The Newsletter
A weekly dispatch on stand-up comedy specials — what's new, what's worth watching, and what's coming next.
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New specials, notable performances, and things worth watching.
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Deniz Göktaş Takes His Act to the Dock
A Turkish comic closes his defence with a tag, Sam Morril asks you to admire the structure, and Catherine Bohart leads with her pelvis.
The Danger of Yelling at Hecklers
Chris Cantrill solves a rural tree murder, Natalie Cuomo loses the room to a heckler, and Mark Thomas celebrates forty years in political satire.
Chris Cantrill’s Quiet Life Requires an Investigation
Chris Cantrill moves to the country for peace, then builds an acclaimed comedy hour around his failure to leave the village alone.
Chris Cantrill Cannot Escape Other People
Chris Cantrill investigates his neighbours, Ian Stone lets spectators choose the material, and Sam Eley makes hostility the attraction.
When Comedy Gets Too Comfortable
This week, we dissect the shifting landscape of comedy: from award-winning shaggy dog stories to raw creative processes and improvised family specials.
Fringe's Odd Rewards: Chaos and Radical Honesty
Translating unhinged clown shows to streaming, the burden of stage honesty, and the Fringe's broad definition of what actually works.
Kelsey Cook Sold Netflix a Finished Asset
Waiting for a green light means waiting forever. Comedians are shooting their own specials and treating platforms like acquisition markets.
Jeff Arcuri Puts the Crowd on Mute
In a baseball stadium, the physical body of the comedian is just a rumor in the distance. The business of standup has outgrown its buildings.
Jeff Arcuri Made the Algorithm Pay Out
The algorithm demands sixty seconds of crowd work, but Netflix still demands a full hour of comedy.
Deniz Göktaş Itemized His Underwear For The State
A Turkish comedian goes viral, gets investigated by the government, and issues a statement itemizing his packed underwear.
Ricky Gervais Sold His Silence
Cancel culture is a highly lucrative business model if you know how to sell your own suppression to a major streaming platform.
Kevin Hart Industrializes the Open Mic
Netflix is attempting to optimize the highly inefficient market of standup comedy with reality television mechanics.