October's 5 Stand-Up Specials, From Michael Che in Minnesota to Kate Berlant's Parmesan
October was a busy month for the one-hour special. Here are the five worth your time, from a No. 1 Netflix debut to a Hulu comeback.
By the Heckle Desk · · 2 min read
October brought more stand-up specials than any reasonable person could watch, which is fine, because nobody who watches this many specials is reasonable. Netflix alone put out four hours, Hulu and HBO weighed in, and YouTube released so many that it may simply be one very long special with commercial breaks.
Here are the five that earned their hour, in the order they came out. A special, like a fish, is best enjoyed the month it's caught; by Christmas it's just something the algorithm keeps putting in front of you.
- 01
Mojo Brookzz: I Know You Lying (Netflix, Oct. 6)
The viral comic's first hour, filmed at Atlanta's Center Stage Theatre last December, went to No. 1 on Netflix's U.S. top 10 list. One critic found it more style than substance, which is also what people said about the Rolling Stones. He sold more than 100,000 tickets on the tour behind it, so the style is paying the rent.
- 02
Jamie Foxx: Take Care of Yourself (Hulu, Oct. 7)
Foxx's return to the stage after his 2023 medical emergency, directed by Troy Miller, runs about an hour of impressions, aging and politics. Reviewers said it works best when it gets personal. Foxx also said he trimmed jokes after watching how audiences reacted to Kevin Hart's roast, the first recorded case of a roast making anybody more careful.
- 03
Michael Che: Shot in Minnesota (Netflix, Oct. 13)
Che's third Netflix hour and his debut as a director, taped over four shows at First Avenue in Minneapolis. The Ringer called it his most refined set; another critic thought his laid-back delivery let good bits slip by. There are shots at Colin Jost, which is how you know it's Che, and a press tour that got swallowed by the Shane Gillis argument, which is how you know it's 2026.
- 04
Kate Berlant: Parmesan (HBO, Oct. 16)
Berlant's first HBO special, filmed at the Plaza Nightclub in Los Angeles, is about 64 minutes on the moon, phones, sex and stand-up itself. The AV Club gave it a B+ and Salon ranked it with the greats. She zigzags as if she's inventing the material on the spot, which is the hardest trick in comedy and the easiest to fake, and she isn't faking.
- 05
Zainab Johnson: Toxically Optimistic (Netflix, Oct. 27)
Johnson's second hour, after Prime Video's Hijabs Off, was first staged at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe and covers dating and an unlikely friendship with an opossum. It runs about 64 minutes. In a month of comics who were mad at something, she was the one cheerful person in the room, which these days counts as an edgy choice.