September's Stand-Up Specials, From Sam Morril to Jo Koy, for Those Who Were Busy
Netflix released a comedy special nearly every Tuesday last month, apparently on the theory that Tuesdays needed help. Here are six worth catching up on.
By the Heckle Desk · · 1 min read
September came and went, as September will, and while you were doing whatever it is people do in September, Netflix released a new comedy special nearly every Tuesday. Tuesday is the most neglected day of the week. Nobody has ever said thank God it's Tuesday. Netflix has decided to do something about it, and we respect a company that picks a fight with the calendar.
Here is what you missed, in the order it happened, which is the only order history has ever agreed on.
- 01
Jared Freid: The Family Plan (Netflix, Sept. 1)
Freid made his name on dating, a subject that has employed more comedians than the coal industry ever employed miners. The title suggests he's moved on to family, which is just dating with fewer exits.
- 02
Stavros Halkias: Uncle Stav (Netflix, Sept. 8)
Every family has an uncle who says what everyone else is thinking, usually at the wrong volume. Halkias has decided to be that uncle professionally, and charge for it, which is more than my uncle ever thought to do.
- 03
Jo Koy: Blue in the Face (Netflix, Sept. 15)
Koy fills arenas, and he once hosted the Golden Globes, an assignment that has ruined better weeks than most of us will ever have. A man who survives that and keeps working has earned an hour of your time, and perhaps a hug.
- 04
Vanessa Gonzalez: Mamona (Hulu, Sept. 15)
Released on Hulu the same day as Jo Koy's Netflix hour, which is like opening a lemonade stand next to a lemonade factory. Those are exactly the stands worth visiting. The factory will be fine.
- 05
Nimesh Patel: Buy the Dip (Netflix, Sept. 22)
Patel used to write for SNL, where they teach you to build a joke the way the Swiss build a watch: small, precise and slightly smug about it. A stock-market title is the least risky investment he's made, and, unlike most stock tips, this one comes with laughs.
- 06
Sam Morril: Incorrect (Netflix, Sept. 29)
Morril writes short, mean, perfect little jokes, the kind other comics hear and quietly go home to reconsider their lives. He also co-hosts a podcast with Mark Normand, proving that even a sharp man needs somebody to drink with.