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The Good Old Days

Jeff Foxworthy

Netflix · 2022 · 60 min

Jeff Foxworthy trades redneck humor for boomer nostalgia.

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Jeff Foxworthy steps onto the stage without his signature redneck catchphrases, opting instead to build an hour around the friction of growing old in a world that has outpaced him. He targets the frustrations of modern technology, from the burden of remembering internet passwords to the physical degradation of aging, and contrasts them with a simpler, if rougher, upbringing. His physical bit about the awkwardness of 1970s sex education and a nostalgic story from his days on the Blue Collar Comedy Tour anchor the performance.

Filmed at the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this 2022 Netflix release marked Foxworthy’s first solo stand-up special in 24 years. It caught him at a transition point, attempting to shift from the hyper-specific Southern caricature that made him famous to a more generalized, grandfatherly observational comic. The transition was met with mixed reviews. A bit about participation trophies, where he grumbled that in his youth you had to finish in first place to get one, went viral on social media, with critics pointing out that his own generation was the one handing them out.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Difficulty keeping up with his wife in conversation

    Observes how his wife speaks in a rapid, multi-minute stream-of-consciousness that he struggled to match during the pandemic

  2. Teaching older parents modern technology

    Poses a 'Would You Rather' about whether it is harder to teach his elderly mother how to text or teach a dog how to wipe its own rear

  3. Differences between men and women packing for trips

    Compares men taking ten seconds to pack carry-on bags versus women packing days in advance with multiple outfits

  4. Sexting today versus communicating intimately in the past

    Jokes that sending intimate pictures back in the day meant having to draw yourself in crayon and mail a letter, hoping it was not mistaken for a thumb

  5. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    Touring mishap during the Blue Collar Comedy Tour closer

    Shares a pre-pandemic road story about touring with Larry the Cable Guy and accidentally locking himself out buck naked in a hotel hallway

How it plays

Tone
Clean-cut, safe, witty, and nostalgic comfort food
On stage
Cranky neighbor ordering kids off his lawn and rewarding them with candy corn; clean-cut, family-friendly Southern comedian
About
aging, texting, technology, parenting, marriage, nostalgia and the good old days

What the critics said

Critics noted the special plays it safe with conventional, well-worn nostalgia and pandemic observations, offering pleasant chuckles rather than big belly laughs while largely sidestepping his signature redneck jokes

In the room: Audience engaged with audible roars and knowing reactions, especially during observations about marital differences in packing

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: startribune.com, atvtoday.co.uk, leisurebyte.com, decider.com, rottentomatoes.com, en.wikipedia.org, today.com.

Backstory

Reflections following pandemic lockdown, modern technological shifts, and aging

Details

Released
Taped
Pantages Theatre, Minneapolis
Runtime
60 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Ryan Polito
Topics
Before
Big Funny (2000)
After
The Joke's on Me (2026)

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