Good One: A Show About Jokes

Getting a peek at the messy, unpolished work of joke writing is a rare treat, and that is precisely what makes this project worth an evening. It pulls back the curtain on the trial and error of building a stand-up set from scratch, presenting a behind-the-scenes look at how a cohesive comedy show actually comes together.\n\nFilmed in early 2023 and released on Peacock in March 2024, the docu-special is an adaptation of Jesse David Fox’s Vulture podcast. Director Eddie Schmidt follows Mike Birbiglia as he tours venues like the Columbus Theatre in Providence and the DC Improv in Washington, D.C. At this point in his career, Birbiglia was riding high on the success of his Broadway run for “The Old Man & The Pool” and faced the daunting task of starting over with nothing.\n\nThe film captures Birbiglia working through his process, showing stand-up sets alongside backstage footage of him organizing color-coded index cards and testing premises. It also features talking-head commentary from fellow comics Seth Meyers, Hasan Minhaj, and Atsuko Okatsuka, as well as family members like his brother Joe and wife Jen Stein, who offer context on where his stage stories originate.\n\nThe release was met with positive reviews, with writers pointing to the documentary as an insightful look at the grind of stand-up that is usually hidden from the public.