15 Best Stand Up Comedy Specials (According To IMDb)

15 Best Stand Up Comedy Specials (According To IMDb)

From Bill Burr to Robin Williams, these stand up specials stand the test of time – and are still ranked the highest on IMDb.

You Are Reading :[thien_display_title]

Despite stand-up comedy only gaining mainstream appeal in the ’70s, it is said to have begun many decades ago. The earliest performances can be traced back to twentieth-century front-cloth British comics who performed in music halls. Since then, the genre has evolved significantly.

In stand-up comedy, the comedians usually perform on stage for live audiences, though some also record segments of their performances as singles then release them collectively as a comedy album. Many great performances have been witnessed over the years but which are the best? According to IMDb, these are the best stand-up specials of all time.

Updated on January 3rd, 2021 by Kristen Palamara: Stand-up comedy continues to be an engaging art as comedians take the stage and try their best to creatively make the audience laugh. Although a lot of the top-rated comedy stand-up specials premiered decades ago, they’re still insanely popular today, and for good reason. These iconic stand-up specials are on the top-rated list and more modern specials have also made their way to some of the top-rated specials as well. Comedy fans looking for a hilariously good time should start here, as these may the best stand-up specials ever.

15 John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous At Radio City (8.0)

Kid Gorgeous is John Mulaney’s most recent 2018 Netflix stand-up special and he consistently attempts to perfect his style of humor on the stage. Mulaney has a recognizable style and cadence to his jokes that sums up millennial humor in his more modern special.

He touches on topics like priorities during the American Civil War, computers that test if the user is a robot, and American politics while cleverly never namedropping.

14 Chris Rock: Bring The Pain (8.2)

This 1996 HBO special found Chris Rock at his peak. By the time the special came out, Chris Rock was already making a name for himself in movies but many fans agree that Bring The Pain was what made him a superstar.

In the special, Rock talked about various subjects including the controversial Washington D.C. Mayor Marion Barry and the O.J. Simpson murder case. He also talked about dating and marriage (two subjects he enjoys touching on) as well as the different types of Black people you are likely to encounter.

13 Eddie Murphy: Delirious (8.2)

Delirious was widely praised in the ’80s but it’s safe to say that a lot of the material in it hasn’t aged well. Murphy used homophobic slurs which he apologized for years later in 1997 by releasing a lengthy statement in which one of the lines read: “I deeply regret any pain all this has caused.”

The 70-minute HBO special was Eddie Murphy’s first feature stand-up. It was also quite profane as he ended up using a total of 501 curse words. However, Delirious was widely praised by both fans and critics. The comedian would go on to have a highly successful film career after its release.

12 Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (8.2)

Richard Pryor is widely regarded by many as the greatest standup comic of all time. Both Comedy Central and Rolling Stone have ranked him first in their lists of the greatest standup comics. For his work in comedy, Pryor won an Emmy Award in 1973 and five Grammy Awards.

In Richard Pryor: Live in Concert, he did what he does best – mimicking things. He mimicked dogs, children, and even his own self after he got a heart attack. He also talked about race as well as his tough childhood and how his mother abandoned him at a brothel. There was not a single joke in the special that wasn’t met with laughter.

11 John Mulaney: New In Town (8.3)

John Mulaney’s first Netflix comedy special was New In Town and in his first special he already had a unique and hilarious voice. He relayed stories about his life from his odd anxieties like quicksand as a child to going to the doctor as an adult to try to get medication for his anxiety to trying to make a flight on Delta airlines.

He’s insightful and oddly relatable even if the audience hasn’t actually been in situations he describes.

10 Bill Burr: I’m Sorry You Feel That Way (8.4)

I’m Sorry You Feel That Way is a 2014 stand-up comedy special that was released exclusively on Netflix. The special was filmed at the Tabernacle Theater in Atlanta, Georgia in the summer of the same year. It was unique in that it was shot entirely in black and white, something that had never been seen before in modern times.

In I’m Sorry You Feel That Way, Bill Burr kept up with his unfiltered commentary as he touched on topics such as sex, religion, the disadvantages of hugging children hugs, and the wisdom of Lutheran people who believe that there is no afterlife once you die. He also talked about marital problems such as being expelled from bed by your wife.

9 Robin Williams: An Evening At The Met (8.4)

This was one of Robin Williams’ last comedy specials in the ’80s since he was shifting his focus from stand-up specials to acting. In the special, he covered a variety of topics such as the return of Jesus, President Reagan’s tenure, the effects of marijuana as well as pregnancy and childbirth.

The album from the special ended up winning the 1988 Grammy Award for “Best Comedy Performance Single or Album, Spoken or Musical.” Williams performed at a packed Lincoln Center in what was seen as one of his finest works.

8 James Acaster: Repertoire (8.4)

James Acaster’s Repertoire collects four of the British comedian’s standup specials on Netflix for his debut in America where it continues to get great reviews. Although more well known in England, Acaster still stands out in America for his observational humor approach making him a relatable comedian.

This special isn’t as popular or as well-known but is definitely worth checking out on Netflix for anyone who loves relatable observational humor.

7 Dylan Moran: Monster (8.5)

Dylan Moran is an Irish comedian best known for his starring role in the British comedy Black Books and for his standup like the top-rated Monster.

He’s mostly known for his dry humor and wit that’s on full display in this comedy special as he’s got a wine glass and cigarette in hand. It’s a great special for anyone who appreciates dry and at times self-deprecating humor and the special being top-rated means that the approach is a successful one.

6 Bo Burnham: what. (8.5)

Bo Burnham is a comedian, musician, and filmmaker who uses his outside skills to liven up his comedy special what. to new engaging heights.

The cinematography in the special is impressive and Burnham uses his musical skills in his act to make his jokes even funnier. His style is hilariously deadpan and relatable with catchy tunes able to make something as mundane as getting your hand stuck in a Pringles can hilarious.

5 Louis C.K.: Chewed Up (8.6)

The highly-rated one-hour special was filmed at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston. It is dedicated to George Carlin, who also filmed his special on the same night as C.K. and died shortly after.

In Chewed Up, the controversial comedian covers topics such as white privilege, weight struggles, the use of offensive words, terrorist attacks, the difficulties of parenthood, age-related setbacks, and awkward visits to the doctor. The special which came out in 2008 was only released on DVD.

4 George Carlin… It’s Bad for Ya! (8.6)

It’s Bad for Ya was George Carlin’s 19th and final special. Four months after it came out, he died of heart failure. He was 71 at the time. The stage was unique in that it was designed to represent a glamorous living room.

Interestingly one of the topics Carlin addressed when the things people say when someone dies. The HBO special was nominated for an Emmy for “Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special.” The accompanying comedy album also won a Grammy for “Best Comedy Album.” The award was given posthumously.

3 Eddie Izzard: Dress to Kill (8.7)

The special which was recorded in San Francisco mostly touched on religion and history. Throughout the performance, he managed to retell British history right from the Stonehenge all the way to the Reformation.

He also mimicked French and Italian accents then proceeded to talk about the pope and the Church Of England. Izzard also addressed his struggles as a transvestite and how it put an end to his dream of joining the military, claiming that there should be a first battalion transvestite brigade.

2 Bill Hicks: Relentless (8.7)

Relentless was Hicks’s last special before he succumbed to pancreatic cancer. He performed it at the Centaur Theatre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada during the annual Just for Laughs Comedy Festival.

The special was characterized by his trademark long pauses before delivering the punchline. He touched on endless issues such as right-wing religious institutions and the criticisms of the Gulf War. Not only is it considered his finest work, but also the most daring special of all time.

1 Dave Chappelle: Killin’ Them Softly (8.8)

Killin’ Them Softly was Chappelle’s first among many hour-long specials. It aired on July 26, 2000, and in it, the comedian talked about a myriad of topics, including police brutality, racism, and drug use.

In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked Dave Chappelle: Killin’ Them Softly at position 6 on its list of the “25 Best Stand-up Specials of All Time”. The special is also the highest-rated among all of Chappelle’s work. However, a few years after it came out, the comedian went into a lengthy retirement only to return late in the 2010s.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/best-stand-up-comedy-specials-imdb/

• Animaniacs Reboot Reveals The Brains Ultimate World Domination Plan

• 10 Action Movies To Look Forward To In 2022

• 15 Hearthstone Cards That Had To Be Banned (Before They Broke The Game)

• 10 Most Historically Accurate Costumes In Period Pieces

• 5 Times Frasier Was The Better Brother (And 5 Times It Was Niles)

• 10 Things You Never Knew About Piccolos Gi In Dragon Ball

• Apple Just Announced The iPhone 13 — Heres Everything Thats New