Sometimes all you want for the night is pizza and a good laugh. What easier and cheap way to accomplish these needs than sitting at home watching Netflix. If the stand-up comedy category seems busy and intimidating, allow me to suggest some of the best stand-up comedies it has to offer. I’ve watched almost every single stand-up act, and there are plenty of diamonds in the rough. All summaries are taken from Netflix.
1. John Mulaney
Mulaney has two specials out on Netflix, New in Town and The Comeback Kid. “Armed with boyish charm and a sharp wit, the former ‘SNL’ writer offers sly takes on marriage, his beef with babies, and the time he met Bill Clinton.”
2. Mike Birbiglia
Birbiglia has three specials out on Netflix, one of which just came out this year: What I Should Have Said was Nothing, My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend, and Thank God for Jokes. Watch them in this order to stay in chronological order with Birbglia’s life. “Comedian Mike Birbiglia takes the stage in Brooklyn and hits on the hard truths about puppet, late people, and the very real dangers of being funny.”
3. Trevor Noah
Noah has three specials on Netflix, one of which just came out this year: Afraid of the Dark, You Laugh But it’s True, and African American. “The ‘Daily Show’ host ponders the perils of naming countries, how traffic lights turn New Yorkers invincible, and why you shouldn’t drink in Scotland.”
4. Aziz Ansari
Ansari takes the lead with three specials on Netflix: Buried Alive, Live at Madison Square Garden, Dangerously Delicious, and one TV show, Master of None. “Aziz Ansari channels his crude side in this 2012 special, taking on topics like watching porn and the struggles of dating in New York City.”
5. Marc Maron
Maron has one special, Thinky Pain. “Alternative comic Marc Maron is back on stage in New York to talk Chinese food, drug abuse, sex in hotel rooms, and life with his girlfriend.”
6. Gary Gulman
Gulman has one special, It’s About Time. “Gary Gulman tackles topics like extreme laziness, Hitler, and the joys and pitfalls of shopping at Trader Joe’s with his typical neurotic bewilderment.”
7. Eugene Mirman
Mirman has one special, Vegan on His Way to the Complain Store. He is the popular voice of Gene Belcher on Bob’s Burgers. “Stand-up comedian Eugene Mirman takes his act to the Wild West, where he riffs on everything from Internet dating sites to bathroom signs.”
8. Jay Mohr
Mohr has one special, Funny for a Girl. “Jay Mohr’s first special in more than seven years is a set of wild Hollywood stories, plus impressions of Christopher Walken, Adam Sandler, and more.”
9. Jen Kirkman
Kirkman has two specials, I’m Going to Die Alone (And I Feel Fine) and Just Keep Livin’? “Incisive comic Jen Kirkman get’s real about women’s bodies, the value of alone time, and an Italian private tour guide who may have been a ghost.”
10. Kathleen Madigan
Madigan has two specials, Bothering Jesus and Madigan Again. “The Irish American comic riffs on everything from growing up in Missouri, signing up her parents to be Uber drivers, and anything to do with bacon.”