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Boston Globe

15 great comedy specials to stream right now

Ready to lighten your spirits? Read on. The Legends 1. Richard Pryor – 'Live & Smokin' '(1971; Peacock, Tubi, PlutoTV): There are longer, perhaps more celebrated Pryor specials, but this is the comedian before his fame blew up, at a small club, The Improvisation in New York, rather than a giant theatre. It feels intimate. The laughter isn't sweetened, and you can read the menu behind him on the wall. The material is raw and challenging. And it would be a few years before the idea of the stand-up special would be defined and codified by HBO. 2. George Carlin – 'Carlin at Carnegie' (1983; Prime Video, Tubi, PlutoTV, Fandango at Home, Roku Channel, Freevee, Hoopla): Carlin was the king of comedy specials in his time, filming 14 of them from 1977 to 2008, and went through several onstage personas. So it's hard to choose which one to highlight among them. His delivery was still gentle and silly here, but he showcases every tool in his kit, from physical comedy to social satire, plus an update on the '7 Dirty Words.' Advertisement 3. Joan Rivers – 'Don't Start With Me' (2012; PlutoTV): 'Ladies and gentleman, the best act in her price range, Joan Rivers!' That's how Rivers introduces herself from offstage in this special, the only full special of her stand-up currently streaming. She gave energetic performances right until the end of her life, and doubled and tripled down on attacking everything and everyone, including herself, in the act. This special shows why she's been such an inspiration to Jim Norton and Sarah Silverman, who like to make their audiences cringe as well as laugh. 4. Eddie Izzard – 'Dress To Kill' (1999; Peacock, Prime Video, Tubi): This was the special that launched Izzard in America. It's an entertaining ramble through world history and pop culture that included several instant classics, like the Church of England intoning 'Cake or death!,' Englebert Humperdinck brainstorming his stage name (a couple of runners up: Zanglebert Bingledack and Cringlebert Fishtybuns), and Izzard's definition of the 'executive transvestite.' 5. Tom Lehrer – 'Live In Copenhagen' (1967; PBS Living): This one could be filed under 'Locals' as well, since Lehrer developed his sark and satirical song parodies as a student at Harvard, and recorded his first three albums in Boston. A lot of these songs retain their power to tweak the listener's sense of good taste – note the absolute glee with which he sings 'Poisoning Pigeons In the Park.' Advertisement The Locals 1. Josh Gondelman – 'Positive Reinforcement' (2025; YouTube): 'I'm very friendly,' says Gondelman in this new special, released in June. 'It rarely helps.' A 'nice guy' reputation doesn't always come in handy, especially when you're the type of guy who, when drunk, tells his friends he cherishes them. Which can ruin everyone's memory of last night's poker game. It's also tough to have hometown pride when all the gear is overly aggressive. Like 'shamo-flage,' camo clothing made of shamrocks. 'You're really only supposed to wear it when a Dropkick Murphy is born or dies,' Gondelman says. 2 . Joe List – 'Small Ball' (2025; YouTube): List premiered this in theaters for one-night only in May and then released it on YouTube a couple of weeks later. The Boston comic can't seem to help but make things awkward in his life, whether he's inadvertently terrifying a child in an elevator or pretending he understood the movie he just watched with his friends. Or thinking he found a hilarious typo at on a museum plaque listing Picasso's country of origin as Spain and not Italy. 'I reported it,' he says. I went to the front desk, I was like, just a heads up, 'I don't want to get you guys in trouble, but you have the wrong country for Picasso. He's Italian, I think everybody knows that.' The lady said, 'Pablo?' I was like, 'you know what? That does sound Spanish.'' 3. Sam Jay – '3 In the Morning' (2020; Netflix): The rest of the country got to see what Boston audiences saw in Jay's early days in local clubs. She's both tough and vulnerable, talking about her favorite uncle from Boston who always asks her if she's still gay, meeting the guy she lost her virginity to and discovering they now have the same clothes and haircut, and navigating a long-term relationship. Advertisement Bill Burr in "Bill Burr: Live at Red Rocks." KOURY ANGELO 4. – 'Live at Red Rocks:' (2022; Netflix): Burr has enough personality to fill any venue – the same year he released the 'Red Rocks' special, he played Fenway Park. And he comes out with both barrels blazing, tearing into the hypocrisy around the COVID lockdown by proposing a 'Hunger Games' style competition to settle the partisan bickering. If you think you agree with him, don't get comfortable. He'll get to you shortly. 5. – 'The Great Depresh' (2019; HBO Max): Gulman had been building an audience steadily for years based on a winning personality and tight, clever writing. 'Depresh' was a career-defining special, with Gulman opening up about his struggles with depression and anxiety with comic dexterity and humility, interspersed with documentary-style interstitials at his childhood home in Peabody with his mom and onstage at The Comedy Studio. Pair this with his memoir, 'Misfit,' for the full effect. Hannah Gadsby in "Nanette." BEN KING The Landmarks 1. – 'Nanette' (2018; Netflix): The Australian comic caused an immediate stir when 'Nanette' was released because of a section where they interrogated the idea of comedy itself for defusing tension around serious subjects – in this case, a hate crime. Depending on who you ask, the moment they repudiate comedy is either startling and brave or manipulative and not comedy. But that moment is preceded by a chunk of good stand-up, and provoked a legitimate discussion about how comedy functions in relation to everyday life. Advertisement Jerrod Carmichael in "Rothaniel." Courtesy of HBO 2. Jerrod Carmichael – 'Rothaniel' (2022; HBO Max): Carmichael says at the top of 'Rothaniel' that the special will be about secrets, then admits 'Jerrod' isn't his real first name. He presents a family history with plenty of deceptions, then gets to his biggest secret – he is gay. Directed by Hamilton native Bo Burnham, 'Rothaniel' is set up like a meeting between friends who have a few things to talk about. 3. Daniel Sloss – 'X' (2019; HBO Max): Not all masculinity is toxic. That's one of the threads running through 'X.' But sometimes it is, and the story at the heart of 'X' is an absolutely devastating indictment of dangerous male behavior. And Sloss skillfully builds his audience up to that point with dark, reflective material. 4. Natalie Palamides – 'Nate: A One-Man Show' (2020; Netflix): It's hard to recognize Palamides from the Progressive commercials you might know her from in this special, because she's not herself. She's Nate, a hairy-chested dude in sunglasses and camo pants trying to process his feelings and actions in the wake of a heartbreak. Palamides teases her audience to transgress boundaries around gender, power, and consent in ways both playful and pointed. There's even some nudity, both real and simulated. 5. Nate Bargatze – 'The Tennessee Kid' (2019; Netflix): Bargatze had recorded albums and specials before and had been around a while – he won the Boston Comedy Festival stand-up competition in 2010 – but this was the special that kickstarted his popularity. A clean, relatable, family-centered comic whose material still has a bite. Now he's doing multiple-show stands at TD Garden. Advertisement