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From the Looks of This Trailer, “Better Things” Is Going to Make a Triumphant Return with Season 4

January 11, 2020
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better things, fx, pamela adlon, season 4, trailer

All things considered, Better Things is not only the vulnerable, gritty story of a single mom attempting to live her best life with a boatload of kids that has garnered plenty of acclaim over three seasons. The story of the series itself is also one of a gritty struggle with Adlon making the best series that she can from the get go, as both the lead and co-creator, then having to deal with the other co-creator, Louis C.K., and his #MeToo fallout while keeping the show at such a high level.

It really is a triumphant dramedy in so many different ways and season 4 certainly maintains that feeling despite presenting Pamela’s Sam with a whole new set of challenges with dating apps, dream cars, etc.

See for yourself in the Better Things Season 4 trailer here, then look for it it premiere on Mar. 5th on FX.

“Whitmer Thomas: The Golden One” Will Premiere as an HBO Special on Feb. 22nd

January 10, 2020
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comedy special, golden one, hbo, whitmer thomas
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Whitmer Thomas took lots of risks and pushed himself to make one of the more truly unique hours of comedy we’ve seen in recent years with The Golden One. At the time that we saw it at The Satellite, he weaved deeply personal stories and original, satirical dark pop songs with, at the time, anime visuals playing in the background. It was otherworldly, yet clearly grounded with the heart of Whitmer’s stories.

We can’t wait to see what he did with the backing of HBO, which really had a hell of a 2019 for going experimenting with the concept of comedy specials (My Favorite Shapes, The Great Depresh, Live in Crenshaw). Thankfully, we will only have to wait until Feb. 22nd.

‘Atlanta’ Season 3 Set for Jan. 2021, Then Season 4 Later That Fall

January 10, 2020
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atlanta, fx

‘Atlanta’ Season 3 Set for Jan. 2021, Then Season 4 Later That Fall

Though it will be quite the wait between season 2 and season 3 (s2 ended in May 2018 FYI), we have no doubt that Donald Glover is taking all the time he needs to dazzle and surprise us yet again with new episodes Atlanta the way we’ve been just over two seasons of mind and genre-bending dramedy. 

Announced at the TCA Press Tour, the latest batch of Atlanta will be dropping a year from now.

Also, the facts of seasons 3 and 4 will be referred to as “Parts 1 and 2″ and some production taking place out of the U.S. leads us to believe that Glover has more than a few things up his sleeve. 

When all is said and done, we won’t be surprised if Atlanta ends up being one of TV’s most ambitious and daring shows (that pulled it off) of all time.

January 10, 2020
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karen, late late show, reggie watts

Opportunities to see Reggie Watts and his handpicked Late Late Show band “Karen” jam out in between Reggie riffing wherever his wondrous imagination takes him don’t come around too often.

Honestly, even if it did, you shouldn’t waste an opportunity to see Watts and Karen bring the best vibes, oscillating between music and comedy, the whole night.

So, snag tickets now for $20 (they’re $25 day of) to see Reggie Watts and Karen at Teragram Ballroom near DTLA at the end of this month, Thurs. Jan. 30th at 9PM. 

Pedro Gonzalez Makes His American Late Night TV Debut on Colbert

January 9, 2020
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colbert, colombia, late night, pedro gonzalez, stand up

We gave one of 100 best of 2019 slots to one Pedro Gonzalez because he was so damn good at crafting jokes regardless of him learning English as a second language.

Well, here’s Pedro doing just that very thing yet again on last night’s Colbert, so precise with misdirection and timing. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.

Please enjoy the set here.

R.I.P. Buck Henry, 1930-2020

January 9, 2020
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buck henry

R.I.P. Buck Henry, 1930-2020

The career of Buck Henry is an extremely rare one. Penning the groundbreaking The Graduate, hosting SNL in the early days, co-creating Get Smart, and writing the hysterical Barbara Streisand vehicle, What’s Up Doc?, comprise such a rich and varied career of all sorts of comedy in all different sorts of formats. 

In that way, Henry was kind of ahead of his time, not pigeon-holing himself to any one sort of style, genre, or place. Thus, take a moment (or go watch any of his work) to pay homage to his memory as he passed away today. 

Brazilian Judge Orders Removal of Porta dos Fundos’ Gay Jesus Christmas Comedy Special “The First Temptation of Christ” Setting a Dangerous New Precedent for Free Speech

January 9, 2020
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first temptation of christ, free speech, porta dos fundos

Brazilian Judge Orders Removal of Porta dos Fundos’ Gay Jesus Christmas Comedy Special “The First Temptation of Christ” Setting a Dangerous New Precedent for Free Speech

Porta dos Fundos is a wildly popular Portugese language YouTube Channel that got a chance to make a very satirical Christmas special The First Temptation of Christ for Netflix where they depict Jesus having a secret gay boyfriend. From what clips we’ve seen, it seems to carry a light romantic comedy vibe to it, which makes the fundamentalist uproar just a little more shocking. 

Christian and catholic groups in Brazil were furious at this satire and demanded that the special be taken down and Porta dos Fundos’ headquarters even got bombed with a molotov cocktail on Christmas Eve (thankfully, no one was injured and a guard was present to extinguish the fire). All of this seems eerily similar to fundamentalist responses to satirical depictions of the prophet Muhammad that the world has seen over the score of years. 

A Brazilian judge ruled against Porta dos Fundos and ordered the special to be taken down for what he believes is the greater good or, more explicitly:

In his ruling, Abicair said the injunction “is beneficial not only to the Christian community, but to Brazilian society, which is mostly Christian.”

Well, the seeds of so much discord have just been planted here with this decision, not to mention the clear message that “you’re not allowed to upset the Christian faithful in Brazil lest you want to get your workplace torched,” being sent. 

We won’t be surprised if we see a slight uptick in Brazilian comedians trying to find their way to America in 2020.

January 9, 2020
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comedy show, food show, lindsay ames, los angeles, lyric hyperion, make that sandwich, silverlake

The endlessly creative and funny Lindsay Ames has been spending the better part of 2019 building the scrumptious web series Make That Sandwich where she makes some of the most delicious looking sandwiches that have ever been conceived.

To kick off 2020, Lindsay is not only doing some live sandwich making for a live edition of Make That Sandwich, but coupling it with live comedy by having comedians “help” her MAKE THAT SANDWICH. The line-up is pretty robust as you can see with Adam Conover from Adam Ruins Everything, Jade Catta-Preta, the new host of The Soup, the fantastic podcast Get Rick Nick, and wonderful comedian Jessimae Peluso.

Sounds pretty grand, no? For all of this, tickets are only $10 right now ($15 at door). Go snag some right now right here.

Please Enjoy Zach Woods Trying to Awkwardly Sell You on the Luxuries of a Space Cruise in Avenue 5 Promo

January 9, 2020
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armando iannucci, avenue 5, hbo, zach woods

Armando Iannucci has used Zach Woods briefly, but very sagaciously over the years in both In The Loop and VEEP. Woods really has a knack for playing the sort of beautifully inept characters that Iannucci has founded his entire brand on.

Iannucci’s new HBO series Avenue 5 will see Woods in a much more substantial role that will allow Woods to get more in over his head than he has been in his past collaborations with Armando. 

Just see how satisfying it is with Woods “attempting” to make a space cruise “sound” luxurious.

Avenue 5 will premiere next Sun. Jan. 19th on HBO.

“Supermarket Sweep” Revival with Leslie Jones Hosting Is Going to Series at ABC

January 9, 2020
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“Supermarket Sweep” Revival with Leslie Jones Hosting Is Going to Series at ABC

The sheer enthusiasm that Leslie Jones exudes about, well, anything that’s even remotely excited about is what really ought to be compelling with a Supermarket Sweep revival. There probably will be a camera on her at all times capturing her reactions to every second of action during the show. 

We’re imagining the same sort of energy that Leslie brought to commenting on the Olympics will be found here on this new Supermarket Sweep that will going up at ABC.

Also, as far as game show hosts go, we’re confident that Leslie might Steve Harvey a run for his money for amount of .gifs made of her from an episode of the show.

Please Enjoy Kate Willett’s Network TV Debut on Colbert

January 8, 2020
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colbert, kate willett, late night, late show with stephen colbert, stand up comedy

Kate Willett is another one of those cases where she is so damn funny and has been for such a long time and having plenty of specials and TV sets under her belt that we kind of can’t believe this set on last night’s Colbert was her first time on network television.

Yet, here we are. So, please enjoy another round of Kate’s smart, sex positive humor right here.

Mel Brooks Is Heading Up a Live Musical Adaptation of ‘Young Frankenstein’ at ABC

January 8, 2020
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mel brooks, young frankenstein

Mel Brooks Is Heading Up a Live Musical Adaptation of ‘Young Frankenstein’ at ABC

To be honest, we were kind of wary of this headline because network television’s new obsession over live televised stage musicals isn’t always a sure bet, in our opinion, and, also, we didn’t get a hint of Mel’s involvement in it.

Now that we know Mel Brooks is thoroughly involved with the process of bringing his comedy classic Young Frankenstein up to be a live musical, we’re actually excited to see how crazy and meta Brooks will get and what hijinks he’ll try to pull off, especially because it’s live.  

Details for this live Young Frankenstein musical telecast or any other details for that matter have yet to be announced (but we’ll let you know once we find out).

January 8, 2020
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comedy show, dynasty typewriter, los angeles, sam jay, stand up comedy

The fearsome and hysterical comedy stylings of Sam Jay are coming back to LA for one special night at Dynasty Typewriter. 

Jay currently writes at (and occasionally pops up on) SNL, but her stand-up is something to behold as it’s fiery as it is meticulously crafted. 

Tickets are $15 right now and $20 on the day of. Save a few bucks and snag tickets here.  

Watch Rob McElhenney Become an Ego Maniacal Game Designer in Trailer for “Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet”

January 8, 2020
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apple tv plus, mythic quest, raven's banquet, rob mcelhenney, trailer

It’s hard to not watch this trailer for Apple TV+’s new comedy Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet and think of It’s Always in Sunny Philadelphia (it gets posted as a credit) and imagine the episode title reading “Mac Ruins a Video Game Franchise”. 

What’ll be interesting to see here is how much of those It’s Always Sunny sensibilities stay intact for this series over at Apple TV+, who we’re sure are doling out big bucks to produce this show and snag the likes of McElhenney and company and are definitely a different beast than FX. 

Also, it should be noted that Aparna Nancherla gets to show off how great she plays an apathetic employee once more. Hopefully, that happens plenty during the whole show. 

Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet premieres on Apple TV+ on Feb. 7th.

Both JoJo Rabbit and Booksmart Score Writers Guild Awards Nominations

January 7, 2020
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Both JoJo Rabbit and Booksmart Score Writers Guild Awards Nominations

Thus far this award season, it appeared as though, yet again, comedy films weren’t going to get much of a nod (as is always sort of the case). 

JoJo Rabbit might be an exception to this notion for how much critical acclaim on all fronts that it has been getting, but Booksmart garnering a Writers Guild nomination is a very pleasant surprise. Booksmart should have been a bigger hit and we can only hope that it lives on to be enjoyed again and again over the years for how sincerely refreshing and satisfying and hopeful it was.

Truly, we love both films (they both made our 100 Best of 2019 list) and hope that they fare as well as they can against the likes of Parasite, Joker, Knives Out, and more.

January 7, 2020
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bri pruett, comedy show, david gborie, faded, los angeles, mike mulloy, sean jordan, stand up comedy, zak toscani

Faded, one of LA’s favorite indie stand-up shows, especially on Fridays, is back for 2020 with a whole new location. They started in the supply room of an art supplies story, then moved to a belly dancing studio, and now, are moving to their most “conventional” venue thus far, the speakeasy-ish The Lounge on Melrose (7551 Melrose Ave.). 

So, join Mike Mulloy, David Gborie, Sean Jordan, Bri Pruett, and Zak Toscani and their always stacked secret line-ups for a nice price of $5 in advance (limited quantities available) and their normal cost of $10.

The first Faded @ The Lounge on Melrose will be this Fri. Jan. 10th at 8PM (doors at 7:30PM). Go get tickets here.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Ramy Youssef Win for Comedy at 77th Golden Globe Awards

January 7, 2020
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golden globes, phoebe waller bridge, ramy youssef

Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Ramy Youssef Win for Comedy at 77th Golden Globe Awards

While the Hollywood Foreign Press Association still has a very foggy idea as to what should count as a comedy film (and still rope it in with musicals) for their Golden Globes Awards, we’re very glad to see that Phoebe Waller-Bridge scored Best Actress TV Series-Comedy and Best TV Series-Comedy for Fleabag and Ramy Youssef won Best Actor TV Series-Comedy for his eponymous dramedy Ramy.

While there won’t be a third season of Fleabag, it’s great that Phoebe Waller-Bridge is getting her just due now and also that Ramy is getting such acclaim on his first season.

FYI, here’s the full list of winners for the 77th Golden Globe Awards.

Please Listen to/Witness the Wild Story of Jamie Loftus’ My Year in Mensa

January 6, 2020
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jamie loftus, mini series, my year in mensa, podcast
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For what started off as a sort of stunt for a writing assignment, “a bit” if you will, the hysterical comedian/writer/animator/podcaster Jamie Loftus got herself into quite a quagmire by testing into the high IQ society known as Mensa. 

A year of her life was thrown into a tizzy as she became the subject of ridicule from certain factions within Mensa, only to meet up with some of them and get surprised even further. Jamie recounts all of what happens as well as some of the history of Mensa and IQ tests in general in this podcast mini-series, My Year in Mensa.

The four episodes is as captivating as it is funny and illuminating not only about Mensa, but the idea of identity and being inclusive/exclusive. Give My Year in Mensa a listen wherever you listen to podcasts.

Justin Roiland Sets Claymation Series “Gloop World” Following the Lives of Blobs at Quibi

January 6, 2020
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gloop world, justin roiland, quibi

Justin Roiland Sets Claymation Series “Gloop World” Following the Lives of Blobs at Quibi

If there’s anyone in the world to find a way to explore the emotions and complexities of two anthropomorphic blobs to the point where they can make a TV show about it, it would be Rick and Morty’s Justin Roiland.

Called Gloop World, Roiland will indeed delve into the lives of two blobs named Bob Roundy and Funzy. We only have this much info as to what Gloop World will entail, but this whole idea does make us think of that Terryfold song.

Also, count this as another very, very intriguing get for the still yet-to-be-launched Quibi. They only get more and more enticing every other week or so with a new, crazy acquisition to their slate. 

January 6, 2020
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Stamptown, one of the premier brands of international comedy, is back in LA once more to present the prestige acts at places like Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 

Whether they’re yanks or from across a pond (or a giant pond), it’s a mind-bending variety night of comedy that has some of the best boundary pushing comedians around (Natalie Palamides, BriTANick, Courtney Pauroso, and, of course, hosts Zach [Zucker] & Viggo [Venn]).

Tickets are only $15 for Stamptown Comedy later this month on Fri. Jan. 17th. Go get ‘em before they sell out here.

The 100(s of) Best Things in Comedy We Were Witness To in the 2010s in No Particular Order

January 3, 2020
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100 best, 2010s comedy, best 2010s comedy, best of 2010s

Full transparency here: this is just a list of all of our 100 best lists from 2011-2019 as a both a way to make some easy content AND ALSO give you look into the wildly vibrant and ever-changing tapestry that comedy in LA and elsewhere was for the last 10 years. We (and by “we”, we mean just one person) watch all of this (and so much more) comedy to make these lists and we hope you enjoy revisiting them as much as we do.

Looking through all of this does make us ponder the endless possibilities of what comedy will become in and throughout the 2020s.

So, here are the 100 Best Things in Comedy We Were Witness to in No Particular Order of:

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

January 3, 2020
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drag his ass, dynasty typewriter, los angeles, mary beth barone, panel show, talk show

Mary Beth Barone’s daring PSA/talk show Drag His Ass: a f*ckboy treatment program about f*ckboys and how to get off of them (both literally and figuratively) was one of our favorite things that we saw in 2019.

So, naturally, we’re going to tell you to go to the latest edition of Drag His Ass, which is perfectly right before Valentine’s Day. Get tickets here.

Southland Comedy Festival Will Be LA’s First Big Time Comedy Festival in Awhile

January 3, 2020
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comedy festival, los angeles, southland comedy festival, stand up comedy

It’s truly hard to put on a festival in LA proper as there’s so much comedy that happens every night of the week that’s worth checking out. As such, Los Angeles only has a big festival every now and again.

Thankfully, the Southland Comedy Festival is kind of leaning into the wealth of talent in the LA comedy scene by not only having SCF shows at many of the major clubs around town, but also some of our favorite indie spots as well (including The Blind Barber, The Comedy Bunker, and Bar Lubitsch). There will be plenty of great shows, and, if you can manage it, you can capture a good cross-section of what stand-up comedy is like in LA. 

Here’s a small promo for the festival that slickly shows you what they’re up to.

This inaugural edition of The Southland Comedy Festival is happening across several venues in LA from Tues. Jan. 7th-Sat. Jan. 11th. and passes are going for just $49-$59. If you’re digging this, get more details, passes, etc. here.

January 2, 2020
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andy peters, comedy show, hari kondabolu, los angeles, mo welch, naomi ekperigin, sabrina jalees, stand up comedy, the cooties

OK, enough of this holidays non-sense. Let’s get back into the swing of things (your regularly scheduled great live comedy all around LA that is).

The first Hot Tub with Kurt and Kristen @ The Virgil (you know, one of the best shows in LA) of 2020 is this Mon. Jan. 6th and, per usual, they have a stellar/stacked line-up (Hari Kondabolu’s in town and The Cooties are making the rounds for this edition) and, per usual, it’s at 8PM sharp and, again, per usual, it’s $5 right now and $8 cash at the door.

Go get your tickets (and show up at or before 7PM if you want a seat) here.

The 100 Best Things in Comedy We Were Witness to In No Particular Order of 2019

January 2, 2020
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100 best, 2019 comedy, best comedy specials, best improv, best of 2019, best sketch, best stand up, top 100

OK, 2019′s officially over and we’ve wrangled our 100 truly favorite things in and around comedy (and it really spans all of comedy) that are not ranked whatsoever. It’s just like the title says and, it’s, as it is every year, quite long, so we won’t waste any more time with this intro. 

Oh, in case you forgot and/or curious and/or need a quick refresher, here’s our 2018 list. 

1. Rory Scovel Live Without Fear-This documentary follows Rory Scovel and his journey through six nights of completely improvised hour sets. In a single word, it’s inspiring. You see the way Scovel truly connects the audience and keeps it that way through his indelible charm and endless curiosity. The near unbelievable story of the Relapse Theater in Atlanta is also beautifully threaded in the doc as well. The clips of the improvised performances capture the magic that stand-up comedy can be that’s absent from the majority of comedy specials. You should be required to see this whenever and wherever it comes if you have any level of interest in comedy at all. 

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2. Naomi Ekperigin-From her own stand-up, to her podcast with husband Andy Beckerman, Couples Therapy, and her writing across TV, and everything else she does, Naomi is such an thoroughly commanding, yet delightful presence that we love seeing every time anywhere (and she should already be way bigger of a star already).

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3. Cait Raft’s Presentation on “Bradley Cooper’s a Star Is Born Takes Place in an Alternate Reality Where 9/11 Never Happened”-Witnessing the imagination of Cait Raft up close was a privilege for us. This amazing dissection of the zeitgeist left us in stitches and with our mouth agape for how thoroughly it proved its point.

4. Corporate Season 2-The second season of the ultra dark workplace comedy delivered once again on its hysterical nihilistic satire that’s so prescient, yet still so unbelievably funny.

5. Mom-Prov Presents Family Therapy-Improviser Izzy Roland was daring enough to have her mom and her grandmother, both of whom are also in showbiz, to join her on stage for one of the most madcap, fourth wall-breaking, entertaining improv shows we’ve seen all throughout 2019.

6. Jena Friedman-So, this year, Jena delivered yet again with her subtle delivery and calm demeanor that hides her absolutely killer jokes. The follow-up to her Adult Swim special, Soft Focus, upped the ante with an interview of a gun-toting John McAffee and her brilliant Conan set about everyone’s true crime obsession.

7. Brendon Walsh’s Afternoon Delight-This last year, Brendon Walsh let everyone know that he was and still is one of the best at pulling prank calls, which is so much harder now than it was even ten years ago. This live show actually has Brendon place live prank calls in between stand-ups and the ride you go on is absolutely thrilling.

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8. Jacqueline Novak’s Get on Your Knees-Novak’s solo show has more than earned its spot as an Off-Broadway show with bringing such an exquisite, almost never before seen comedic sensibility to the topic of blow jobs.

9. #F*ckF*ckJerry-Props to Vulture Senior Editor Megh Wright for sparking the fire to take out the egregious social media accounts of F*ck Jerry that just lifted jokes from comedians all across the Internet without pay or attribution.

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10. Lorelei Ramirez-We’ve known distantly about Lorelei Ramirez for so many years, but seeing them up close was a breathtaking experience that had us laughing so hard. Their artistry in comedy that gracefully borders on performance art and even horror is absolutely inspiring.

11. Aaron Urist-Denver’s Aaron Urist is such a killer joke writer and joke teller and has been for years. We just were reminded about that with his burning bush joke during his latest LA trip.

12. Booksmart-Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut was not only a reinvigorated take on movies that specifically hone in on the end of high school, but also had a sincerely hopeful vision of the future generation. We hope that Booksmart finds its way to the top of the coming-of-age comedy films pantheon.

13. Rachel Mac on Lights Out-One of the highlights of Lights Out with David Spade is how unfiltered and raunchy they let comics get during their sets on the show. Rachel Mac took that amount of comedic license and thrived in getting into the nitty gritty about her last teaching job.

14. What We Do In The Shadows-The FX TV adaptation of the seminal Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement film in 2014 exceedingly succeeds in nailing the comedy of minutia in the world of the undead that also happens to be in a (somewhat) grounded reality.

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15. PEN15-Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle’s vision of 2000 and their performances as teens were so spot on that PEN15 would deserve acclaim just for that. However, the heart of this show made its humor stand out in an ever crowded field of coming-of-age comedy.

16. Tiffany Haddish’s Black Mitzvah-A lot has happened for Tiffany Haddish since her last special (she’s a legit A-list celebrity now), but it’s clear that she is still her unapologetically positively, life loving self. This special is evidence of that, especially with her bit about her New Year’s show that she got undeserved flack for.

17. Straw Men-Lindsay Adams, Danny Palumbo, and Sam Wiles (and producer Kimmie Lucas) put on what is our favorite imagining of a comedic debate that we’ve seen thus far. The encouragement to make the most ridiculous, baseless arguments and being transparent about the whole thing is a golden goose of comedy.

18. The ending of Gloria Bell-Well, we can’t very well give away the ending to this English language dramedy remake from Sebastián Lelio that has Julianne Moore shine as bright as she has ever shone before, but just know that we stood out of our seats, applauding what she did to John Turturro right at the end.

19. I Think You Should Leave-Tim Robinson’s unflinchingly absurd sketch series unequivocally has many of the best sketches of 2019. The hot dog costume and Mexican restaurant sketches will have us busting up through, very likely, the next decade.

20. Les Miz and Friends-Bonkers (and we mean that in the best way possible) doesn’t begin to describe how wild this meta and great this puppet and human hybrid take on the theater institution of Les Miserables. The sheer cleverness on every level is awe-inspiring. 

21. Dave Ross’ The Only Man Who Has Ever Had Sex-Ross has been a longtime favorite of ours for the contrasting bounciness and darkness of his comedy. His debut album captures this dichotomy perfectly.

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22. Nikki Glaser: Bangin’-Nikki Glaser’s first Netflix hour special started off with a bang, pun intended. Her frank, but heartfelt exploration of all facets of sex is so damn funny that Glaser gets away with being as blue as she wants.  

23. Super Dating Simulator-This live, interactive version of various Japanese video game dating simulators is one of the more innovative and surprisingly charming things we saw this year. Creator Sam Weller did a bang-up job not only making a video game work as a stage show, but doing so with a very off-beat sub-genre of video games

24. Emmy Blotnick’s Party Nights-Blotnick’s latest album shows Emmy at the peak of her delightful observational powers. The concept of a “Self-Potato” is just priceless.

25. Tammercise!-Folks in comedy are getting all sorts of clever these days to redefine traditional formats and disciplines and push the art form forward. Madeline Wager does this exquisitely with a solo show of a woman unraveling that doubles as legit aerobics class.

26. The Cherry Orchard w/Chad Damiani and Jet Eveleth-Damiani and Eveleth explore a new angle on postmodern clowning by supposedly doing a Chekov play going through dress rehearsal without any of the players knowing what they’re supposed to do. The back and forth between the live direction and the tomfoolery on stage is truly hysterical.

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27. Bake Stuff with Lindsay LIVE-It’s about time for a comedic cooking show that actually does teach you a wonderful recipe and also explores and resolves(?) childhood trauma. Lindsay Adams’ Bake Stuff with Lindsay, which we indeed saw live, accomplishes all of that and inspires all those watching to cook through their feelings.

28. Shalewa Sharpe’s So, You Just Out Here?-Shalewa imbues homespun wisdom with marvelously colorful descriptions all throughout this very satisfying album.

29. The Amazing Johnathan Documentary from Ben Berman-The Amazing Johnathan’s life story is pretty captivating as is. The story about Ben Berman trying to tell his story amidst several other people trying to tell his story is absolutely engrossing and is somehow all true.

30. Julio Torres’ HBO special “My Favorite Shapes”-Torres’ special is simultaneously one of the most daring and silly hour specials in recent memory and his elevation of prop comedy to a whole new level is to be commended.

31. The Underculture with James Adomian–James Adomian has been one of comedy podcasts’ most in-demand and bright shining stars. It comes as no surprise that his own podcast that revs up all his characters has some of the best, most dynamic, absurdist interviews in political and pop culture satire. 

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32. Daniel Van Kirk’s Thanks Diane/Together Tour-Van Kirk’s first, complete hour that he both toured with and released as an album is so impressive with how deftly Dan manages a balance of sincerity and mischief from wire-to-wire.

33. Conan in Greenland-Conan marvelously turns his travel specials series Conan Without Borders on its head by attempting to buy Greenland based off of Trump’s stupid tweets.

34. Mary Beth Barone’s Drag His Ass: A F*ckboy Treatment Program–Mary Beth Barone’s live show exploration into her dating life is illuminating and hilarious throughout, but the actual interview that she does live with a “f*ckboy” is transcendent.

35. Obvious Plant’s Carnival of Toys-Jeff Wysaski AKA Obvious Plant really outdid himself this year in his quest to permeate everyday reality with a satirical twist. He not only made a whole line of custom toy figures that satirize pop culture on so many levels, but opened up a whole pop-up museum for several days to exhibit them in all of their bizarre glory.

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36. Sports Without Equipment with Coach Keith Alejo-This Dress Up Gang sketch is one of those ideas that are simple, yet so out-of-left-field. Literally, they take sports without equipment to its funniest conclusion.

37. #Squatmelt–Howard Kremer’s desire to keep the spirit of The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail alive has evolved into its own very special thing in the form of a DIY stand-up comedy show/walking tour that periodically migrates around LA.

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38. Catch-22-Trying to adapt such a monumental literary work like Catch-22 is almost a fool’s errand, but writers Luke Davies and David Michôd do a smash-up job for not only bringing Heller’s immortal words to life, but also sticking the landing for all the darkly absurdly comical moments that run rampant throughout the story.

39. Get Rich Nick-Even if they didn’t have the fantastic banter, riffs, and asides from the very funny duo of Nick Turner and Nick Vatterott, this podcast that explores how to make money real quick is one of the best new podcasts of the whole year. Fortunately, Nick and Nick’s humor runs rampant through every episode and makes Get Rich Nick engrossing and makes you actually laugh out loud.

40. MK Paulsen-The comedy of MK Paulsen can be faster than a bullet, but as satisfyingly silly as a gun that shoots a flag with the word ‘bang’ on it. Every time we see him do stand-up, it’s a fun, rollicking ride that’s equal parts offbeat whimsy, clever wordplay, and an agile sense of timing and play.

41. Father Figurine by Matt Kazman-The dour faces of the family in this dark comedy short play to the highest comedic effect perfectly. A dead patriarch and an apathetic family make for some of the best dry humor in 2019.

42. Funk Shuffle-Danny Cymbal, Dennis Curlett, and Michael Gardner comprise Funk Shuffle, an improv group that manages fly freer and more untethered than almost any other improv group that we’ve ever seen. They make their defiance and experimentation with improv forms really work due to the trio’s unflinchingly playful spirit.

43. Gary Gulman’s The Great Depresh-Gulman, as one of comedy’s premier craftsman, of course, delivers an hour of stellar comedy with this special. He also manages, this time around, to destigmatize depression and, in general, be hopeful. That particular comedy trifecta is such an impressive feat that very few can accomplish.

44. Greener Grass-The scope and ambition of Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe’s directorial debut hints at some really special things to come from them in the future. Their absolutely demented, pastel drenched absurdist vision was a shocking delight through and through.

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45. Jenny Slate’s Stage Fright-Slate’s best comedic strength is her unshakeable vulnerability. This hour special lets Jenny present that trait as intimately as she has ever presented it and gives an in-depth look as to where that hilarious vulnerability comes from. 

46. Heather Anne Campbell swatting a baby out of someone’s hands in an improv scene-At this point, it should come as no surprise that Heather Anne Campbell is one of our absolute all-time favorite people in comedy and thus, she kind of just ends up making it on this list annually on her own someway, somehow. This year, during a performance of her improv group, Heather and Company, we laughed as hard as we’ve ever laughed at Drew DiFonzo Marks initiating a scene by rocking a baby back and forth and then, Heather insanely swatted it out of his hands and stomped on it. It sounds ludicrous, but trust that Heather made that so unbelievably funny. 

47. Adam Cayton-Holland’s Happy Place-Cayton-Holland’s live solo show based on his critically acclaimed book of the same name pulls off oscillating between cleverly wrought and self-aware comedy and some of the most heartbreaking stories you’ll ever hear about his late sister. Holland’s focus and calm make it all miraculously blend together.

48. The Authorized Unauthorized My Favorite Murder Musical-In the world of unauthorized musicals about things that you wouldn’t really think about being adapted into unauthorized musicals (it’s a bigger ever-burgeoning world every month it seems), the staged reading of this My Favorite Murder-inspired musical that we saw was phenomenal. The full stage production to come in 2020 will undoubtedly be something really great. 

49. Pedro Gonzalez-Pedro’s jokes are so expertly written and crafted that you forget that he immigrated to America as a teenager from Colombia and learned English as a second language.

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50. Garry Starr Performs Everything-UK comedian Garry Starr’s solo show is a genius send-up and celebration of theater as a whole. The physicality and the sheer madness of the whole show are so thoroughly hysterical.

51. Kira Soltanovich-We just want to take a moment to appreciate the agility of the comedy of Kira Soltanovich. Not only does Kira play any room or any show as far as we’ve seen, but her drive is just unstoppable (see ep. of The Honey Dew).

52. Mike Birbiglia’s The New One-Though it seems almost too routine that Birbiglia comes out with a new hour special that garners tons of acclaim for its ornate and complex and, ultimately, very satisfying tapestry of stories, Birbiglia delivers exactly once again with one such solo show/special on fatherhood.

53. Michelle Buteau-We saw Michelle headline just a few months ago at Dynasty Typewriter and were reminded of just how good Buteau is. She combines being heartfelt, having a fun bit of attitude, and an absolute command of the stage in such a beautiful way.

54. Gareth Reynolds’ Riddled with Disease-Many folks know how great Gareth is from his madcap riffing on The Dollop, but Reynolds shows he is fantastic with a sharp, hilarious, yet still fast-and-loose-feeling hour.

55. Sara Schaefer’s LIVE LAUGH LOVE-Sara, above most folks working in comedy today, goes to great lengths to be considerate, inclusive, and vulnerable in her comedy and it’s so, so wonderful because of that. This album is yet another great example of that mix.

56. Sean Patton’s Scuttlebutt-Sean Patton’s latest album is a fantastic note to any and all that Sean is, hands down, one of the best comedians ever to spin a yarn (and also share some damn fine true stories) and deserves way more accolade and attention for that now and going forward. 

57. Matt Rogers’ Have You Heard of Christmas?-Rogers had quite a 2019 in putting culture on notice, but his queer and subversive holiday musical extravaganza might be one of the best pieces of holiday themed comedy of all time.

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58. The Chris Gethard Show with Robby Hoffman-Not only does Robby Hoffman keep the punk rock, conventions-be-damned spirit of TCGS alive, but she makes it so much her own and lets her hilarious, domineering persona transform the show into another very special, unique round of controlled chaos.

59. The taping of Eddie Pepitone’s latest special-Eddie’s sound and fury and his irreverent stream-of-consciousness-seeming comedy were flawless in this latest hour. Everyone in attendance, including ourselves, were in stitches for the whole taping. Props to director Steven Feinartz for one of our favorite looks of a special that we saw last year (which you’ll all get to see soon in 2020).

60. Eric Dadourian’s closer on Nebraska 2-Dadourian is always all in for the sake of a real bold, imaginative bit and, as such, pulled off one of our favorite closers of the year on his very first full length album.

61. Jessica Kirson: Talking to Myself-Kirson’s hour special on Comedy Central really let Jessica cut loose and let her showcase her stand-up expertise. From the way that Kirson contorts her face to her deep well of voices/characters to razor-sharp quick wit to, of course, her signature asides to herself, Jessica really kills it in this hour. 

62. Brody Stevens-Long live the “jock doing performance art” comedy (one of our favorite descriptions of Brody’s comedy by his dear friend Zach Galifianakis) and may he rest in peace. Yeeeees! Enjoy It!

63. Byron Bowers on Colbert–Byron Bowers and his clever, yet sincere, dark, vulnerable comedy put up one of our favorite late night sets this year. From the opening to his frank jokes about his dad make us think that it’s just a little crazy that this is his network TV debut.

64. Desus and Mero on Showtime-With the upgrade of being on Showtime, Desus Nice and The Kid Mero are having the most fun in late night with the freshest voices and format (and they’re able to pull that off with only being twice a week).

65. Fleabag Season 2-creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge assuredly has more masterpieces ahead of her, but managing to top herself from one masterpiece season of dark romantic dramedy with another one is something that deserves all the accolades and awards that it has gotten.

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66. Kenny DeForest on Corden-Kenny dismantles toxic masculinity so incisively through the whole set that he most certainly earns all the applause breaks he gets the whole way through.

67. Josh Gondelman’s Dancing on a Weeknight-Gondelman is often thought of as one of the best, sweetest people in comedy. This latest album, for all of its being clever and genuine, is proof that he indeed really is that sweet and funny.

68. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 3-The perennial prestige comedy from Amy Sherman-Palladino earns its keep by having some of the best writing (it’s almost impossible to write jokes that are contextualized for the 50s/60s and make them actually funny for 2019 audiences) and also being one of the most gorgeous looking shows in all of television.

69. Nick Ciarelli and Brad Evans-Whether it be pulling pranks on Twitter, their plethora of hysterical sketches doing an impression of Jack FM on shows around town, or their monthly live sketch character showcase Atlantic City, Nick and Brad are a damn fine comedy duo and have been for quite some time. 

70. Caitlin Gill’s Major-It’s quite the magic trick to make an hour of comedy that’s entirely clean and have it being clean not be a thought that you’re thinking about at all when listening or watching it. Caitlin Gill spectacularly does just that with this album as Gill can make all of her earnest rants, imagery, and observations work in any way that she needs to.  

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71. 97.9 The Rat Race–Ben Roy’s satirical reimagining of a morning radio “zoo crew” is so spot on, then gets real twisted to make this one of the most surprising and rewarding podcasts of 2019.

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72. Mike Lane’s Picture Frames-This short film from Lane heightens the idea of remembering those you love after they’ve left this mortal coil to such a ridiculous level every step of the way (and is more and more enjoyably unpredictable the further it goes).

73. Paige Weldon on Corden-Paige’s upbeat self-deprecation is just hard to resist and it makes the best impression in this late night set on The Late Late Show with James Corden.

74. The Righteous Gemstones-Danny McBride’s latest HBO series that darkly and comically dissects the South might be his most ambitious yet, but, of course, he nails it. The constant suspense perpetuated by hysterically tragic characters in the world of televangelists is profound.

75. My Friend Chuck-Comedic erotica author Chuck Tingle (one of the absolutely most unique voices and cadences we’ve heard in awhile) and friend McKenzie Goodwin celebrate their friendship every week for a podcast that’s preposterously funny and, also, more heartwarming than almost anything we’ve heard or seen. 

76. Joey Clift’s Telling People You’re Native American When You’re Not Native Is a Lot Like Telling a Bear You’re a Bear When You’re Not a Bear-Clift makes such biting, pun intended, commentary with this short film/PSA that is also so playful that the message about Native identity will undoubtedly stick with you.

77. Megan Gailey’s My Dad Paid For This-Gailey strikes a wonderful balance of charm and attitude and fervent desire to burn down the patriarchy. Such a mix accents her very delightful observations about herself and the world around her in this marvelous debut album. 

78. Robin Higgins as Baby Yoda at Tournament of Nerds-Higgins might have made one of the best, first attempts at Baby Yoda cosplay. She also, for what’s supposed to be a roast-style competition between fictional/pop culture characters, perfectly imagined how Baby Yoda would roast someone while maintaining Baby Yoda’s sweetness that has captured the hearts and minds of the Internet.

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79. The Man Who Killed Don Quixote-Terry Gilliam went through hell, did a few laps, and came back over several years to get this meta-quixotic tale about reimagining the legendary novel Don Quixote made. The finished film, for us, was worth the wait. 

80. Jo Firestone on The Tonight Show-Jo’s sense of play is so pure and present that it’s kind of irresistible. Combined with a perfect amount of self-deprecation, Jo really delivered a terrific set we’ll probably never get tired of.

81. Paul Rudd continues his time honored tradition of playing that one clip of Mac & Me on Conan-Rudd evolves the arc of this long running bit on Conan where, instead of playing a clip of what he’s on Conan to promote, he plays the same exact clip of the universally panned alien comedy Mac & Me. We all know what’s coming and yet, without the benefit of surprise, Rudd’s annoyance of Conan still keeps on being so damn funny.

82. Billy on the Street featuring Reese and Mariah-This year, we were lucky enough to get two instantly classic episodes of Billy on the Street with Reese Witherspoon and Mariah Carey that gave us our fix for our obsession with Billy Eichner yelling at strangers on the streets of NYC.

83. The Dollop England & UK-As Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds embarked on an entire England & UK tour of The Dollop, they thought it prudent to do a mini-series specific to Great Britain and did a smashing job making fun of British history. The Cyril the Swan episode is particularly brilliant.

84. Lost Moon Radio-The live musical sketch comedy theater troupe (Lost Moon Radio truly lives up to such a description) marked their 10th anniversary and put on an absolutely fantastic “Summer Block Party” this year that both showed that they still got their ingenious musical sketch comedy chops. 

85. Nate Bargatze’s The Tennessee Kid-The calm with which Bargatze pervades all of his comedy is part of what makes it beloved by nearly any and all that see or hear Bargatze’s stand-up. That’s such the case now that Nate gives updates to stories from previous specials on this latest hour. 

86. Beth Stelling on Kimmel-Every detail of this set on Jimmy Kimmel Live is pretty stellar. That includes Beth, in general, for her warm demeanor, smile, and cleverness, the Chippendale’s story, Beth’s mom being there in the crowd, and, of course, the surprise guest at the end. 

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87. Liz Climo’s Please Don’t Eat Me-This illustrated book is just the latest in a long line of uber-adorable and genuinely-funny-for-all-ages books from Climo. Liz seems to have quite the knack for making unlikely animal friendship jokes. 

88. John Hodgman’s Medallion Status-Hodgman’s journey through the various statuses of airline privilege/celebrity is a superb serving of existential humor, done up with Hodgman’s painstaking attention to the exactly right details. 

89. Jane Curtin’s 2019 New Year’s Resolution “My New Year’s Resolution Is To Make Sure The Republican Party Dies”-Said during a CNN interview with the SNL alum, this was the first thing to make us heartily laugh in 2019.

90. Alex Kavutskiy’s Squirrel-Kavutskiy’s short film dives into the concept of forgiveness unlike we’ve really seen and, as is Kavutskiy’s style, is so darkly spellbinding and so pointedly funny at the same time.

91. Astronomy Club: The Sketch Show-The long running comedy troupe known as Astronomy Club really ran with their chance to do a full-fledged sketch series on Netflix. They’re so endlessly clever on in their sketches, especially when it comes to the subjects of identity and oppression, and pack in so many jokes and sight gags that you’ll definitely want to watch it more than once so you don’t miss anything.

92. Dolemite Is My Name-Eddie Murphy seems poised to make a real return to comedy (and stand-up comedy in particular) and this marvelous biopic of comedian and blaxploitation star Rudy Ray Moore AKA Dolemite is the perfect way to start.

93. Anna Drezen on Corden-Drezen has such a perfect sense of farce and misdirection and puts on a beautiful display of those two things from start to finish in this set on The Late Late Show with James Corden. 

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94. BUTT’s Yoda themed dating app sketch-This sketch is so prescient of the resurgence of the world’s current (baby) Yoda obsession. Also, while this is so absurd with its deep dive into various Yoda fan art and cosplay, Joe McAdam and Chris Stephens’ take on dating apps is so sharply and deeply funny. 

95. Mel Brooks Unwrapped-The never ending bit of attempting a documentary between Mel Brooks and the BBC’s Alan Yentob is yet another display of the true, unquestionable genius of Mel Brooks.

96. 50 First Stephs-The amazing, hysterical Steph Tolev kicked off 2019 with a show where 50 or so of her compatriots and contemporaries did various impressions and characterizations of her. Part roast, part loving tribute, part amazing showcase of the depth of creativity in LA comedy, Tolev’s night for herself was something really special.

97. The Bongo Hour with Sandy Honig and Peter Smith–Honig and Smith brought their wild variety show that featured such wonderful bits, characters, drag, and burlesque to LA and showed, truly, how much better life is when you’re fluid about nearly everything.

98. How Did This Get Played?-Hosts Nick Wiger and Heather Anne Campbell and their take on the “worst and weirdest” video games do their namesake, the beloved How Did This Get Made?, proud. Even if you’re not a gamer, the way they dissect the most bizarre video games ever made along with Heather and Nick’s chemistry is very, very enjoyable.

99. Joe Pera Talks With You Season 2-This second season of Joe Pera’s unique talk-to-the-viewer series is so calming that the comedic twists sneak up in the most delightful way possible. There is a certain beauty to Pera’s show that makes us want to have Joe Pera Talks With You playing on a loop in a contemporary art museum.

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100. John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch-John Mulaney does “it”, yet again. “It” being releasing another hour of comedic brilliance that’s so markedly different than whatever he did before, yet, somehow still stamped with an indelible mark of Mulaney’s comedy of obtuse hyper-specificity. 

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