Review: Ryan Hamilton, “Happy Face” on Netflix

I wrote a glowing review of Ryan Hamilton‘s first Netflix stand-up special over at Decider, because he earned it! Watching Ryan Hamilton: Happy Face will make your face happy, too. A decade of living and doing comedy in New York City has done this Idaho boy good. And given him the ability to bridge both worlds […]

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Netflix’s Pot Comedy ‘Disjointed’ Opts for Easy Stoner Humor

The new Netflix series Disjointed, which premiered its first ten episodes (of 20 ordered so far) this past Friday, is an appropriately titled mishmash of two distinct styles that never completely coalesce. Created by David Javerbaum and Chuck Lorre, it is an achingly dull CBS-style sitcom “about” weed the same way The Big Bang Theory is […]

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Review: Lynne Koplitz, “Hormonal Beast” on Netflix

Joan Rivers served as Lynne Koplitz’s comedy godmother over the icon’s final decade. Now Koplitz is ready to become comedy godmother to the rest of us, with the release of her first solo hour of stand-up comedy on Netflix, Hormonal Beast. I spoke to Koplitz just last week to talk about her life and career […]

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Review: Tiffany Haddish, “She Ready! From the Hood to Hollywood!” on Showtime

Tiffany Haddish has become a comedy star in 2017, bursting forth from supporting player on NBC’s The Carmichael Show to scene-stealer on the big screen in Girls Trip, and this fall will co-star with Tracy Morgan in the new TBS comedy, The Last O.G. This past weekend, Haddish got to shine solo in her first […]

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Brad Paisley Plays It Safe in His ‘Comedy Rodeo’ Special

The thought of country singer Brad Paisley having his own Netflix standup special  — even one with several actual comics on the bill — naturally brings about mixed feelings. On one hand, Paisley’s music has always employed a fair amount of humor; on “The Cigar Song,” he tells the tale of a criminal who is […]

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Review: Brad Paisley’s Comedy Rodeo, on Netflix

Comedians and comedy fans were left speechless when Netflix announced a comedy special this summer from Brad Paisley. But as I wrote in my review for Brad Paisley’s Comedy Rodeo, via Decider: It’s not that far-fetched to see a country music act hosting a comedy special. Brad Paisley has co-hosted the CMA Awards since 2008 […]

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‘Ingrid Goes West’: A Dark Comedy That Shines an Empathetic Light on Digital Addiction

“What’s your biggest emotional wound?” That question, posed to our anti-heroine Ingrid Thorburn roughly 30 minutes into Ingrid Goes West, should carry the weight of the world. It’s the type of question that demands self-interrogation — one that requires an emotional honesty and a cognitive courage to confront. Instead the characters treat it like a […]

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‘Ingrid Goes West’: A Dark Comedy That Shines an Empathetic Light on Digital Addiction

“What’s your biggest emotional wound?” That question, posed to our anti-heroine Ingrid Thorburn roughly 30 minutes into Ingrid Goes West, should carry the weight of the world. It’s the type of question that demands self-interrogation — one that requires an emotional honesty and a cognitive courage to confront. Instead the characters treat it like a […]

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Season 1 of ‘I’m Dying Up Here’ Favors Fiction Over History

Showtime’s I’m Dying Up Here, which ended its first season last night, is the newest unfunny drama about the world of comedy. Based in part on the book by the same name by William Knoedelseder, it’s a fairly unambitious show. This actually makes it work better than the late, sarcastically lamented Studio 60 on the […]

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Season 1 of ‘I’m Dying Up Here’ Favors Fiction Over History

Showtime’s I’m Dying Up Here, which ended its first season last night, is the newest unfunny drama about the world of comedy. Based in part on the book by the same name by William Knoedelseder, it’s a fairly unambitious show. This actually makes it work better than the late, sarcastically lamented Studio 60 on the […]

Continue Reading