Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents: Nikki Glaser

Nikki Glaser’s 2013 half-hour is a look at a comic right before she locked into the hyper-clinical sex commentary of her later tours. Her onstage persona here relies on physical awkwardness and standard self-deprecation. The set’s strongest moments revolve around her deep regret over having big teeth and a surprisingly romantic interaction she had with a tree branch. She plays up the desperation of wanting a boyfriend, delivering punchlines with a looser energy than the confidence she developed later in her career.

Comedy Central taped the set at The Royale in Boston for the second season of The Half Hour. The slot coincided with her first major television push, airing while she was co-hosting the late-night MTV series The Nikki & Sara Show and years before she established herself as a television fixture and elite roaster.