HBO/Netflix
In January, Netflix announced premiere dates for four new stand-up specials from nationally and internationally renowned comedians that would air exclusively on the streaming service. From the hugely popular Hannibal Buress to the wildly sardonic Jimmy Carr, these new feature-length bouts of comedy will premiere one after the other through April — gifting the platform’s subscribers with more viable stand-up options to choose from. Yet these are by no means the first exclusive Netflix comedy specials to show on the streaming service, nor are they the only kinds of stand-up one can find.
The past few years have seen a rigorous expansion of comedy programming on streaming services of all shapes and sizes, but stand-up is definitely getting its due after years of neglect. Hence why there are currently 163 titles in Netflix’s stand-up category (as of this writing). And while that seems like a lot, this total is constantly climbing with new licensing deals and private offerings being added on a regular basis. Even for budding comedy fans, there’s a lot to choose from now.
To get acquainted with the burgeoning mix that Netflix includes with its streaming subscription, check out the 15 best stand-up specials on Netflix currently available for streaming. These 15 titles aren’t listed in any particular order according to funniest stand-up, quality, duration, content or age. Rather, they’re meant to provide you with an adequate, inclusive representation of the good comedy specials listed among the other 148 titles mentioned under “Stand-up Comedy.” But yeah, they’re all really good and deserve enough of your time.
Eddie Murphy, Delirious
Both Eddie Murphy’s phenomenal HBO special, Delirious and its theatrical followup, Raw (also available on Netflix) are classics, but Delirious — which came out towards the end of his four-year stint at Saturday Night Live in 1983 — cemented Murphy’s career as a stand-up and raised the bar for everyone else who followed in his red leather-bound, fast-paced footsteps. It’s the obvious choice when it comes to pinpointing the best stand-up Netflix currently has to offer, especially because Murphy’s work informs everyone else on this list.
Jen Kirkman, I’m Gonna Die Alone (And I Feel Fine)
When it comes to observational comedy, dating, relationships, weddings, divorce and the single life often take center stage. Many comics (celebrated and otherwise) have broached these topics over the years, but Jen Kirkman’s 2015 Netflix special, I’m Gonna Die Alone (And I Feel Fine) brilliantly spins all five into a beautiful bit of storytelling that’s rife with one-liners and devoid of mere complaints. The Chelsea Lately and Drunk History alum has been doing stand-up since the ’90s, though her career took off with several television appearances, acting gigs and writing stints during the early 2000s. She also has two other fantastic stand-up albums: Self Help and Hail to the Freaks.
John Mulaney, The Comeback Kid
Despite the cancellation of his much-hyped Fox sitcom, Mulaney, John Mulaney hasn’t let it affect his career all that much. In fact, considering the success of his Netflix stand-up special, The Comeback Kid, it’s almost as if the former Saturday Night Live writer and frequent Nick Kroll collaborator didn’t even make a television show. Like Murphy, Netflix offers two specials with Mulaney’s name on them — The Comeback Kid and New in Town. The latter, which premiered on Netflix and aired on Comedy Central in 2012, is a fantastic introduction to Mulaney’s witty style of stand-up. However, Comeback Kid makes the list because it surpasses the comedian’s previous efforts by quite a bit. (That, and everybody loves a good Catholic joke.)
Craig Ferguson, I’m Here to Help
Former Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson is an American treasure. (No really, he attained his U.S. citizenship in 2008 and broadcast it on CBS.) Yes, most audiences probably know him from either his late night gig or his role as Drew Carey’s boss on The Drew Carey Show, but the Scottish-born comedian’s career in stand-up stretches back to his punk rock days in the 1980s. Television work aside, Ferguson kept at it once he made the move across the Atlantic with two Comedy Central specials, A Wee Bit o’ Revolution and Does This Need to Be Said? Yet 2013’s I’m Here to Help, which premiered exclusively on Netflix, showcases the 53-year-old comic at his best. (Literally; it won him a Grammy in 2014.) It’s a great combination of wit and a fiery stage presence, and not to be missed.
Iliza Shlesinger, War Paint
Texas native Iliza Shlesinger was the youngest contestant, and the first woman, to win NBC’s stand-up competitive reality show series Last Comic Standing. And if you’ve never watched her work, you’ll know why as soon as the last joke flies in her debut Netflix special, War Paint. Two years later, Shlesinger released a second special on the streaming platform, Freezing Hot. Yet War Paint offers newcomers and longtime fans alike the best sense of what kind of comedy the performer dishes out when she’s on stage. Much of it pertains to oft-used subjects like relationships and the gendered differences between men and women, but Shlesinger’s active, performance-driven demeanor explodes most of the assumptions viewers may have about these topics.
Netflix
Wyatt Cenac, Brooklyn
During his tenure on The Daily Show, Wyatt Cenac provided the Jon Stewart-led program with some of its best material during the 2008 presidential race. (The two appeared to have some sort of falling out over a Herman Cain joke, but later made up.) His career path through the many spaces of comedy also includes writing stints for King of the Hill and other programs, but it has often returned to stand-up. Hence his second special, Brooklyn, which premiered on Netflix in 2014. Unlike most of the comics on this list, Cenac’s onstage personality is more calm and collected, and that’s a good thing. The comedian was on the verge of entering his third decade of performing when Brooklyn aired, hence why he chose a more thoughtful platform for his observations about growing up in New York. It’s one of the more poignant specials on this list, which is why everyone should watch it.
Mike Birbiglia, My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend
Like most of the comedians on this list, Mike Birbiglia is by no means a one-trick pony. From acting in feature films like Trainwreck to writing and directing his own full-length projects, the stand-up has seemingly done it all. When it comes to his onstage performances, however, Birbiglia is definitely one of the most fantastic comics working today. This sentiment is best reflected (and proven) by his 2013 special My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend, a deeply personal reflection that trades moments of complete sincerity for crazy, across-the-stage antics reminiscent of Sam Kinison. (Except with way less drug use. Like, none whatsoever.) Add to that the Massachusetts native’s uncanny ability to weave together multiple trains of thought into an otherwise steady story — replete with digressions that still make sense by the end — and viewers will find themselves at the wheel of a wild ride.
Aziz Ansari, Buried Alive
Aziz Ansari can do no wrong. From his time playing Tom Haverford on Parks and Recreation to his hit Netflix scripted series, Master of None, Ansari is everywhere these days. (He’s even a racist dog on HBO’s new animated series, Animals.) But some of his best work can be found in his many stand-up specials, many of which are available on Netflix as exclusive properties and licensed streams. 2015’s Live at Madison Square Garden is the comedian’s most recent offering, but 2013’s Buried Alive — his third special and his first Netflix exclusive — most adequately exhibits Ansari’s skills as one of the most popular comics working today. To add an additional layer of icing onto the proverbial cake, Buried Alive‘s focus on relationships (which nicely predates Ansari’s book, Modern Romance and his show, Master of None) often puts a spin on the typical subject matter in surprising ways.
Bill Burr, You People Are All the Same
Time to get angry, because aside from one or two bits contained within the specials already mentioned here, this list hasn’t really dealt with the “angry comic” type. Bill Burr’s most recent special, I’m Sorry You Feel That Way, premiered on Netflix back in 2014 and his third recorded performance, You People Are All the Same, is a smorgasbord of enraged comedy gold. It’s rife with some of Burr’s best material about family (which later informed his Netflix animated series, F is for Family) — the kind of personal complaining that will either offend, entertain or some likely combination of both.
Chelsea Peretti, One of the Greats
Most viewers will recognize Chelsea Peretti from Brooklyn Nine-Nine, in which she plays the precinct’s cynical civilian administrator Gina Linetti. The actress is also known for her work as a writer for numerous programs, including Saturday Night Live and Parks and Recreation. Hence her 2014 Netflix special, One of the Greats, which is a purposefully overwritten hour rife with almost as much comedy about comedy as straight stand-up. Self-reflective character work usually isn’t always for everyone (as comedian Ralphie May proved during a Twitter rant a year after the special was released), but Peretti pulls it off without breaking a sweat. It’s great fun to watch on its own, but Peretti’s One of the Greats works especially well when viewed immediately after a typical stand-up special. (Much like watching Robin Hood: Men in Tights after Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.)
Marc Maron, Thinky Pain
Comedian Marc Maron has been performing stand-up since 1987, but the world didn’t catch up until the late 2000s when he began his now-popular podcast, WTF with Marc Maron. Like his stand-up, Maron’s podcast is rife with self-analysis on an extremely deep level, purposely at his own onstage detriment and for the benefit (and entertainment) of his audience. Not that Maron is trying to hurt himself, per se — he’s simply carrying on the tradition of the neurotic comic per the fine example set by Richard Lewis and many others. His 2013 special, Thinky Pain is a perfect example of this tradition in the modern day. It’s his only comedy hour included on Netflix, but it demonstrates some of Maron’s finest work in front of a live audience — complete with a ragged, well-used notebook by his side — which, in true Maron fashion, becomes the centerpiece for a few minutes of material.
Louis C.K., Live at the Beacon Theater
In late January, comedian Louis C.K. surprised everyone with the release of the first episode of a brand new show on his website. Titled Horace and Pete, the show is quite good in its own right. Yet most of the initial attention paid to it concerned C.K.’s decision to forego distributing the series via traditional television or the gradually normalized streaming services. That’s because the stand-up broke ground doing the exact same thing in 2011 with his fourth feature-length special, Live at the Beacon Theater. At the time, the press was mostly fascinated with C.K.’s preferred means of self-distribution and his philosophy for working directly with his fans. (Even the late David Carr of the New York Times wrote a feature about the process and interviewed the comedian for it.) However, Live at the Beacon Theater is really, really good. Both it and the comic’s 2008 special, Chewed Up are available on Netflix.
Anthony Jeselnik, Thoughts and Prayers
If Mitch Hedberg were still alive and outrageously offensive, he might resemble Anthony Jeselnik. Best known for his dark one-liners, the comic’s Netflix stand-up special, Thoughts and Prayers premiered last October after his first stint as the host of NBC’s Last Comic Standing and the cancellation of his Comedy Central show, The Jeselnik Offensive. His comedy his gleefully acerbic, and whether he’s on tour or tweeting, and it’s earned its share of detractors who find it distasteful. Jeselnik loves this about his work, however, and his most ardent fans do, as well. Hence, if you’re feeling the need to laugh and feel slightly terrible about yourself, then Thoughts and Prayers is the comedy special for you.
Patton Oswalt, My Weakness is Strong
Patton Oswalt’s new Netflix special, Talking for Clapping doesn’t premiere until April 22. Until then, his impatient, Netflix-equipped fans should consider watching (or re-watching) his 2009 stand-up feature, My Weakness is Strong. Or, if you’ve never watched the comic, actor and writer do his thing on stage before, then you should probably amend this and watch My Weakness is Strong as soon as possible. Yes, following one of Oswalt’s many Twitter rants about subjects as varied as joke-stealing and fraternity chants is great, but seeing him wittily defend religion against hardcore atheists via grandiose (but logical) means is even greater. He’s one of the most intelligent stand-up comedians working today.
Jim Jefferies, Bare
Australian comedian Jim Jefferies isn’t new to stand-up, either in the United States or elsewhere, but his name was passed around frequently after the San Bernardino shooting in December. This is largely due to the comic’s most recent special, Bare, which premiered on Netflix in 2014. Jeffries spent a large chunk of his routine discussing guns and gun control in the United States, and how his home country responded differently to an infamous mass shooting in 1996. Jefferies’ approach is polemic at times, but it more often that not focuses on the comedy to be surprisingly gained by poking fun at the perilous moral and political conundrum the U.S. still finds itself in today. Then again, Jefferies’ comedy isn’t just about politics — everything from fatherhood to granting a old friend a lifelong wish is included, and it’s all wonderful.