Different Strokes

Keith Robinson’s first hour-long stand-up set on Netflix is a lesson in unsentimental self-deprecation. Most of the performance centers on the reality of living with the physical aftereffects of two strokes. Rather than angling for sympathy, Robinson treats his slurred speech and partially paralyzed right side as comedic assets, daring the crowd to laugh at things like his attempts to order Popeyes chicken immediately after his first stroke, or the realization that a poorly timed Viagra pill on a plane triggered his second.

Recorded in December 2023 at Sony Hall in New York City and released in June 2024, the special finds the Philadelphia-born comedian addressing his physical limitations head-on. A regular on Colin Quinn’s Tough Crowd and a long-time mentor to younger comedians, Robinson has spent decades as a respected figure in the New York scene. Longtime friend and collaborator Amy Schumer, who executive produced the hour, makes a brief on-stage cameo to hand Robinson his cane, which immediately becomes a prop for more crowd work. Critics noted that while the material does not seek to reinvent the form, his classic, club-hardened timing remains entirely intact.