30 Best Stand-Up Specials On Netflix

Netflix has a wide array of stand-up comedy specials to choose from, and there are even a few comedy variety shows featuring several stand-ups performing shorter acts. From newer comedians getting their big breaks to seasoned veterans taking the stage once more, the best stand-up comedy on Netflix sees a diverse setup of comedians branching out to skewer a myriad of topics, and absolutely nothing is sacred. From deadpan to aggressive, Netflix has such a wide selection of stand-up specials that choosing what one would consider “the best” is a tough choice.

Netflix has a great number of female stand-up comedians, POC stand-ups, and LGBTQ+ stand-ups to represent all walks of life, and nearly everyone can find a comedian who speaks from a place of relatability. The best stand-up comedians on Netflix have no off-limit topics, and they bring hilarity to even the most mundane and grief-stricken situations. With a huge library fit to satiate every brand of humor, Netflix leads the pack regarding great stand-up specials and provides viewers with shows from comedy giants and underseen gems in equal measure.

30

Nate Bargatze: Tennessee Kid (2019)

Nate Bargatze Spoils The Sixth Sense

Nate Bargatze is quickly becoming one of the most popular comedians around, with his popularity only increasing with his hilarious George Washington SNL skits. While Netflix is dropping a new stand-up special by Bargatze in December 2024, one of the comedian’s best specials is available to watch and enjoy right now. Tennessee Kid marks Bargatze’s first hour-long special and he certainly makes the most of the opportunity.

The special highlights Bargatze as an entertaining and charming storyteller, with his easygoing humor makes for an easy-watching experience for audiences of all ages. He touches on early childhood memories, lessons about marriage, and the shock of the ending to The Sixth Sense. It helped to cement Bargatze as one of the best up-and-comers in the stand-up world who could get big laughs with clean material, which has become a rarity.

29

Adam Sandler: Love You (2024)

Adam Sandler Pays Tribute

Adam Sandler’s relationship with Netflix has produced some fun movies, but it is also nice to see that it has also given the comedian plenty of opportunities to return to the stage. Sandler’s latest special, Love You, is a more stripped-down show than the big stadium tour seen in 100% Fresh, but the intimate approach works as Sandler brings his penchant for dirty jokes, songs, and sweetness.

The special is directed by Sandler’s Uncut Gems collaborator Josh Safdie, bringing a sense of that movie’s intensity to the show as there are ongoing jokes about the small venue’s technical issues. Sandler seems to be having a great time bouncing between songs and going on silly asides. However, the highlight of the show is his closing number in which Sandler gives an earnest tribute to all the comedians and comedy movies that have inspired him.

28

Chris Rock: Selective Outrage (2023)

Chris Rock Talks About The Slap

It is safe to say that Chris Rock’s Selective Outrage was one of the most anticipated stand-up specials of all time. The special marked the first time Rock fully addressed the infamous Oscar moment in which Will Smith slapped him on stage. Waiting an entire year to speak about the issue, the excitement about the silence being broken was high as was the fact that this marked the first live stand-up special Netflix had ever pulled off.

Of course, Rock did not make the whole special about the Will Smith incident, as he takes time to discuss topics like raising teenagers and getting older. The live aspect introduces a thrilling quality, even showcasing Rock flubbing one of his punchlines. However, when he finally does launch into the Will Smith material at the end of the show, it made for a fiery response that proved the comedian knew how to fight back.

27

Jacqueline Novak: Get On Your Knees (2024)

Jacqueline Novak Takes A Closer Look At A Certain Topic

Jacqueline Novak announced herself as one of the more recent comedians to watch with her acclaimed and daring new special Get On Your Knees. While most comedians use their specials to tell a wide variety of jokes that showcase their humorous views on an assortment of topics, Novak decides to focus on one specific thing which so happens to be the subject of women performing oral sex.

While the setup might sound like a poor excuse to tell raunchy jokes that get tired over time, Novak makes it a hilarious, engrossing, and surprisingly insightful deconstruction of this single act that actually opens her to talking about a lot of different things. The amount of observations and commentary she gets from such a focused approach makes for one of the most unexpected and brilliant specials of 2024. Novak was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Writing For A Variety Special.

26

Norm MacDonald: Nothing Special (2022)

Norm MacDonald Says Goodbye

Despite what the title suggests, there are a number of things that are quite special about Norm MacDonald’s Nothing Special. Firstly, it is a special done without an audience as MacDonald simply filmed himself in his home performing his act during COVID when he was unable to stand in front of a crowd. Secondly, it is the only Netflix special that debuted posthumously.

MacDonald recorded the special to be released in the event of his death when it was unclear if he would be alive long enough to perform on stage again. Sadly, MacDonald did pass away in 2021 after his secret battle with cancer. However, despite the sad story behind the special, it is filled with the kind of witty, irreverent humor that helped make MacDonald the kind of comedian other comedians loved to watch.

25

Leslie Jones: Time Machine (2020)

Jones Recalls The Time She Tried To Seduce Prince

Leslie Jones, one of the best SNL cast members from the 2010s, recounts most of her unforgettable past experiences in the raw stand-up special and some of the best stand-up comedy on Netflix. Among those memories is playing basketball professionally and attempting to seduce Prince.

Jones also thrives on honesty. Apart from making audiences laugh, Jones acknowledges and appreciates the fact that she is a late bloomer. She didn’t become famous until her 40s, something she admits was a good thing as she would have been way wilder if fame came when she was mature.

24

Fred Armisen: Standup For Drummers (2018)

Armisen Impersonates Every U.S. Accent

Fred Armisen is known for his alternative comedy featured in the sketch show Portlandia, but his set in Standup for Drummers is arguably some of the best standup comedy on Netflix. Armisen showcases his various talents in imitation as he amazingly impersonates every single accent in the United States and has a drum-off with famous drummers of the era.

Using niche jokes that skewer musical genres and drummer quirks, Standup for Drummers will be most appreciated by musicians. However, Armisen’s jokes still land for the musically inept and his talents deserve to be recognized.

23

Pete Davidson: Alive From New York (2020)

Davidson Details His Relationship With Ariana Grande

Pete Davidson’s first stand-up special turned out to be some of the best stand-up comedy on Netflix. Davidson pokes fun at a wide variety of topics in Alive From New York, including his own public persona and relationship with Ariana Grande, his characters on SNL and his time working there, as well as what it was like growing up in Staten Island, New York and achieving fame in his 20s.

22

Aziz Ansari: Live At Madison Square Garden (2015)

Ansari’s Special Is Full Of Theatricality

Aziz Ansari, known for playing one of the best Parks & Rec characters, has delved deeper into the stand-up arena and has some of the best stand-up comedy on Netflix. Ansari tackles internet bullying, misogyny, and farming, and the special is critically acclaimed because of Ansari’s theatricality.

Many comedians don’t care for grand entrances but Ansari leaves an impression, and he demonstrates his talent for linking unconnected topics. Interestingly, there are no audience reviews for his special, a development that might be linked to his sexual misconduct scandal, which is addressed in his subsequent Netflix special in 2019 (via Vox).

21

Whitney Cummings: Can I Touch It? (2019)

The 2019 Special Features Cummings’s Own Sex Doll Replica

Whitney Cummings also offers some of the best stand-up comedy on Netflix, as the witty comedian tackles everything from modern femininity to sex dolls. In Can I Touch It?, Cummings displays her penchant for crass, albeit still somehow smart, humor, as she lovingly riffs on relatable or contemporary topics like technology, relationships, and feminism. Of course, Cummings brings her sex doll replica as a special guest, highlighting how its presence has actually helped out around the house and in her relationship.

20

Tig Notaro: Happy To Be Here (2018)

Notaro’s Quiet & Subtle Observations On Marriage & Family Life Are Hilarious

Alternative comedian Tig Notaro performs some of the best stand-up comedy on Netflix in the historic Heights Theater in Houston, Texas. Notaro is a subtle and quiet force, bringing playful observations as she highlights the more comedic moments of marriage and family life.

It’s not often that a comedian can blend deadpan and silliness, but Notaro pulls it off as she discusses her own public image and audiences’ assumptions of what comedy should and could be. Notaro’s comedy is a low-key watch and quite a unique brand in and of itself, but her brilliance is hard to ignore.

19

Kevin Hart: Irresponsible (2019)

Hart Attempts To Convince Audiences That Being Him Is Harder Than People Think

Kevin Hart attempts to explain to his admirers and detractors that being him is harder than people think. On occasion, Hart talks about Hollywood culture too, but he brings some of the best stand-up comedy on Netflix in Irresponsible.

It has at times been implied before that Kevin Hart’s best movies are way funnier than his standup specials — but that can’t be said for the 2019’s Watch Irresponsible. Hart tends to over-rely on making jokes about his personal life, but that isn’t a bad thing on this occasion, as Hart’s anecdotes become increasingly funny throughout the runtime.

18

Hannibal Buress: Comedy Camisado (2016)

Buress Discusses The Absurdities Of Fame

Buress is mostly known for his supporting roles in comedy movies, such as Spider-Man: Homecoming, but the way he analyzes topics such as comedic legends and fame in Comedy Camisado proves that he is among the best stand-up comedians on Netflix. Buress appears to understand that his strength lies in storytelling so he focuses more on that instead of analyzing situations like many comedians do.

This endears him to both fans and those tasked with reviewing the material. From policemen wanting autographs to Buress being unrecognized in other places, the comedian demonstrates how life is weird for him.

17

Iliza Shlesinger: Confirmed Kills (2016)

Shlesinger Delivers Insightful & Hilarious Observations On 21st-Century Womanhood

No one tackles the strangeness and hilarity of 21st-century womanhood quite like comedian Iliza Shlesinger, and her special Confirmed Kills offers some of the best stand-up comedy on Netflix. Utilizing a variety of voices, relatable situations, and fearless observation, Shlesinger points out the intricacies of womanhood while tackling topics like dating in the modern world and feminism. Both bold and irreverent, Shlesinger’s third special ushers in a new era for the comedian, who has since found fame on TV appearing on shows like The Righteous Gemstones and Spencer Confidential.

16

Chris Rock: Tamborine (2018)

Chris Rock’s Is Unapologetically Honesty About Divorce

Mostly known for his HBO specials, Tamborine is Chris Rock’s first Netflix project and contains some of the best stand-up comedy on Netflix. Rock addresses his divorce as well as various happenings in society, but the comedian’s raw honesty is the special’s biggest appeal.

At intervals, he risks alienating audiences by bragging about his success. Nonetheless, Rock handles serious topics with the professionalism required of him. The veteran comedian treads carefully – instead of offensively – on religion, making sure to point out some things that baffle him about deities.

15

Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh (2018)

Sandler Returns To Musical Comedy

One of SNL‘s most successful alumni, Adam Sandler, poked fun at his adversarial relationship with critics in his special 100% Fresh — and managed to come out on top. 100% Fresh sees Sandler at his best and utilizing just about every talent that he has, from music to laugh-out-loud characterizations.

Sandler brings stories from his own life and, in turn, gives credit where credit is due to those who have helped him along the way. The special also includes a heartwarming tribute to the late great Chris Farley. Out of Sandler’s huge body of work, 100% Fresh stands out.

14

Tiffany Haddish: She Ready! From The Hood To Hollywood! (2017)

Haddish Turns Tales Of Hardship Into Side-Splitting Anecdotes

There’s no question that Tiffany Haddish is one of the funniest comics of this generation, and her special She Ready! From the Hood to Hollywood! offers some of the best stand-up comedy on Netflix. Haddish doesn’t hold back as she regales some truly hilarious and equally gritty stories about her life and rise to stardom.

The comedian knows how to turn tales of hardship into side-splitting anecdotes as she talks about her early days in the foster care system all the way up to her meteoric rise. Taking the stage in her hometown of Los Angeles, Haddish doesn’t hold back.

13

Bert Kreischer: Razzle Dazzle (2023)

Kreischer Takes A Trip Down Memory Lane, Recalling His Glory Days

The inspiration behind the comedy franchise Van Wilder, Bert Kreischer delivers some of the best stand-up comedy on Netflix, and his latest special, Razzle Dazzle, is no different. Bringing yet another shirtless performance to the stage, Bert’s comedy strength lies in his over-the-top storytelling as he regales hilarious personal tales about being a husband and father, now that his hard-partying days are long behind him.

12

Patton Oswalt: Annihilation (2017)

Oswalt Expertly Turns Grief Into Comedy Gold

Patton Oswalt is widely known for appearing in shows like King of Queens and his extensive voiceover career, but he’s been headlining comedy clubs since 1996 and brings some of the best stand-up comedy on Netflix in Annihilation. Oswalt is an expert in tonal shift as he still manages to bring laughs while discussing heavy topics like the tragic early death of his wife Michelle McNamara, the Trump era, and overall grief. Oswalt is an incredible storyteller who showcases immense vulnerability while maintaining his trademark sharp wit in this raw special that will have audiences both laughing and crying.

11

Michelle Wolf: The Joke Show (2019)

Wolf Comes Off Like A Seasoned Pro In Her First Special

The former The Daily Show correspondent Michelle Wolf tackles cancel culture, feminism, motherhood, and more in her first stand-up special. The Joke Show is a fitting title since Wolf delivers one punchline after the other in the highly entertaining special. Despite it being her first special, she doesn’t show the usual signs of a novice: nervousness, pausing, or over-emphasis.

By making her routine strictly about the jokes, Wolf gives critics something specific to judge her by. There isn’t even a special introduction. The comedian simply gets to the heart of the material right away and comes out on top.