Comedy lovers, come and see because the year 2024 has turned out to be one of the best years for stand-up in the last years. One thing that we saw in the year was the rebranding of the big stars and the very powerful entrance of the new faces, and we might even add that some of the specials made us amuse, groan, and even shed a tear. The year was full of biting social commentary and pure craziness, which proved that stand-up is still evolving in crazy, great ways. How about we do a countdown of the 10 greatest comedy specials of 2024, starting from the bottom, just because suspense is half the fun?
10. Ali Wong – Single Lady (Netflix, 59 min)
Honestly, I don’t think Ali Wong will ever be beaten in the foreseeable future with the way she keeps turning brutal honesty into comedy gold. Her drama with the divorce is the focus of Single Lady, where one gets to see an uncut glimpse of life, money, and power through the eyes of someone who has definitely made her way and can now say whatever she wants. Across every story, Wong’s confidence is there, and you can feel her being a perfect blend of sharp and chill in her delivery. It is a very funny, at times brutal, a little bit of a cry, and absolutely Ali Wong at her best.
9. Langston Kerman – Bad Poetry (Netflix, 50 min)
Langston Kerman is an extremely rare breed of a comedian, who gives nothing away in his appearance but is fiercely intelligent and masterful in his execution, with literally every line. He invites the viewers into the confounded territories of his mind with Bad Poetry and then quickly turns the surreal commentary into a subtle story with a deceivingly calm tone. Kerman’s finding weirdness not only funny but also in some way profound is evident whether he is doing an on-the-spot sermon of cringe-worthy voicemails or delving into the themes of identity and absurdity.
8. Ramy Youssef – More Feelings (Max, 55 min)
One of the most illuminating and thoughtful moments of comedy that Ramy Youssef could ever bring to the stage is More Feelings, a quite addictive show with almost 55 minutes long. Youssef, in his role, comes off as a mixture of a comic and a cognitive psychologist, and the show, in its core, is an investigation of faith, politics, guilt, and the growth cycle. The tone of Youssef is like a cozy night chat with an old buddy, but the punchiness he makes usually hits the target. Christopher Storer, the director, just gets it spot on with the closeness, and this, without a doubt, is the most deeply human special of this year.
7. Kyle Kinane – Dirt Nap (YouTube, 72 min)
The gist of the story of Kinane’s cat that Kinane starts his Dirt Nap is quickly left behind, and the stand-up turns into an existential voyage where aging, politics, and life during a pandemic are dealt with. His work is that of a philosopher half in a beer-guzzling raconteur, and he is also half wisdom, half nonsense. Kinane’s style of loose-limbed should have failed, but actually, it works because he is the kind of rare comedian who can make even the most ludicrous side-track seem to be of great importance.
6. Courtney Pauroso – Vanessa 5000 (Dropout, 64 min)
Pauroso’s special, Vanessa 5000, by all means, is the most innovative stand-up of the year. As a machine with the traits of a female over-the-top, whose programming breaks down bit by bit, Pauroso eventually takes a ridiculous proposition and makes it an emotional meltdown of the highest order. The mix of clowning, body humor, and heartbreak elements in the work makes it something very special in the field of stand-up. It is quite unsettling, yet very funny and also very memorable, a show that refuses to be pigeonholed and which demonstrates the potential of comedy to be a form of art.
5. Anthony Jeselnik – Bones and All (Netflix, 51 min)
With the album Bones and All, Jeselnik turns the spotlight on 20 years of his bad taste to be refined into high art. The way of delivery of the artist is still very much ice-cold and to the point; however, there is a certain new level of introspection as well. Jeselnik’s take on cultural hotspots is very avant-garde, and when he slows down the pace and reflects on his career and his friendship with Norm Macdonald, it’s a surprise to find him being sentimental. It is Jeselnik, the sharpest version, but with the most humane side of his character showing through and, therefore, the least amount of bite, that is here made most apparent.
4. Nikki Glaser – Someday You’ll Die (Max, 60 min)
Nikki Glaser’s Someday You’ll Die is a demonstration that grimness and humor can intermingle effectively. Glaser examines her own death, social connections, and why she doesn’t mind not having children through extremely frank and somewhat ironic one-liners. The show’s visual aspects are quite impressive, awesome, and shiny, which, in fact, reflect well Glaser’s mixture of openness and confidence. Essentially, it is the most self-assured, well-rounded, and therefore, the gift she has ever made.
3. Adam Sandler – Love You (Netflix, 74 min)
Love You, directed by Josh Safdie, is not an ordinary Adam Sandler comedy special; it’s half confession, half conceptual art. Sandler incorporates into the mix songs, jokes, and heartfelt feelings, all of which he tries (and sometimes fails) to execute simultaneously. The anxiety and the affection are something one would expect from a Safdie movie, and the final song, an homage to comedy, is as lovely as it is sorrowful. It is an unorganized, touching, and typical Sandler work of art.
2. Jacqueline Novak – Get on Your Knees (Netflix, 94 min)
Jacqueline Novak’s Get on Your Knees, a film by Natasha Lyonne, is quite an experience: 90 minutes of language tricks, personal insights, and brutal honesty with a surreal twist. Initially, the author’s consideration of oral quickly morphs into an essay on language, gender, and creativity. Novak’s intellect and vitality are without any kind of limitation. She moves around the stage, uses her hands, and speaks off the cuff until the whole room seems to animate. It is confrontational, clever, and one-of-a-kind.
1. Ali Siddiq – Domino Effect Part 3: First Day of School (YouTube, 77 min)
Ali Siddiq continues his narrative saga in Domino Effect Part 3, a nd it’s quite simply his best so far. Zeroing in on the time in jail before the court hearing, Siddiq turns the story into something very personal and at the same time universal, a musing on childhood, accountability, and inner power. The man’s comic timing couldn’t be better, the characters are vibrant, and the overall point of view is very much human. Besides being an absolutely great comedic special, it is an American narrative, done by a master craftsman and his mic.
Honorable Mention: Nate Bargatze – Your Friend, Nate Bargatze (Netflix)
The compilation would not be complete if we didn’t have Nate Bargatze, whose Your Friend, Nate Bargatze was Netflix the most considerable stand-up special of the year. His neat, very relatable manner of doing things is what keeps him attracting great audiences, thus making him the highest-paid comedian in the world for 2024. After a year full of arena gigs and working with Jerry Seinfeld and Jim Gaffigan, Bargatze has proved that clean doesn’t mean dull.
2024 provided us with a bit of everything: love, disorder, philosophy, dirt, and a massive amount of laughter. If you happen to like raw honesty, weird experiments, or traditional joke craft, then you are going to agree that the comedy specials of this year were able to extend the boundary of comedy that much without it being a loss of its essence.