Top 25 Standup specials of the last 3 years, a list by breon prestbury

68

/51/

75

/7/

3.5

/42768/

86

/149/

84

/100/

Metacritic

73

/37/

RogerEbert

3.5

age 16+

As their marriage quietly unravels, Alex faces middle age and an impending divorce, seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene while Tess confronts the sacrifices she made for their family—forcing them to navigate co-parenting, identity, and whether love can take a new form.

69

39

7.6

/1401/

72

/150/

72

/8/

3.8

/4310/

71

/7/

50

/4/

Comedian and podcaster Marc Maron offers up his nuanced perspective on our increasingly uncertain world.

78

77

7.3

/3764/

72

/640/

72

/52/

3.6

/7308/

88

/8/

96

/364/

In what might be his most personal and introspective hour yet, Bill offers hilarious takes on everything from male sadness to dating advice.

73

60

7.6

/2480/

77

/322/

70

/25/

3.6

/3203/

In this razor-sharp yet heartfelt special, Andrew Schulz unpacks the wildest moment of his life — becoming a father.

72

61

7.3

/2302/

77

/465/

69

/27/

3.5

/7087/

In his third Netflix special, Nate Bargatze tackles pizza-ordering strategies for guys' night, wanting a second dog and relying on his responsible wife.

70

48

7.1

/1371/

73

/274/

66

/19/

3.5

/2556/

Ronny Chieng unpacks fertility treatment fiascoes, the dark side of men's self-help and scam-sensitive parents.

80

62

7.4

/2478/

77

/481/

68

/30/

3.6

/5554/

100

/5/

90

/7/

Anthony Jeselnik celebrates 20 years of delivering boundary-pushing comedy to the masses in this razor-sharp stand-up special.

76

42

7.2

/1460/

75

/256/

67

/19/

3.5

/2367/

97

/7/

Comedian Neal Brennan riffs in this stand-up special on crypto, social media flexes, sex compliments, and the link between greatness and mental health.

77

35

7.8

/1031/

74

/104/

71

/13/

4.0

/2697/

83

/8/

After an acclaimed, extended run on Broadway, comedian Alex Edelman brings his solo show to HBO in an all-new comedy special. In the wake of a string of anti-Semitic threats pointed in his direction online, Edelman decides to go straight to the source; specifically, Queens, where he covertly attends a meeting of White Nationalists and comes face-to-face with the people behind the keyboards.

73

38

7.1

/1084/

73

/175/

65

/15/

3.5

/1825/

87

/15/

Comedian Dave Attell unloads in this blistering stand-up special on hard seltzers, strip clubs, unsatisfying snacks and his wild trip to a petting zoo.

72

63

7.2

/2499/

75

/525/

68

/51/

3.7

/10050/

75

/23/

Can Taylor Tomlinson have it all? From dating woes to dream jobs to inventive dirty talk, she shares life's ups and downs in this stand-up comedy special.

62

7.0

/8849/

71

/1353/

68

/113/

3.3

/14401/

20

/5/

82

/183/

From his onstage tackle to the slap heard round the world, Dave Chappelle lets loose in this freewheeling and unfiltered stand-up comedy special.

63

7.1

/16879/

71

/1607/

71

/196/

3.2

/20200/

43

/7/

63

/130/

Ricky Gervais dishes out controversial takes on political correctness and oversensitivity in a taboo-busting comedy special about the end of humanity. Recorded at The London Palladium.

79

7.4

/1953/

73

/124/

70

/23/

3.6

/8291/

97

/32/

90

/20/

Metacritic

74

/7/

RogerEbert

3.5

Rob Reiner profiles Albert Brooks, comedic legend, acclaimed filmmaker, talented character actor and a lifelong friend, who Reiner first met in their high school drama club.

78

7.9

/5343/

74

/665/

71

/41/

3.9

/20131/

92

/48/

In a rowdy stand-up set, Shane Gillis riffs on his girlfriend's Navy SEAL ex, touring George Washington's house and being bullied by an Australian Goth.

68

63

7.1

/3277/

73

/513/

67

/45/

3.5

/6691/

59

/30/

From his dad's unusual deathbed confession to watching his mom get high, Tom Segura tells blisteringly candid stories about marriage, mortality and more.

73

48

7.1

/1281/

68

/184/

64

/27/

3.6

/1554/

100

/6/

67

/8/

The comedy icon sounds off on parenting with her French wife, the perils of public bathrooms and why she's tired of going high when others go low.

76

75

7.5

/7261/

75

/974/

71

/106/

3.9

/69817/

86

/22/

74

/35/

A chaotic intervention. An action-packed stay in rehab. After a weird couple of years, John Mulaney comes out swinging in his return to the stage.

68

51

7.0

/1985/

74

/317/

73

/22/

3.5

/3301/

56

/24/

Shameless — and shirtless — as ever, Bert spills on bodily emissions, being bullied by his kids and the explosive end to his family's escape room outing.

65

56

7.1

/2934/

71

/419/

63

/49/

3.4

/2631/

55

/15/

No topic is off limits for Jim Jefferies as he muses on stoned koalas, his dad’s vasectomy confusion and choosing between his hair and his sex drive.

68

40

7.1

/1667/

70

/179/

59

/20/

3.7

/4459/

66

/11/

Over the course of a hilarious and deeply personal hour, Maron explores such universal topics as getting older, antisemitism and faith, and the superiority of having cats over children – especially during the pandemic.

80

53

8.0

/2405/

76

/243/

76

/28/

3.8

/3915/