Sick & Tired

Wanda Sykes’s first HBO hour finds her in peak cranky form, armed with a deep well of annoyance and zero patience for the public. The centerpiece of the special is a drawn-out, increasingly unhinged bit about surviving a plane crash and immediately resorting to cannibalism before rescuers can arrive—even if the flight only went down three minutes prior. Whether she is complaining about unaccompanied minors abandoned by their parents to sit next to her, or outlining her own failings in bed, Sykes leans hard into the persona of someone completely done with daily inconveniences.

Filmed at the Moore Theatre in Seattle, Sick & Tired premiered in 2006. At the time, Sykes was a reliable television presence thanks to Curb Your Enthusiasm and The New Adventures of Old Christine, but her stand-up remained far more aggressive than her sitcom output. The set earned a 2007 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special.