November has arrived, and if anyone could use a good laugh, it’s everyone in America who has had to deal with a seemingly endless presidential campaign. Thanksgiving is still a few weeks away, but let’s give thanks now to Netflix for bringing us laughter through a powerhouse lineup of stand-up comedy specials. We don’t even have to leave the house to see some of the top comedians in the industry, and most of us probably can’t afford the front-row tickets that these specials allow us to enjoy from our couches.
Netflix’s latest specials, Hasan Minhaj: Off With His Head and Tom Papa: Home Free, feature two very different styles of stand-up comedy. Additionally, there are many options waiting for you below in the best stand-up comedy on Netflix right now.
Looking for something else? We’ve also rounded up the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime, and the best movies on Disney+. For Netflix fans, check out the 10 most popular shows on Netflix right now.
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Tom Papa: Home Free2024
Hasan Minhaj: Off with His Head (2024)
In some alternate universe, Hasan Minhaj is probably hosting The Daily Show‘s election coverage. But in our universe, Minhaj missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime after The New Yorker — as he puts it — fact-checked his stories from previous stand-up comedy specials. The resulting scandal put Minhaj’s career on its heels, but he’s back in a new special, Hasan Minhaj: Off with His Head.
Minhaj does address The New Yorker scandal during the special, but his act has also been somewhat divisive among his fans. The comedian is still making jokes about his life, race relations, and the American dream for immigrants. But some reviewers are taking issues with his delivery. You’ll have to make your own evaluation.
Tom Papa: Home Free (2024)
Tom Papa’s latest special, Home Free, has a title with two meanings. As an admitted empty-nester, Papa’s children have grown up, and his home is now free of kids. He and his wife are also home free to do whatever they want in their middle-age years, and that’s where a lot of the comedy in this special comes from.
Papa is a dad joke kind of guy; he also skillfully weaves that part of his identity into his comedy and persona. There’s no separating the papa from Tom Papa, and that’s what makes him entertaining.
Tim Dillon: This Is Your Country (2024)
Ali Wong: Single Lady (2024)
Adam Sandler: Love You (2024)
6.8/10Matt Rife: Lucid - A Crowd Work Special (2024)
Hannah Berner: We Ride at Dawn (2024)
Reality star Hannah Berner is going all-in on comedy in her first special, We Ride At Dawn. She goes on at length about why Beast from Beauty and the Beast is such a catch, amid jokes about marrying a much older man. Berner is also pretty fearless when it comes to talking about sex, including some very uncomfortable moments in bed.
The title of this special comes from Berner’s rant about why we’d all be safer if only women could legally have guns, and her punch line may back up her point.
Keith Robinson: Different Strokes (2024)
Keith Robinson has been a comedian for nearly four decades, and you can really tell by the way he commands the room in Keith Robinson: Different Strokes. The name of this special is not directly related to the ’80s sitcom with a similar name. Instead, it’s a reference to Robinson’s two debilitating strokes. Those strokes may have slowed him down physically, but mentally, Robinson’s comedy is just as sharp as ever.
Robinson mines his strokes and subsequent recovery struggles for laughs, and he also mentions that Chris Rock now calls him “Strokey Robinson.” Even now, far from his peak condition, Robinson remains a master storyteller on stage.
Jo Koy: Live from Brooklyn (2024)
The Roast of Tom Brady (2024)
7.4/10Tom Brady is one of the greatest football players of all time. But a comedian, he is not. The Roast of Tom Brady puts the former quarterback in the hot seat as a killer lineup of comedians, celebrities, and sports stars line up to take shots at him.
Not everybody brings their A-game, as Ben Affleck fans will discover. However, Nikki Glaser absolutely scorches Brady, fellow comedian Kevin Hart (Lift), and anyone in the vicinity of those two. Some of the other comedian guests include Tony Hinchcliffe, Sam Jay, Bert Kreischer, Jeff Ross, Tom Segura, and Andrew Schulz.
Kevin Hart: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (2024)
6.7/10Jimmy Carr: Natural Born Killer (2024)
Has becoming a dad dulled Jimmy Carr’s edges as a comedian? That’s the central question of his latest special, Natural Born Killer. Carr still delights in being politically incorrect, but part of the punchline is that he keeps offering warnings about getting canceled only to deliver a payoff that is deliberately tame.
One thing that hasn’t changed is Carr’s ability to read and control a room, which comes in handy when he starts interacting with the audience during the strongest part of the special. In verbal jousts, Carr’s always the winner.
Fern Brady: Autistic Bikini Queen (2024)
Despite the image that may come to mind from the title of Autistic Bikini Queen, Fern Brady’s comedy special is not that kind of show — although she is very open about being autistic and a former stripper. In fact, one of her funniest jokes imagines the world’s greatest superhero using his autism as a power to defeat criminals.
Brady also amusingly tears down the rom-com views of London while grappling with the trials of aging, even though it’s difficult to think of her as old at only 36. For the most part, Brady is comfortable with herself. But that won’t stop her from telling a few jokes at her own expense.
Neal Brennan: Crazy Good (2024)
Former Daily Show contributor Neal Brennan has complete control over his format in Crazy Good. This works to great effect when he reframes his jokes through the screen of a smartphone. He also comes up with religious attack ads in the style of every political attack ad that you’ll see between now and November.
Brennan also raises an interesting point about fans holding up comedians as moral paragons, only to be upset when their opinions aren’t politically correct. Comedians are almost always going to offend someone, but that doesn’t mean Brennan and other prominent comedians on Netflix are immune from self-inflicted wounds when saying something dumb.
Demetri Martin: Demetri Deconstructed (2024)
7.5/10It’s been over half a decade since Demetri Martin filmed a comedy special, and his newest one, Demetri Deconstructed, is certainly unique. It was shot mostly in black and white with the conceit that Martin is undergoing medical procedures that have placed him in a comedy simulation that lets him comment on his own routine before and after he delivers it.
The stark contrast of the colorless visuals does keep the focus locked on Martin, who also introduces some props and visual gags to keep things from getting stale. There’s even a hook for Martin’s next stand-up special, which will probably not take another five years to arrive.
Steve Treviño: Simple Man (2024)
Brian Simpson: Live from the Mothership (2024)
Dave Attell: Hot Cross Buns (2024)
Two decades ago, Dave Attell was hosting Insomniac on Comedy Central. Attell may not be experiencing as many all-nighters as he used to, but his quick wit remains in his first stand-up special in years: Dave Attell: Hot Cross Buns.
At only 40 minutes, Hot Cross Buns zips right along. One of the special’s best gags is that Attell claims that 40 minutes was what he was contracted to do for Netflix, and he gleefully plays out the final minutes of the special as the seconds count down to the end of his obligation.
Chappelle's Home Team - Donnell Rawlings: A New Day (2024)
Mike Epps: Ready to Sell Out (2024)
It’s easy to forgive Mike Epps for his role in Madame Web, because it’s not a very big part and it’s not the kind of selling out that’s referenced in the title of his fourth Netflix special, Mike Epps: Ready To Sell Out. To explain the meaning of the title here would be stepping on one of Epps’ funnier moments in the special.
At times, it’s unclear how much of what Epps is saying about his drug habit is real and how much is exaggerated for comedic effect. Among other revelations, Epps contends that his addiction cost him all of the money that he’s earned from his movie career. A key part of this special is Epps talking about his therapy and exploring why he’s so paranoid about his romantic partners cheating on him, especially when he’s willing to admit that he’s done some cheating himself.
Taylor Tomlinson: Have It All (2024)
7.2/10Since her last Netflix special, Taylor Tomlinson has gone on to host CBS’ After Midnight, and achieved even greater stardom. However, Taylor Tomlinson: Have It All is not a victory lap for the comedian. Instead, she openly wonders whether it’s truly possible to have it all and if people root against each other for achieving both personal and professional happiness.
Tomlinson’s comedy here veers between self-assurance and anxiety, especially in romantic relationships. Because as much as Tomlinson has now, she doesn’t feel like she has to have it all.
Jack Whitehall: Settle Down (2024)
Jack Whitehall is back on Netflix with his special, Jack Whitehall: Settle Down, and it’s like he never left at all. Whitehall’s hair may be longer, and he may be more domesticated, but he’s still largely the same guy at heart. He’s also somewhat miffed that he’s not quite famous enough to be touted by his former school and yet somehow famous enough to be linked to someone truly heinous.
Much of the material focuses on Whitehall’s family life, including getting a dog, having a kid, and realizing that he can never watch a Leonardo DiCaprio film (like Killers of the Flower Moon) again.
Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer (2023)
Ricky Gervais: Armageddon (2023)
As the former star of the original U.K. version of The Office and a stand up legend in his own right, Ricky Gervais’ comedy legacy is largely secure. But Ricky Gervais: Armageddon is far from the comedian’s best material. There’s so much grievance comedy, especially against LGBT people, that it seems like Gervais should go on the road with Dave Chappelle.
This special only really comes to life when Gervais actually addresses Armageddon and shares his belief about how the world will end. That’s the stuff worth watching the special for, and the rest is hit or miss as Gervais fails to realize that he’s a bigger snowflake than the people he’s ridiculing.
Trevor Noah: Where Was I (2023)
6.6/10Chris Rock: Selective Outrage (2023)
Chelsea Handler: Revolution (2022)
Nick Kroll: Little Big Boy (2022)
Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special (2022)
7.5/10Jim Gaffigan: Comedy Monster (2021)
Seth Meyers: Lobby Baby (2019)
James Acaster: Repertoire (2018)
Bo Burnham: Inside (2021)
Pete Davidson: Alive from New York (2020)
John Mulaney: New in Town (2012)
Marc Maron: End Times Fun (2020)
Hannah Gadsby: Nanette (2018)
Hannibal Buress: Comedy Camisado (2016)
Eric Andre: Legalize Everything (2020)
Bill Burr: Paper Tiger (2019)
Taylor Tomlinson: Quarter-Life Crisis (2020)
Tiffany Haddish: Black Mitzvah (2019)
Iliza Shlesinger: Elder Millennial (2018)
Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones (2019)
Ronny Chieng: Asian Comedian Destroys America! (2019)
Whitney Cummings: Can I Touch It? (2019)
John Leguizamo's Latin History for Morons (2018)
Jerry Seinfeld: Jerry Before Seinfeld (2017)
74%
7.0/10Sarah Silverman: A Speck of Dust (2017)
Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979)
8.1/10
