Judd Apatow: The Return

Judd Apatow's comedy special, The Return, is funny in parts, interesting in parts, very pleasant to watch. But in the end pretty nothingish and underwhelming.

Ryan Hamilton: Happy Face

Ryan Hamilton's Netflix special Happy Face is very fun, poking fun at the discrepancy between appearance and reality in different ways,  opening with a discussion of his face which always looks happy regardless of his mood. He makes fun of himself in a way that has complexity making it more than obvious self-deprecating humor.

Christina P: Mother Inferior

I loved Christina P's Netflix special Mother Inferior. She has a unique way of being charming and biting at the same time. Her style is nothing like Sara Silverman's but she plays on being cute in a way that is kind of a nod to her. I loved listening to her and can't wait for her next special.

Marc Maron: Too Real and Thinky Pain

The other month I watched the comedian Marc Maron's new Netflix special, Too Real. It was so good. He has this really accessible conversational style that is thoroughly enjoyable. At the same time his self-deprecating humor has a sharp dark side. I liked it so much the second it was over I watched an early show, Thinky Pain, that was just as good.

Sarah Silverman: A Speck of Dust

Sarah Silverman's A Speck of Dust is great. Her wry and coy sense of humor is engaging. The quirks of her timing marvelous and her perspective clever.

Lots of Netflix Comedy!

This semester I watched a lot of Netflix comedy specials. I can post about each one because I don't really remember them all. The list includes Louis CK, Jim Norton, Katherine Ryan, Kathleen Madigan, Ali Wong, Jim Jefferies, David Cross, and Neal Brennan. As well as others I can't remember.

I was not crazy about Ali Wong, who had an aggressive show off way about her. I thought Katherine Ryan was kind of charming and had a solid comedic presence that I appreciated. David Cross and Louis CK were both funny, but this was not Louis CK's best performance, and David Cross always has something a little unpleasant or arrogant in his demeanor.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed Kathleen Madigan who has an unexpected Mid-Western thing going on that offered a different perspective and was very funny.

Neal Brennan's 3 Mics alternated between segments of one-liners, general stand up, and emotional monologues. I appreciated his honest about depression in the latter, and his stand up was solid. I didn't think the one-liners were good and he delivered them too slowly, letting each mediocre joke hit and rest for too long.

My absolute favorite was Jim Jefferies. I liked him so much I watched two other earlier specials available on YouTube and HBO. His humor is cutting and fierce. As negative and obnoxious as he can be, I found him incredibly likeable and hilarious.

Amy Schumer, The Leather Special

I didn't think Amy Schumer's The Leather Special was that funny, and at times it was annoying. I totally love her and was excited to watch, but was disappointed. Her perspective is great and this special did not lessen my appreciation of her. Looking forward to the next project.

Jen Kirkman Just Keep Livin'

I thought Jen Kirkman's special, Just Keep Livin' was mostly annoying. Nothing really made me laugh and her personality grated on me. She seems like someone at a party who thinks they are far more entertaining than they actually are and everyone has to smile and give them the attention they need.

Mike Birbiglia: Thank God for Jokes

Mike Birbiglia's new Netflix special, Thank God for Jokes, is enjoyable. I really loved his earlier special. This one didn't seem quite as tight, but I like his perspective and there is something affable and pleasant about him that I enjoy. Looking forward to more from him.

Trevor Noah: Afraid of the Dark

I like Trevor Noah. The clips I've seen from The Daily Show are good. But Afraid of the Dark fell a little flat for me. His perspective is wonderful, conveying the insignificance of white American lives and highlighting our arrogance and our reliance on stereotypes. He is brilliant at enacting various racial, ethnic, and national stereotypes in a way that exposes our hypocrisy. He is also a master of accents and a very good impersonator. But his timing is off and some of his bits just took too long to get to the punch line, and once they did you already knew what it would be. I particularly felt this way in the section that imagined a conversation between Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama. I knew exactly how it would land. My favorite part was his Russian accent and his jokes about the fear it inspires in others.

Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend's Boyfriend

Mike Birbiglia's comedy special, My Girlfriend's Boyfriend has more the quality of a monologuist than a stand up comedy. He weaves themes together about relationships, love, marriage, etc that come together at the end in a lovely way. It's very funny, but also moving.

Whitney Cummings: I'm Your Girlfriend

I didn't like the HBO comedy special Whitney Cummings: I'm Your Girlfriend.

I was unfamiliar with this comedian and was turned off by her sharp-edged, kind of hostile style. There were some bits that I enjoyed, but much of her routine struck me as anti-sex in a strange way. She made it seem that women don't enjoy it and men are pigs, which is pretty one-dimensional and somewhat un-feminist.

Tom Segura: Completely Normal

I really enjoyed the Netflix comedy special, Tom Segura: Completely Normal. My favorite bits included a catastrophic poop, a doctor's visit, and a cab ride. Funny stuff.

Anthony Jeselnik: Thoughts and Prayers

Anthony Jeselnik: Thoughts and Prayers is arrogant, harsh, and often very, very funny. His delivery seems highly controlled, and his jokes are dark -- at times stupidly so. One of the things he is doing is seeing how far he can go, what he can get his audience to expose about themselves when they laugh at certain bits. My favorite joke, that I'll be repeating, is the one where he is discussing how much money he is making and asks, "Who was it that said the first million is the hardest?" The answer is quite surprising. I also loved and related to what he says about people's "thoughts and prayers" on social media on tragedy days.

Tom Segura: Mostly Stories

Tom Segura: Mostly Stories is an entertaining comedy special on Netflix that is just like it sounds -- the comedian telling stories. He's very good at it an enjoyable to listen to. He has a kind of curmudegeonly take on contemporary life that I can relate to, but there's no real hostility or aggression in his persona, which made the performance particularly palatable.

John Mulaney: The Comeback Kid and New In Town

The other night I watched BOTH the John Mulaney comedy shows available on Netflix: New In Town, and The Comeback Kid.

He has an interesting dorky but engaging delivery and a wonderfully amiable way of making fun of himself. His standup weaves stories of his life as a child in a Catholic household in the 80s, with observations about contemporary life in New York City and his relationship with  a Jewish woman. His boyish open face is one of his greatest assets and his timing is wonderful. For instance, he tells an amusing story about an old guy who walks into the office from a rainstorm and says something odd about feeling like a duck. The story is totally funny; very short -- a few lines of dialogue. But then Mulaney says he wants to break it down. And he goes back over the story from start to finish. I first thought this would be tedious, but he really pulls the hilarity out of the anecdote in a great way. I also particularly loved the story of him meeting Bill Clinton when he was a kid.

Demetri Martin: Live (At the Time)

Last night I couldn't sleep and I streamed Demetri Martin: Live (At the Time). I was not familiar with this comedian, and I enjoyed his performance a lot. It's mainly one liners, slightly dry delivery with an amiable manner. Not the most brilliant or insightful humor, but good clean fun. Many of his jokes focus on language and quirks of vernacular which I particularly got a kick out of.

Anjelah Johnson Not Fancy

Anjelah Johnson's new comedy special, Not Fancy, is so entertaining. She is really charismatic and engaging. Her humor comes from her cute and playful delivery, and her ability to weave observations with gentle self-mockery. I enjoyed it very much.

Aziz Ansari Dangerously Delicious

The other night I watched the stand-up special Aziz Ansari: Dangerously Delicious. I laughed through the whole thing. He is very entertaining and so fun to watch. He really had me giggling and enjoying myself!

Louis CK Oh. My. God.

Last night I watched Louis CK Oh My God on HBO. I find his anxieties and insecurities to be very easy to relate to. His persona feels mostly accessible, but at moments there seems to be an undercurrent of hostility that is vaguely frightening. Largely he has a kind, expansive view of human nature, but also he comes across as not liking people very much.

That said, I was thoroughly entertained and laughed out loud quite a bit. It was good hour of comedy, and perfectly what I was in the mood for.