special every bit she declares herself "Comedy Beyonce" and "The Female Richard Pryor." She's one of those rare people who seems to have been built-in with a mic in hand.—Clare Martin

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39. Bill Burr: Paper Tiger

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Nib Burr is proof that the right mind and a careful pen can brand anything funny. If the terrible things he says brand you turn off your ears, y'all're going to miss out on a shockingly nuanced and, dare I say, sensitive wait into one of one-act'south greatest minds. In many ways, it'south reflective of a trouble in our civilization, where someone says something terrible and that one moment defines them as if people aren't equally a drove of terrible and sensitive moments. This back and along between terrible and genuine ideas makes Newspaper Tiger a truly breathtaking special, capable of punching yous in the gut before patting you on the back with a big smiling. These jokes require tension and release, and to accomplish that there'south an unspoken agreement you'll give him the benefit of the doubt.—John-Michael Bond

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twoscore. Ms. Pat: Y'all Wanna Hear Something Crazy?

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On February eight, comedian Ms. Pat'southward showtime full-length stand-upward special, Y'all Wanna Hear Something Crazy?, premiered on Netflix. Ms. Pat'south led a rough life, to say the least—she had two children, fathered by a man eight years her senior who had sexually abused her since she was 12, and by historic period fifteen and started selling crack to back up them. She started making fun of her experiences onstage at historic period thirty, after her caseworker suggested she endeavor it. As a longtime fan of Ms. Pat, I was pleased to see her genuinely having a expert fourth dimension in this special, maintaining her consistent comedy thesis: "I don't dwell on shit I don't have control over."—Brooke Knisley

Source: https://www.pastemagazine.com/comedy/netflix/the-30-best-stand-up-comedy-specials-on-netflix-20/

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