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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

Night Owl

Liza Treyger

Netflix · 2025 · 62 min

A conversational, phone-addicted hour of stand-up at the Comedy Cellar.

Watch it free on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Liza Treyger spends her first hour-long special talking like she is in a crowded bar letting you in on an outrageously specific group chat. She has a way of turning personal shame and cultural bewilderment into detailed grievances, whether she is discussing her severe phone addiction or the weird internet habits that eat up her days.

Filmed at the Comedy Cellar in New York City and directed by Jeff Tomsic, Night Owl was released on Netflix in January 2025. Around the time of its release, Treyger was also co-starring in Netflix’s comedy series Survival of the Thickest and co-hosting her true-crime podcast That’s Messed Up. The special received warm reviews for its conversational pacing and lack of self-importance.

Some of the most memorable stretches of the set focus on Treyger’s Ukrainian immigrant parents. She explains what it was like growing up in Skokie, Illinois, with a father who escaped Soviet totalitarianism only to show up at her childhood softball game in a parody Buttweiser t-shirt covered in cartoon rear ends. She also recounts her obsession with Taylor Swift, her ban from the SoulCycle Instagram page, and her bafflement over Mars’ decision to replace the Green M&M’s high-heeled boots.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Friends who are parents and the struggles and attitudes of new parenthood

    Riffing on parental attitudes and the friction of having friends with kids.

  2. Hating other people's husbands and venting frustrations about spouses

    Observational critique of married dynamics.

  3. Lying to herself about how high she really is and substance use self-deceptions

    Self-deprecating confessional material about weed consumption.

  4. Growing up with Russian immigrant parents

    Exploring the sheer embarrassment and outsider perspective of being raised by immigrant parents.

  5. Phone addiction and algorithms running life

    Commentary on internet scrolling and millennial digital habits.

How it plays

Tone
Raunchy, irreverent, biting, silly, and feminist.
On stage
Weary, slothful, conversational, and unfiltered with an underlying excitement and danger as she roasts the crowd.
Pace
Performed in the moment without a set list; flows naturally with purposeful disjointed transitions, pauses, and a unique rhythm.
About
immigrant parents, friends who are parents and attitudes of parents, hating other people's husbands and spouses, phone addiction and internet algorithms, weed and substance use, feminism and sexism

What the critics said

Received critical acclaim, praised as a remarkably assured début with a refreshing conversational style and unique comedic rhythm.

In the room: An intimate club basement atmosphere with drinks and food, featuring active crowd reactions and laughing.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: deadline.com, imdb.com, netflix.com, rottentomatoes.com, vanyaland.com, isnt-that-special.castos.com, en.wikipedia.org, interviewmagazine.com.

Backstory

Reflects on her upbringing by Russian immigrant parents, navigating millennial and internet culture, and performing stand-up in a club basement setting.

Details

Released
Runtime
62 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Jeff Tomsic
Honors
The New York Times: '5 Smart and Silly Specials to Entertain You'Vulture: '4 New Comedy Specials You Should Definitely Watch (When You Have a Moment)'
Topics
Before
The Half Hour (2015)

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