Since the dawn of television, comedians have been around to bring the funny, but comedy greats don’t always have broad appeal. If you’re looking for some of the more divisive or perhaps cutting edge comedy programs out there, this isn’t the list for you. Instead I wanted to put together a list of programs both the critics and audiences can agree on, which means some names like Ricky Gervais – whom critics notably hate but audiences still love – did not make the final roundup. Nor did some who received audience love but not much notice from critics on an aggregator, given critics roundups are still a relatively new concept. (My apologies to Patrice O'Neal and George Carlin!)
I know it doesn’t happen totally often, but here’s a list of comedy specials in the modern era which both critics and audiences can agree are worth throwing on. There’s some greats that came around long before the Rotten Tomatoes era, and plenty more that comedy lovers enjoy but critics often ignore. Regardless, when there’s overlap amidst both groups, you can find some names with broad appeal.
Bo Burnham: Inside
Bo Burnham’s 2021 musical comedy special was filmed and taped during the COVID pandemic, and as such it has a very different feel than most other comedy specials. That’s a good thing, as both audiences and critics are bullish on the Netflix original. It also has one of the most similar audience and critics scores, with critics weighing in at 93% and 95% respectively.
Ramy Youssef: More Feelings
Ramy Youssef may not have brought in the biggest SNL ratings during his stint as host, but Youssef has really started making a name for himself in the industry. A lot of people tuning into his stand-up like what he brings to the table. His 2024 special More Feelings dives into a divided world and other topics that lots of people latched onto, including 100% of critics who reviewed, and a fairly similar 91% of audiences.
Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special
Norm Macdonald churned out conceptually hilarious comedy for years before the 2022 release of Nothing Special, taped just before his death at 61 (and originally planned to be recreated in front of a live audience). The run-through was released posthumously, and both critics and audiences latched onto it, with 100% of critics giving a thumbs up and 86% of audience members enjoying the unorthodox platform for joke-telling, too. Norm has plenty of other great content, but this is the standout in the review aggregator era.
Ali Wong: Baby Cobra
A personal favorite of all the recent comedy specials (at least on Netflix), Ali Wong’s Baby Cobra was taped while she was pregnant (and still married to then-partner Justin Hakuta). The comedy special really speaks to women in a particular time in their lives, but it’s also just great enough to be broadly appealing, landing a 100% rating with critics and a still positive 74% from the crowd.
Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel
You really can’t go wrong with Jerrod Carmichael specials. Both critics and audiences really like his bent, and he has multiple specials in this aggregator era that were liked by both. The HBO 2022 original Rothaniel edges out the others with a 100% critics and 84% positive Rotten Tomatoes scores.
Jim Gaffigan: Quality Time
Jim Gaffigan’s funny in almost any context, and he’s been rolling out comedy specials for more than a decade, many of which have landed him Grammy nominations. His 2019 special Quality Time has hit in the review aggregator era, and landed him 100% from critics and a solid 88% from the fans who watched. Not bad for his seventh at bat.
Patton Oswalt: Talking For Clapping
We have a tie here, ladies and gentleman. While Talking For Clapping didn’t quite push over the coveted 90% mark, both 86% of critics and 86% of audiences who tuned in enjoyed the actor and comedian’s 2016 Netflix special. Still a strong and notable score.
Wanda Sykes: Not Normal
Wanda Sykes’ 2019 comedy special hit the spot for many. While subsequent standup specials have lower audience scores than critics scores, Not Normal stands out with a high critics score of 100% and a relatively high audience score of 84%. Though I'd still recommend checking out older pre-aggregate era stuff, like I'ma Be Me.
John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous At Radio City
John Mulaney has a lot of must-watch comedy specials, including the outstanding New In Town special, but his later 2018 special Kid Gorgeous At Radio City came late enough that both critics and audience members weighed in on aggregates, and very positively (at 100% and 91% respectively). It's a great follow-up and much better reviewed than his most recent special Baby J.
Tig Notaro: Happy To Be Here
Tig Notaro's pace and tone is pretty unique, and her stand-up has not always been for everyone (critics love her but audiences are sometimes less enamored). But her 2018 special Happy To Be Here earned high marks from critics and audiences alike. Though, if you want to get away from just her TV specials, many fans would recommend Live, the viral performance she recorded after her breast cancer diagnosis.
Richard Pryor: Live In Concert
The first full movie to hit theaters that featured a stand-up special, Live in Concert is a notable show from an all-time great comedian. Coming in at a whopping 93% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and 92% from audiences, the movie has continued to draw eyeballs since its 1979 release.
Nate Bargatze: The Greatest Average American
Nate Bargatze's first TV special The Tennessee Kid was largely ignored by critics, but they'd caught on by the time The Greatest Average American came out on Netflix in 2021. With a 100% critics score and a 90%, there's no doubt there's a broad audience from the comedian, who often jokes about relatable topics like buying clothing and learning from his kids' homework.
Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend's Boyfriend
There are very few standup specials that came out more than 10 years ago that have an aggregation score, but Mike Birbiglia's My Girlfriend's Boyfriend has such an interesting theme -- about falling for women dating two men and finding the right priorities in life -- and format that it's been popular for years. With a perfect review from a small pool of critics and an 86% from a large swathe of audiences, it's one to watch.
Chris Rock: Kill The Messenger
Chris Rock's been around long enough that even some of his older specials were heavily watched and have been reviewed by critics and audiences alike. The most popular of these is Kill The Messenger, with a 100% critics score and an 89% audience score. This was Rock's fifth special and it was taped over the course of a few nights in a few different cities. The end result is nothing short of spectacular.
Anthony Jeselnik: Thoughts And Prayers
Given Jeselnik's often dark jokes, I actually wasn't sure if the audience and critics would be on the same page, but both seem to have gone in for Thoughts and Prayers, his 2015 standup on Netflix. It was his second special after coming to prominence on Last Comic Standing, and critics and 88% of audiences who watched gave it a thumbs up.
The Original Kings Of Comedy
An all-time comedy classic, Spike Lee's stand-up movie (that also features BTS footage) has an all-time murderers' row of comedy talent. Steve Harvey. D.L. Hughley. Cedric The Entertainer. Bernie Mac. While some of the jokes haven't aged as well, it's still an all-time classic, and it's no wonder 83% of critics and 79% of audiences enjoy it today.
Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh
While Sandler's amusingly titled 100% Fresh doesn't quite get that perfect aggregation score, it's pretty dang close. Coming in at a very similar 90% critics and 91% audience score, the Netflix special landed the longtime comedian an Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special nomination at the Emmys in 2018. And Dan Bull and his longtime comedy buddy Rob Schneider pop in to boot!
Eddie Murphy Delirious
Oft found on greatest standup comedy show lists of all time, Eddie Murphy's hour-long+ 1983 standup yet features some great jokes and a memorable fashion moment from the comedian. Intriguingly the audience score is a little higher on this one at 90%, but critics come pretty close, with 83% reviewing the special highly.
Rory Scovel Tries Stand-up For The First Time
Many people know Rory Scovel as an actor in shows like Robbie (Comedy Central) and Physical (Apple TV Plus). The funnyman is a good writer, too, and he's put together a slew of standup specials between 2015 and 2024. One of those is Rory Scovel Tries Stand-up for the First Time, a bit of a misnomer given his 2015 comedy special The Charleston Special is also standup. This 2017 one is a little zanier and keeps the audience guessing, ranking in at 89% of critics, and a less stellar but still solid 75% of audiences.
Hannah Gadsby: Douglas
Their first special Nannette won them a Peabody Award and a Primetime Emmy. But Hannah Gadsby's second special Douglas is one they toured extensively for after it blew up, selling out early in many cases. Douglas has a 93% rating from critics, and a 66% rating from audiences.
Bill Burr: Paper Tiger
Bill Burr's been on the standup beat a long time, but it's his pre-Covid comedy special that's drawn recent attention on Netflix. The 2019 special cracks jokes about anger management (and even jokes it's going to be his last comedy special), but he's still going strong. This one's a little higher with audiences, with 96% loving it and only 86% of critics getting down. Still strong scores either way.
Sincerely, Louis C.K.
You may have heard Louis C.K. got canceled, but he's been churning out his own content regardless. His two comeback standup specials Sorry and Sincerely have been well reviewed by both critics and audiences alike and are doubtless not the end for the comedian.
Jerry Before Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld's been doing standup for years, but even his more recent comedy sketches haven't been slouches, either. His 2017 special --and his first with Netflix -- Jerry Before Seinfeld landed him a whopping 95% with critics and a solid 75% with audiences too. It's cool, too, as he takes us back through his childhood and teen years before becoming the Seinfeld, and standup star fans know and love. It even landed him a Grammy nom.
Chris Rock: Bigger And Blacker
Chris Rock's Bigger and Blacker is an all-time classic in the realm of standup. I was actually a little surprised to see it at a similar 86% of critics and 89% of audiences still giving it a thumbs up. It's also worth noting it makes a lot of classic standup lists.
Iliza: Elder Millennial
Known for other Netflix projects like Spenser Confidential, Iliza Shlesinger also has some notable standup routines to her name. Elder Millennial is one with a great name and funny materials, landing both a positive review from critics and audiences.
Hasan Minhaj: The King's Jester
The Daily Show correspondent is known for a lot of TV work, but his stand-up is notable too. The King's Jester is his second Netflix special, memorable for jokes at Starbucks' expense and also just how active Minhaj is onstage. It's no wonder it has an 86% from critics and an 80% from audiences.
Kevin Hart: Laugh At My Pain
Many of Kevin Hart's standup specials seem to be liked by critics more than by audiences, but one exception is Laugh at my Pain, the comedian's 2011 standup film, with special appearances from Taraji P. Henson and RuPaul. Critics were at a reasonable 71%, but more than 5,000 audiences ratings mark this special highly at 84%.
Chris Gethard: Career Suicide
Chris Gethard's Career Suicide is part funny and part sad, exploring themes like depression, alcohol abuse and suicide attempts. HBO filmed a special after he debuted the material at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and critics were all over the material. In fact, it has 100% from them. The audience is at 74%.
Mae Martin: SAP
Mae Martin's comedy special SAP was their first. Hitting in 2023, the title comes from a reference in the special that involves a story about a man facing two beasts, finding an upside in tasting sap from a tree instead. The special nabbed them an 80% from critics, with a still-positive 62% from audiences.
Dave Chappelle: 8:46
Dave Chappelle famously has a no-phone policy at shows, but some of them still get recorded for audiences later. His special in 2020 is notable for being filmed outdoors during the Covid pandemic, and also for featuring a mix of comedy with social comedy, making it a hybrid of sorts. Reviews for both aspects were positive, with the special landing 90% from critics reviews and 85% from audiences.
Katt Williams: Great America
Katt Williams has created a lot of standup specials over the years, but his 2018 switched him from HBO to Netflix and attracted some new notice and fans. A solid 80% with critics, Great America was also 62% with audiences, and if you like what you see here, I totally recommend you go back in his specials list, as he's been churning them out since 2006.
Sam Jay: 3 In The Morning
SNL writer Sam Jay keeps very busy with gigs both writing and producing, but in 2020 she took time to film 3 In The Morning, a comedy special for Netflix. The special earned an 86% from critics and 62% from audiences. The shirt she wore is giving me early aughts vibes too.
