Best stand up comedy on Netflix
When it comes to what Netflix has to offer, there always seems to be a new Netflix show to enjoy and a star-studded original movie every couple of months or so. But let's not forget about the deep roster of hilarious stand up comedy specials that you can rely on whenever you need a laugh.
From new stand up performances to some of the all-time greats, the stand up comedy on Netflix has just about anything you could want, which is good, considering what makes people laugh can be quite different.
That being said, we've amassed our personal favorite stand up comedy on Netflix options to give you a helpful guide as to what's available on the streaming platform (though there's plenty more to explore beyond these options).
Here's our picks (in no particular order):
John Mulaney
John Mulaney is among the more popular stand up comedians working today and you can watch just about all of his stand up specials on Netflix, including New in Town, The Comeback Kid, Kid Gorgeous at Radio City and, his most recent, Baby J. If I'm picking a favorite from his available specials, I'd have to go with Kid Gorgeous (I can absolutely relate to our college trying to ask us for more money).
Taylor Tomlinson
I got introduced to Taylor Tomlinson the old fashion way, with her performing a brief set on late night TV. That was the sampler, it wasn't until I watched her Netflix stand up specials that she immediately became a favorite comic of mine. Quarter Life Crisis takes aim at the personal clichés of being in your 20s, while Look At You sees Tomlinson get truly personal discussing her bipolar diagnosis and the loss of her mom at a young age. No matter what she's talking about though, she always finds a way to make us laugh.
Ali Wong
Netflix has definitely been responsible for bringing stand up comedians into the spotlight. Perhaps there is no better example than Ali Wong. Starting with Baby Cobra, where she performed while pregnant, Wong became a sensation. She followed that up with the acclaimed stand up sets Hard Knock Wife and Don Wong. The success of her stand up specials kick started the relationship with Wong and Netflix, as her rom-com Always Be My Maybe premiered on the streaming service and she starred in its 2022 limited series Beef to much praise.
Chris Rock
For the last 30 years or so, Chris Rock has been one of the biggest stand ups on the circuit and he recently has partnered with Netflix on a number of major specials. The first was 2018's Tamborine, which has both a normal and extended cut available on the streaming platform. The other was 2023's Outrage, which in addition to earning Rock a pair of Emmy nominations, was the first live stand up special that Netflix ever hosted. Even though the event of it being live is over, you can still stream the special just for the laughs.
Hannah Gadsby
Hannah Gadsby helped redefine what a stand up comedy special could be with Nanette. In addition to making jokes, Gadsby used her platform to examine some deep personal trauma for a truly powerful experience. Since then other performers have followed in her footsteps with similarly introspective specials. However, the original and still the best is Gadsby. She also has a few follow up specials on Netflix, including Douglas and Something Special.
Bo Burnham
There's a number of Bo Burham stand up specials on Netflix (What and Make Happy), but I have to single out Inside here. Released amidst the pandemic and other major societal shifts, Burnham experimented with a variety of ways to deliver jokes all while isolated in his house, as all of us were. It's a true showcase of his creative talents and just plain funny to boot.
Trevor Noah
The former host of The Daily Show wasn't that well known when he first got the job in 2015. However, a series of Netflix specials from Noah helped audiences become more familiar with him. He has three stand up specials on the streamer, Afraid of the Dark, Son of Patricia and I Wish You Would, all of which are pretty hilarious, so you really can't go wrong. Though if I had to pick my favorite, then I'll go with Afraid of the Dark because of his brilliant joke on colonization.
Michelle Wolf
Michelle Wolf had a major moment in 2018, when she hosted the White House Correspondents dinner, which famously then-President Trump did not attend and later bashed. Politics aside, Wolf continued that roll with a hilarious Netflix stand up special, Joke Show, in 2019. She actually has another brand new stand up special on Netflix, It's Great to Be Here, that I haven't watched yet, but is going to be must see for any fans of Wolf.
James Acaster
British comedian James Acaster technically only has one stand up special on Netflix, Repertoire, but in that he actually has four different nearly hour long sets, all of which are fantastic. Acaster hasn't exactly found his audience in the US, but if you take the time to watch his work here I'm willing to bet you'll be looking for what else Acaster has done.
Jimmy Carr
Another British comedian, Jimmy Carr is known for his penchant to push the boundaries on his jokes, his ability to deal with heckles and his unique, distinctive laugh. Carr may not be for everyone, but if you go in knowing that all of his jokes are done literally with the goal of seeing how far he can go and still get you to laugh rather than being directly mean, then he's worth a watch. You've got a number of options too, as Carr's stand up routines on Netflix include Funny Business, His Dark Material and The Best of Ultimate Gold Greatest Hits.
Richard Pryor: Live in Concert
Richard Pryor is considered one of the greatest stand ups of all time. While he died in 2005, comedy fans of all ages can enjoy his work as his classic movie Richard Pryor: Live in Concert from 1979, which has actually been preserved by the US's National Film Preservation Board for its cultural relevance, is available to stream right now on Netflix.
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld was one of the creative forces behind one of the most beloved sitcoms ever, the namesake series Seinfeld. But that show sprung from Seinfeld's success as a stand up comedian, which you can see in full effect on Netflix. Not only does the streaming service have a more recent special from Seinfeld (23 Hours to Kill, which premiered in 2020), but it has a classic stand up set from him, 1998's I'm Telling You for the Last Time, which he did just a few months after Seinfeld ended.
The Standups
For comedians to land a stand up special on Netflix they have to of had a bit of success already, but the streaming service has also offered a platform for up and comers with its original series The Standups. Netflix has three seasons of The Standups, with six solo half-hour performances making up each season. Among some of the names that performed on the series are comedians who then landed Netflix specials of their very own (Nate Bargatze, Nikki Glaser, Deon Cole, Beth Stelling, Fortune Feimster, Brent Morin, Mark Normand) as well as comedians who went on to star in big TV shows, like Abbott Elementary's Janelle James and Saturday Night Live's Melissa Villase?or.
The Best of Netflix is a Joke: The Festival
Netflix capitalized on its reputation as the streaming home of great stand up comedy with a live festival called Netflix is a Joke in Los Angeles. But you do not have to be in Los Angeles to get an idea of what the fest experience was like, as The Best of Netflix is a Joke: The Festival provides highlights from the 2022 festival that includes performances from Bill Burr, Joel Kim Booster, Jon Stewart, Margaret Cho, Jeff Ross and David Letterman.
Seth Rogen's Hilarity for Charity
Seth Rogen knows a lot of funny people and he got many of them together to raise money for charity with this special event. In addition to stand up sets, the special includes sketches and musical performances from the likes of Sacha Baron Cohen, Michael Che, Jeff Goldblum, Tiffany Haddish, Nick Kroll, Kuamil Nanjiani, Craig Robinson, Sarah Silverman and more.
