Dave Chappelle had a banger of a Saturday Night Live episode last week. It’s no surprise that a big week like that might renew peoples’ interest in some of Chappelle’s other projects, many of which are housed over at Netflix. The longtime comedian saw a resurgence of popularity on the subscription streaming service after the episode and it’s still holding today.
If you perused Netflix’s Top 10 list at all this week, you probably saw episodes of Chappelle’s Show hanging out. Even today, a full week since Dave Chappelle’s episode of SNL hit TV, Chappelle’s Show is still in Netflix’s Top 10 list, though it’s hanging on at #10 at this point.
It’s worth noting that while Dave Chappelle has had a huge presence on Netflix over the past few years, Chappelle’s Show hit Netflix at the beginning of the month. The Comedy Central series has always been a fan-favorite as a rewatch, so when it hit on November 1, I'm not surprised there was interest. Still, seeing a show that originally aired between 2003 and 2006 dominating on Netflix for multiple weeks is a rarity and an impressive feat.
I’d be willing to hedge a bet though that the episode stuck around in Netflix’s Top 10 for longer than it might have thanks to Chappelle’s Saturday Night Live appearance. In fact, his episode of the late night sketch series averaged a 2.6 rating in the 18-49 advertising demographic, which also means it was the highest rated episode of SNL in over three years.
Sure, interest in the election and a comedic take on it may have helped those numbers, but I also just simply think people like Dave Chappelle. The Wrap previously noted the episode was also the highest-rated episode of a TV program among Black audiences in the 18-49 demo since an episode of Empire aired in 2019.
Dave Chappelle’s monologue and a series of sketches were memorable last weekend, but my favorite moment was probably when Chappelle, playing Allstate’s Dennis Haysbert, broke character to make an unscripted joke about Pete Davidson’s lips. The moment was so unexpected that Pete Davidson, playing vampire Count Chocula, spit his fangs out. If you missed it, we have you covered.
It’s unclear when Dave Chappelle’s next Netflix original special is coming or how long the comedian's series will hold on in the Top 10 list. Regardless, if you are looking for more Chappelle content, he did put out a YouTube comedy piece earlier this year called 8:46, which features some comedy but also social commentary. It was also released by Netflix via its YouTube platform. We’ll keep you updated regarding what both SNL and Chappelle are doing next. In the meantime take a look at those Chappelle specials you may have already forgotten about.
