But I'm Not Wrong

Bill Maher drops into Raleigh, North Carolina, with an 80-minute lecture that feels closer to an extended monologue than a traditional string of setups and punchlines. Filmed at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in 2010, the set finds him preaching to the choir about the state of American politics, the economy, and the absurdity of organized religion.

The material leans heavily on the headlines of the era, taking aim at the Tea Party and the George W. Bush hangover. Maher notably dares Barack Obama to “black it up” a little more in office and jokes about the president needing a traditional celebrity entourage. He takes a rare, awkward stab at physical comedy by pantomiming Eliot Spitzer having sex and attempting a mock rap routine. Critics at the time pointed out that he spent a surprising amount of the show giggling at his own premises before reaching the punchlines. The loose, conversational hour earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special.