When I was a kid, in order to gorge on comedy specials I had to ask my grandma to drive me around to the six video rental stores within 3-5 mile radius of our home. Because there was so much overlap between each store’s collection, it was a rare treat to find something new. Once upon a time you basically had to be on a sitcom to get a special released on video.
Now, of course, we live in the golden age of streamlined digital production and instant streaming that has cut way, way down on production costs and now comics at all levels can afford to release specials.
Thanks to Netflix Instant, there’s now a huge assortment of specials, from the greats like Carlin and emerging talent ready for you to comb through. Here are my recommendations for the three (really 5) best, unsung specials well worth the $7.99 for a month of Netflix Instant.
Anjela Johnson – That’s How We Do It: Recorded in Houston in a massive, convention hall-like space, this special really shouldn’t have worked. A former cast member of Mad TV, Johnson is a small woman, well-suited to TV, but her act is somewhat requires that you can see her cheeky grin and really, she should have disappeared in that space. Of course rules are mostly nonsense and made to be stepped on and within a minute of her entrance, that space was hers. I imagine being an ex-pro cheerleader helped her become really comfortable working in what was basically a packed stadium. She’s a master at reading her audience and working a pause. Her accent work is spot-on and used incredibly well in really in fun bits of observational comedy. I really don’t understand how this lady isn’t a massive star.
Bill Burr – Let it Go: Really, you need to see all three of his specials that are available on Netflix Instant, but Let it Go is my favorite. If you are from New England you probably already know and already love Burr, but those outside that charming enclave of America are finally getting wise to his aggressive, taboo-flipping style of humor. His tales of living every day life with an outrageous temper will make you cry, re-watch, and cry again.
Leslie Jones – Problem Child: There’s a line in comedy between “black comics”, Comics of color who are really only received by black audiences and then black comics who “crossover”. Leslie Jones has spent her entire career making a good living in the former, but her comedy really does transcend that arbitrary and bullshit pigeon-holing that limits most of the world’s exposure to some really excellent comics. A former college basketball player, she physically claims the space in a way that few comediennes can. Her bit on the different roles in a group of girlfriends kills me every damn time.
Images: Flickr, Amazon, Amazon, Amazon
