langston kerman – The Comedy Bureau

TCB Debriefing 8/11-9/21/24: Emmys, Langston Kerman, James Adomian, Tim Robinson, Tommy Dassalo, and more!

September 21, 2024

armando iannucci, ben stiller, chair company, conner o'malley, emmys, golden globes, james adomian, jfl, langston kerman, mickey 17, nikki glaser, pack theater, tim robinson, wgis, will and harper, will ferrell

*apologies for taking so long to getting to posting these. running a theater and a bureau is almost humanly impossible

1. Even though an actual comedy, Hacks, won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series at this year’s Emmys, The Bear still won plenty of categories this time around, enough to make the case for getting rid of genre in the Emmys or whatever the hell we have to do to make What We Do in the Shadows get another goddamn Emmy.

2. Good news for all the I Think You Should Leave faithful: HBO has made the very wise decision to greenlight Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin’s series The Chair Company. While the premise of a man stumbling into a conspiracy at the company he works at after an embarrassing incident is vague, Robinson and Kanin might be the very best in capturing how absurd corporate culture has become that it makes the collective unconscious want to scream about the tiniest minutia.

3. Simply put, Langston Kerman has the most flowery ways (given his background in poetry) to exquisitely paint some of the darkest jokes we’ve heard in recent memory and, as such, his new hour special, Bad Poetry, is a luminous, yet dark, enthralling gem of stand-up comedy (and one of the very best specials of 2024). Please enjoy Bad Poetry, now streaming on Netflix.

4. James Adomian is such a comedic force of nature and has been for years and years, on stage, screen, and podcast, in costume and out, it’s criminal that Path of Most Resistance is only his very first hour special (amongst many other things). Adomian, of course, delivers on the goods in this new hour; the goods being his signature masterfully impressions (often sounding like a dead ringer for whomever James is impersonating) that are infused with his whipsmart, sharply drawn observations on even the most niche facets of culture and politics (making a bit on nature doc legend, David Attenborough, hilariously accessible). We would be hard pressed to say that even a good percentage of comedians leave it all out on the stage for an hour special, but the progression of sweat through Adomian’s shirts throughout the special should prove that he gave you his all and getting “all” from Adomian is something to be truly cherished.

Please enjoy Path of Most Resistance, now streaming on YouTube here.

5. Beloved indie comedy outfits, The Pack Theater and World’s Greatest Improv School AKA WGIS, are being reborn, yet again, right next to The Clubhouse in LA. They’ve got a GoFundMe going to pay for their basic needs in remodeling and having important things like, you know, A/C. Please donate/support/share here. When set, Los Feliz might have the greatest concentration of comedy in LA, specifically the 1600 N. block of Vermont Ave.

6. It’s not like Will Ferrell hasn’t been in funny tearjerkers before (Elf if you’re thinking too hard), but the doc, Will & Harper, in which he goes on a road trip with one of his closest friends, a former SNL head writer, looks to be on a whole other level. Peep a look at all the emotional strings it will pull in the trailer here, then look for it on Netflix next week on Sept. 27th.

7. Ben Stiller has taken a bit of a shine, as of late, to being in the producer’s chair with his hands in everything from Severance to and In the Dark. That said, don’t count him out as top-billed marquee talent as TIFF hit, Nutcrackers, got snatched up by Hulu in a sizzling 8 figure deal. It’s a classic-ish fish-out-of-water comedy set in the world of ballet, but done so out in the sticks. Fingers crossed that they don’t put all the best bits in the trailer.

8. Boon Joon-ho might have landed on his most “fun” movie yet. Quotation marks necessitated as this dark comedy follows a not so distant future where people can volunteer for scientific study that has them die and get reprinted (rather than reborn) with their consciousness intact. Robert Pattinson might be on to a performance here that might outdo him playing Batman, truly (and don’t forget a stellar supporting cast of Toni Collette, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, and Mark Ruffalo). Take a look at the wicked dystopian mischief of Mickey 17 with the trailer here, then look for it in theaters on Jan. 31st.

9. Armando Iannucci, one of the sharpest voices and mind we have in comedy in this Golden Age of TV, is putting his sights on comic book movies or, rather, the insanity that goes into making them with his latest HBO series, The Franchise. Get a taste of what’s to come here, which looks promising as it’s the satire of In the Loop and Veep, but in an MCU movie.

10. Nikki Glaser is set to host the next Golden Globes and will likely make up for many of the missteps that Golden Globes have made in the recent past. Also, don’t be surprised if Glaser, with what should be an arsenal of gleaming roast jokes, will outshine Ricky Gervais’ past heralded Golden Globes hosting performances.

11. All late night guests, please take notes from Conner O’Malley on Seth Meyers and please make your interviews more entertaining/worth watching.

12. Just For Laughs isn’t dead. Following a bankruptcy scare, they have set dates for their return that will not include the heralded Montreal festival, but one in Sydney later this Fall. New owners ComediHa! have a tall order ahead of them if they’re aiming to bring back JFL to the prominence that it had about 15 years ago.

13. For all that’s bandied about whether comedy specials are really that “special”, Aussie comedian Tommy Dassalo really went for something wildly different (and subsequently very special) with his new hour show Scam Artist. The giant screen filled with his very own animation that’s sequenced in with his material on top of a carefully woven about the infectiousness of being scammed to only turn around and getting into scamming yourself is a beautiful mash-up of pastel playfulness, subversive bite, and unfettered honesty. Dassalo’s raising the bar on specials (without cutting away to doc footage or a sketch) and doing so while telling a wickedly funny story about fooling people into thinking he’s part of the seminal electronica band, Hot Chip. Please enjoy Scam Artist here.

14. Only Murders in the Building keeps marching on as one of the pinnacles of comedy intersecting America’s obsession with true crime as season 4 has already set off and very little time passed before getting a season 5 renewal order.

15. The latest comedic offering about time travel, specifically time loops, is here with Omni Loop, now in limited release and on demand. This Bernardo Britto feature boasts a cast of Mary Louise Parker and Ayo Edebiri (and the fun device of a black hole growing inside one’s chest cavity). See for yourself with Omni Loop’s trailer here, which suggests something way better than the overrated Palm Springs.

16. Secret line-up, live comedy pop-up juggernaut, Don’t Tell Comedy, has struck a first look deal with TheYearOfElan to produce unscripted content, a far cry from just doing pop up shows in backyards.

17. Raphael Bob-Waksberg, the creator of BoJack Horseman, finally has another animated series lined up, Long Story Short. It’s a comedy that follows the dynamics of a family over time, which, if you know BoJack Horseman, ought to go some pretty radical places. Look for its premiere in 2025 on Netflix.

18. The dark mind that brought us Oldboy and Decision to Leave is finally getting into a comedy. That’s right, Korean auteur Park Chan-wook is making a comedy, I Can’t Help It, adapting the American novel The Ax by Donald Westlake. Considering it follows a man who gets violently desperate after being laid off by a paper company, this very well might be what Chan-wook would do with an episode of The Office.

19. Inside Out 2 is the first animated movie to gross over a billion dollars overseas. That’s pretty much a guarantee that you’ll see Inside Out 3, 4, and probably 5 (and you’ve got to wonder if they’ll get as existential as the Toy Story franchise).

20. See what often lies on the other side of film school with the trailer for Morgan Evans’ Micro Budget, filled with a cavalcade of comedy stars including Bobby Moynihan, Chris Parnell, Maria Bamford, Emilea Wilson, Patrick Noth, Brandon Micheal Hall, Jordan Rock, Nichole Sakura, Carla Jimenez, Hal Linden, Jon Gabrus, Kate Flannery, Matt McCoy, Mike Mitchell, and Neil Casey.

21. Please read up on what Emmy/Grammy award winning Alex Edelman learned from doing a Broadway show about hate here.

22. For all the jokes that are made about astrology, documentarian Peter Kerekes follows a real life astrologer, Luciana, and her clientele to see where their hopes and subsequent readings take them. From the looks of Wishing on a Star, the sheer truth of it seems highlight how quietly absurd (and hysterical) life can be. See for yourself with the trailer here.

23. Ruben Östlund and Roy Andersson have served Sweden well in offering some of the most innovative, genre-redefining comedies in recent memory. Ernst De Geer might end up joining them with his debut feature The Hypnosis, a dark comedy about a hypnosis going sideways, perhaps not the way that some folks wanted. Take a gander at the trailer here, then stream it on MUBI now.

24. Ted Lasso is very close to having a season 4, which definitely means you’ll have another crack at Coach Lasso’s biscuits when they gear up for this next season.

25. While Netflix will have a Jamie Foxx comedy special touching upon his recent medical emergency, Hulu and Amazon are continuing to stack their comedy special deck with Ilana Glazer, Jessica Kirson, and George Lopez.. Expect more big time specials from all the big time streamers throughout 2025.

26. We’ll leave you with this: Just askin’; anyone want free tickets for Ben Schwartz on 10/5 at the Orpheum?

The 101 Best Things in Comedy We Were Witness To in 2023 in No Particular Order

January 2, 2024

News

aaron jackson, academy museum, addi somekh, addie weyrich, albert brooks, alex edelman, alexander payne, alison stevenson, American fiction, andy iwancio, ari aster, asteroid city, barbie, beau is afraid, ben roy, Ben Wasserman, beth stelling, blair socci, bottoms, brad wenzel, cam gavinski, carol and the end of the world, chad damiani, chop and steele, chris estrada, chris fleming, civil dead, clay tatum, cole escola, cunk on earth, david drake, david gborie, demi adejuyigbe, Diane Morgan, dicks the musical, dream scenario, drew lausch, emma morgan, emma seligman, emma stone, ever mainard, extraordinary, fortune feimster, frankie quinones, futurama, gareth reynolds, green room, greg barris, greta gerwig, handsome podcast, hari kondabolu, harley quinn, hasan minhaj, how to with john wilson, i think you should leave, il fungo, jackie johnson, jackie kashian, james adomian, james hamilton, jamie loftus, jay jurden, jenny zigrino, jerrod carmichael, jesse david fox, jessica sele, joe kwaczala, joe pera, joe zimmerman, john early, john oliver, john waters, josh sharp, joy ride, julia sweeney, katherine blanford, kyle ayers, kyle kinane, langston kerman, last week tonight, lbj the play, leslie liao, Mae Martin, marc maron, maria bamford, mark vigeant, michael j feldman, mike bridenstine, mike lindell, mo welch, molly gordon, moses storm, nate craig, nick lieberman, paul giamatti, paul provenza, perfect amount of wrong, poor things, protected under parody, Rachel Coster, rachel kaly, rachel mac, Rachel Sennott, raine allen miller, reservation dogs, richard perez, richelle meiss, rob reiner, rye laine, sabrina wu, sam walt jones, scout durwood, steph tolev, sunanda, the holdovers, the other two, theater camp, this fool, tig notaro, tim robinson, Tina Friml, tom thakkar, tyler jackson, veronica osorio, wes anderson, whitmer thomas, yorgos lanthimos, zach teague, ziwe

Sorry for the delay and getting this on the 2nd. As always, we wanted to be thorough and not miss out on anything in late December like other lists (and, boy howdy, there were). Anyhow after working tirelessly through New Year’s Day up until now, here is our grand list of the 100 best things in comedy we saw/heard/etc. in 2023, in no particular order.

*An egregious error has been made in not including Gary Gulman’s brilliant new hour special. It’s so egregious that we are, for this one time only, expanding from 100 to 101. May Gary forgive us for the tardy inclusion.

Jerrod Carmichael turned awards hosting on its head with his performance at The Golden Globes (kind of like he did with his SNL monologue and he should be hosting way more things).
In addition to stealing every scene that they were in for Joy Ride, Sabrina Wu has more than put themselves on their map as a stand-up, especially with a stand out set on Netflix’s Verified Stand-Up.
Cole Escola might have just outdone Eddie Murphy in regards to how many characters you can comically play on screen at the same time with their “lost” pilot for the Western “drama”, Our Home Out West.
Diane Morgan’s Philomena Cunk has reached Alan Partridge status with Cunk on Earth.
Between her interview with George Santos and her seminal collection of essays, Black Friend,, Ziwe‘s iconic status continues to grow and Showtime will look more and more stupid for cancelling her show.
LBJ the Play achieves comedic brilliance while also, somehow, bridging the wide gap between President Lyndon B. Johnson and gender identity.
The Perfect Amount of Wrong by Mike Bridenstine gives a great portrait of how kindred spirits in a comedy scene, specifically North Chicago alt-comedy, can evolve into some of the most celebrated performers of our time (and make you wonder what the magical ingredients are in 2024 to make that sort of thing happen again).
The hysterical Rachel Kaly attempted to get back on Conan after appearing as a child with jokes that she wrote when she was a child. The journey was thankfully all captured in the blisteringly hilarious short film ATTN: CONAN O’BRIEN.
Everyone who got to see Ben Wasserman do what will likely the best show to ever happen at a funeral home/mortuary/cemetery with Live After Death has been forever changed for the better.
Yorgos Lanthimos outdid himself again with the exquisite, towering, fairy tale satire that is Poor Things featuring a career defining turn from Emma Stone (and Ramy Youssef).
Kyle Kinane‘s Shock and Struts delivered the goods, almost in the way that the truck in a 20+ min. closing story delivered him and his truck out of the desert.
Michael J. Feldman‘s solo show No, But I’m Definitely in a Better Place Than I Been in a Long Time is the solo show we both all deserve (and can revel in as it hits that gallows humor nerve perfectly).
Addie Weyrich must have set some sort of record by having the overwhelming majority of the audience at The Addie Show individually take part of the show (complete with one of over 100 note cards with specific instructions on it).
Addi Somekh made us rethink both balloon hats and the world arounds us with Inflatable Planet.
Sure, Meg Ryan made a return to form in a rom com this year, but Rye Lane, the feature debut of Raine Allen Miller, in our minds, is the top of the pops for romantic comedies in 2023.
Mae Martin plus a forest of trees on stage plus Abbi Jacobson directing equals Sap, one of the most dreamy comedy specials in recent memory.
Mark Vigeant never ceases to amaze with his commitment to the bit, cleverness to go meta, and his vulnerability, all on wondrous display with his solo show, Mark Pleases You.
Chad Damiani‘s half hour of silent improv is a ridiculous treat, even as shirts come off, sweat flies everywhere, and the narrative thread is often illusory.
Scout Durwood pulls out all the stops for the marvelously off-the-rails cabaret/variety show Everybody Go Go and you should take up every opportunity to see it wherever and whenever you can.
The songs, the moves, and the sharp comedy of Drew Lausch and Zach Teague are a force to be reckoned with.
Greg Barris offers both a restorative emotional experience and a deluge of silliness with his latest album Deep Healing.
The Other Two will forever be remembered as having some of the very best industry jokes of any comedy of all time. It’s almost worth working some awful Hollywood desk to enjoy every bit on the show.
In a comedy world of unrelenting truth tellers and edgelords, one Tyler Jackson opts to revel in purely absurd bits and is masterful at it.
Rachel Mac’s Teacher of the Year makes a case for Rachel Mac being one of the funniest teachers working today, which is saying a lot because, whether you know it or not, many teachers live a double life as a comedian.
We got witness the top-to-bottom brilliance of Richard Perez with his solo show, I Have To Do This, and he has made new romances just a little more tolerable/bearable though this collection of (somewhat) grounded rom com vignettes.
Joe Zimmerman’s special Cult Classic faithfully holds up the torch for classical, observational stand-up comedy without sounding like Seinfeld and being able to find a refreshing angle on killing baby Hitler.
The fact that Bottoms is the second Emma Seligman/Rachel Sennott feature length film and that the first one was Shiva Baby should prove to you that they have a lot more delightful, hysterical havoc to wreak on the big screen in the not so distant future.
May your very first special be as on point as Blake Wexler’s Daddy Long Legs.
Cam Gavinski: how to make everything about you forever and always is yet more evidence of Cam being someone who has so much ambition and vision with their comedy, but has the rare ingenuity to actually pull it off.
Very few people break down comedy and analyze it at the molecular level quite like Jesse David Fox does. The Vulture editor and long time host of Good One conclusively summarizes all of his succinct and astute observations on comedy in his appropriately titled Comedy Book: How Comedy Conquered Culture-and the Magic That Makes It Work by Jesse David Fox.
Greta Gerwig’s take on Barbie was a feat on so many levels (financially, philosophically, tonally) all while being so damn fun. Don’t be surprised if comedy runs the table again this awards season.
Being unapologetically genuine and exuberant are a great pairing for comedy and Rachel Coster is a perfect example of that.
As far as taking big swings for specials, very few swung as big as Alison Stevenson with making up a streaming service for her special VUBITV+ Presents: Alison Stevenson: H*rny B*tch: A Comedy Special to “premiere” on and do a bunch of BDSM bits on top of it. It’s such a good time because of it.
Tina Friml is a shining gem amidst a field of angrily smoldering embers and you should go seek out her stand-up whenever you can.
It’s called Hell, but Chris Fleming and his groovy attire front what might be the silliest special on a major streaming platform. Kudos to Fleming keeping true to being utterly ridiculous.
The imagination of Sam Walt Jones is wonderfully bigger than most as shown, just this year, by doing an entire live parody series of Survivor that actually spans several weeks and feels like a splendidly mutated Wonderland version of the show.
LA got a wonderful addition to its scene this year with one Katherine Blanford whose warmth and cleverness ought to see her go real far in Tinseltown.
The sultry voice of Leslie Liao blends comedically so well with her frank observations about herself and it has been a true joy to see her rise out of the ranks.
Langston Kerman and David Gborie seem to be able to do no wrong with their podcast My Momma Told Me even though it’s dedicated to parsing out (and “legitimately” considering) some of the most ridiculous conspiracy theories out there.
Richelle Meiss had a hit on her hands with an unauthorized musical parody of The Bachelor and she did an equally pitch perfect send up of Real Housewives this year. We would love if she just took on all trash TV with her musical parody prowess.
Moses Storm got back to his more experimental comedy roots this year and devised a solo show, Perfect Cult, where he created a cult with the audience. Storm’s mixing of his own experiences, which, in turn, inform how he creates this in-show cult is so fun that you might just want to follow Storm wherever he goes.
Veronica Osorio put all of her being, experiences, desires, and penchant for mischief into her Venezuelan Shamanic clown show, Medicine Woman, and made for one of the most enchanting, mystifying, original solo shows we saw all year long.
Kyle Ayers is unfortunately afflicted with Trigeminal Neuralgia (AKA “Suicide Disease”) and yet, through his own indomitable comedic will, made a non-stop laughs solo show, Hard to Say.
Beth Stelling‘s latest special If You Didn’t Want Me Then is so undeniably good (kind of like Girl Daddy) it should be the calling card for Beth to be in anything and everything that she wants to be.
Kristoffer Borgli‘s Dream Scenario is one of the most radical movies of the year and did so by having Nicholas Cage play one of his most unassuming roles in his entire career. For our money, it’s the best and most original comedy about dreams since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Julia Sweeney‘s story about the death of her mom, when we heard it at UnCabaret, is one of the best, purest distillations of a comedian’s archetypal relationship with their parents.
So much comedy on the big screen this year had wonderful bite to it, but American Fiction might have some of the most devastatingly funny lines delivered perfectly by Jeffrey Wright and crafted by Cord Jefferson.
Mo Welch went above and beyond in going meta and daring with Dad Jokes, a half stand-up special/half docu-special with super dark dad jokes and then trying to reconnect with your estranged dad.
Alex Edelman infiltrating a White Nationalist meeting as a Jew and turning it into Just For Us is every bit as illuminating and hilarious and resonant as you think it could be (and then some).
As one can see from Live from the Big Dog, the comedic power of Blair Socci will not be denied.
The Academy Museum’s exhibit John Waters: Pope of Trash is an ornate tribute to the auteur and one of the best displays of camp cinema/humor/etc. we’ve ever seen.
How Hasan Minhaj handled the controversy around his New Yorker interview highlighted so much about comedy that people should never forget.
Joe Pera’s first hour special Slow & Steady is a perfect distillation of Joe’s calming and politely off-kilter comedy that is the perfect salve for these times. Also, Joe has the best audience cutaway to the security guard of any special ever.
LA now has its own, postmodern bouffant troupe Il Fungo and, as a postmodern bouffant troupe is wont to do, they bridge the sublime and the silly wonderfully.
While comedians riffing off each other is well-mined territory in podcasts, Mae Martin, Fortune Feimster, and Tig Notaro hanging out on The Handsome Podcast has a magical quality to it.
Julian Velard has the most amazing existential song about being a piano player being asked to play Billy Joel’s Piano Man in his marvelous musical solo show Julian Velard… Is in the Middle of Something.
John Early is up to his meta hijinks in his HBO special Now More Than Ever that dresses up his hilarious stand-up in the middle of a classic rock doc. Also, bonus points go to John for the way he points out his parents in this hour
A very special Green Room with Paul Provenza happened this year as it was all in Paul’s backyard and showed how comedy can shine the through darkest of traumas with Doug Stanhope, Andy Andrist, Kristine Levine, Annie Lederman, and Henry Phillips.
Though Demi Adejuyigbe isn’t doing his September videos anymore, he is still dishing out brilliance in other forms as he did in 2023 with his declaration for 2023 Halloween costumes.
For all the talk about The Boys, best not sleep on a UK satire on super powers from Emma Morgan, Extraordinary, which is decidedly less explicit and (maybe more) charming, in the keep-calm-and-carry-on British manner.
As far as a classical looking and sounding comedy special goes in 2023, it doesn’t get much better than Nate Craig: Live at the Green Mill.
For a show that’s so unpredictable and existentially rapturous, let’s all hold hands and take a moment for the final season of How to With John Wilson coming to a close last year.
NYC comedy darling James Hamilton put out one hell of a debut album with I Don’t Deserve These Deals; the sort of album that makes you wonder how wrong the Grammys are about their nominations for Best Comedy Album.
Thank goodness for the doc following Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett‘s fake strongman duo Chop & Steele and capturing how you might have to go, legally, to defend looking stupid on TV for fun.
Let the hilarious weirdness of the life of one Jessica Sele wash over you with her debut album Weird Vibes.
The new, new, new, NEW Futurama, believe it or not, is pretty damn good (and fully aware of how many times it has been revived).
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life is a great and necessary reminder of how much Albert Brooks is a comedy pioneer as a performer/actor/director as well as a touching tribute from one of his best friends, Rob Reiner.
Joe Kwaczala not only delivers on his album’s title of Funny Songs & Sketches, but cleverly delivers a grand variety of ingenious, innovative bits that points to Joe perhaps deserving a full on sketch show somewhere.
While Barbie rode high this year, let us not forget the R-rated comedy of 2023, Joy Ride (that also a touching story about identity, adoption, and taking the baton from Crazy Rich Asians and running wild with it).
Harley Quinn, now in its 4th season, continues to be a bright, hysterical, subversive light in the imploding world of comic book based IP.
The NYC branch of Comedians You Should Know really made moves this year and one of those moves was one of its heads, David Drake, putting out his very first special that hit the perfect mark of self-deprecation with That’s It.
At this point, you’d wonder how John Oliver could possibly up the ante with his prank calls to action with Last Week Tonight. Then, John went ahead and fixed a New Zealand bird election for the Pūteketeke and gave us an answer.
If you want to see victory and self-acceptance and healing and an irresistibly funny solo show, look no further than Jackie Johnson: How To Get a Second Husband.
Clay Tatum and Whitmer Thomas’ Civil Dead is a charming lowkey twist on what it means to be a ghost and/or the buddy comedy.
Protected Under Parody might be the best sketch show going in LA even though it happens in the bar area of a hip movie theater.
If you don’t already know the name Steph Tolev, you best know it now and remember it fully. The self-ascribed “Queen of Filth” is playing all over the country now and she’s as good at going blue and working a crowd as anyone out there.
Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson made one of the most unhinged, unapologetically queer comedy of the year with Dicks: the Musical, doing A24 proud for their first musical. Let it be known that 2023 could be called the “Year of Dicks and Bottoms”.
Countless hours of comedic observations have been dished out about generational differences, but the amazing Jenny Zigrino has some of the best and sharpest jokes in that realm in her special Jen-Z.
Marc Maron pulled a hat trick with his latest hour in offering one of his most touching, darkest, and best specials yet with From Bleak to Dark.
The only saving grace of Mike Lindell existing is that James Adomian keeps getting to play him brillliantly on Kimmel as he did throughout the year and even over this past holiday season.
Even though Molly Gordon, Ben Platt, and Nick Lieberman had a touching, laugh riot of a tribute to theater kids everywhere with Theater Camp, this feature debut of Gordon and Lieberman is the definitive mockumentary of 2023.
If you’ve mowed through dozens of specials and wondered if comedy has become stale/complacent/hollow, get a shot in the arm with Ben Roy‘s latest hour Hyena and rest easy (after laughing a whole damn lot).
Brad Wenzel and his latest hour, joke. joke. joke. shows that the art form of the one liner, a corner of comedy that often seems to be of yesteryear, is alive and well (and can thrive in the 2020s).
All hail the best sketch show on television, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, full stop. No further explanation should be needed.
Her book Raw Dog, in our minds, has elevated Jamie Loftus into the status of comedy luminary (and is the sort of humor that the Mark Twain Prize actually seeks to honor if you read the award’s mission statement).
The series of IG reels/Tik Tok It’s Not an Issue with Ever Mainard and their Mom on is simply blissful ridiculousness between a mom and their non-binary adult child.
Wes Anderson retains his pristine symmetrical comedy auteur status with his most self-reflexive (and cheeky) work yet, Asteroid City.
If they were a wing of a modern art museum dedicated to video art as dramedy, it should have the entire season of Carol & The End of the World playing on a loop. Hats off to Dan Guterman for creating a beautiful existential valediction to 2023 in the form of an adult animated series.
As time passes, the comedic observations about pandemic times have become more and more worn, but such original and insightful and personal voices like those of Hari Kondabolu make for something special as he did with Vacation Baby.
It might be strange to have a veritable set list as the title of your special, but England, Weed & The Rest from Gareth Reynolds belies his expert skills, especially when it comes to crowd work and making fun of being English. Salutations to Birthday Chicken.
While working the road can wear on the psyche and will of a comedian, some get energized by the challenge and Tom Thakkar is clearly having so much damn fun playing clubs night in and night out wherever he is. That energy (along with thoughtful material about race and politics) is captured wonderfully on Thakkar Noir.
Andy Iwancio not only has some of the very best trans jokes (go figure that the best trans jokes would come from a trans person) in her album Better Living Through Femmistry, but joyfully gets rambunctious about the recording of her album during the actual recording of it.
The genre mash-up of horror and comedy (and your whole outlooking on existence and meaning) might be changed forever (and for the better) because of Ari Aster‘s Beau Is Afraid.
Sunanda‘s solo show dedicated to their love of Britney Spears and their journey to self-actualization from it, the aptly names Sunanda Loves Britney,
Comedy in pathos might have been best displayed in 2023 in the latest collaboration of Alexander Payne and Paul Giamatti with The Holdovers.
The trios of Chris Estrada/Frankie Quiñones/Michael Imperioli and Jake Weisman/Matt Ingebretson/Pat Bishop continue on their path to making one of the best comedies of this decade, balancing satirical subversion and the ludicrous all set in a grounded East LA with season 2 of This Fool.
The third season of the modern day indigenous dramedy Reservations Dogs completes a wondrous arc and achieves its best episodes yet making for a rare instance of a TV series getting to do what it set out to do.
The fact that Jackie Kashian made a special using the rearview camera of a car is so funny on its own and then there’s the fact that Jackie is also one of the funniest comedians working today that make Looking Back special.
Whether you go by laughs per minute or just gut feeling, Jay Jurden is indisputably one of the best stand-ups on any stage these days. Just watch his Don’t Tell set, if you haven’t already, and you’ll see what we’re saying.
Even though she might be against the organized religious aspects of it, let’s canonize Maria Bamford as a saint for her brilliant special Maria Bamford: Local Act and hit book Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult.
Gary Gulman is a paragon of the art form of comedy in every single facet of it since he has, perhaps, the deepest understanding of the craft of stand-up, and that has been the case with Gary for a long time. His latest hour, Born on 3rd Base, might be his very best work yet.*

Pick of the Day: My Momma Told Me (in NYC) 8/26

July 12, 2023

News

bell house, big money players, david gborie, langston kerman, live podcast, nyc comedy

Though saying that there’s “no conspiracy here” is a great way to start a conspiracy, there’s no conspiracy as to how or why David Gborie and Langston Kerman‘s exploration of black conspiracies on their podcast My Momma Told Me is so damn fantastic and popular. Simply, both Gborie and Kerman talking up anything would be an enthralling laugh riot and conspiracy theories, no matter the origin, true or not, are pretty much a never ending gold mine for comedy.

The live tapings of My Momma Told Me are especially a raucous good time and one shouldn’t miss the chance to bear witness to one. For those in NYC, you’re going to get your chance to catch a live My Momma Told Me next month on Sat. Aug. 26th at the Bell House at 7:30PM. Tickets are $25. 42 and you best go get them here before they sell out.

Pick of the Day: The Big One (in LA) 11/4

October 10, 2022

News

bri giger, broderick baumann, Carly Kane, ellen harrold, langston kerman, los angeles comedy, lynn maleh, Meg Indurti, Sam Oh, Skyler Higley, the big one

It has been quite some time since one of LA’s very best house shows has happened. For those not in the know, that would The Big One tucked away in an almost too perfect backyard in Highland Park thanks to the efforts of Meg Indurti, Broderick Baumann, and Carly Kane.

It has been several months since they’ve broken out their gorgeously hand painted backdrop, lawn chairs, and utilized the bar that was already there when they moved in, but their latest edition of Big One is coming just a month from now with a marvelous line-up of LA’s (or elsewhere’s) very best comics that you may or may not know. For 11/4, that will include Langston Kerman, Skyler Higley, Lynn Maleh, Bri Giger, Sam Oh, and host Ellen Harrold.

You better go get tickets for $15 right now before it sells out here.

Pick of the Day: Bust Down Screening with Jak Knight (in NYC) 3/12

March 9, 2022

Uncategorized

bust down, chris redd, jak knight, langston kerman, nyc comedy, peacock, sam jay, union hall

As we’re getting into the thick of the streaming wars, each service tries to get a leg up in the current conversation with their latest acquisitions or brand new, shiny series. HBO finally unveiled the long awaited Winning Time and Peacock might just have something that’ll delightfully take us all by surprise with Bust Down, the single cam trying-to-get-by-in-life comedy with Chris Redd, Sam Jay, Langston Kerman, and Jak Knight, that premieres this Thurs. Mar. 10th on the NBC exclusive streaming service.

To mark the occasion, Jak and surprise guests from Bust Down will be presenting a special in-person screening (and doing stand-up) at Union Hall this Saturday, March 12th at 10PM ET. It won’t get more intimate of a special release/premiere screening than this, so you ought to snag tickets for $15 right now right here.

In case you haven’t seen it or are only catching wind of Bust Down just as you read this, please enjoy the announcement trailer here.

Pick of the Day: Clocktower Comedy (in LA) 3/12

March 1, 2022

News

amy miller, asif ali, chris estrada, dtla, kevin camia, kurt braunohler, langston kerman, los angeles comedy, naomi ekperigin, steve hernandez, union station

Right around now, the two year mark of when the reality of COVID-19 was starting to set in for folks here in America, there seems to be things coming back from the appointed time that they were supposed to happen in March 2020.

One of those things was an outdoor comedy show at LA’s iconic train hub, Union Station in DTLA. A variety of stand-up and improv had been all booked and it was definitely going to be one of those highlight, pop-up shows with one of LA’s most picturesque Art Deco back drops.

Called Clock Tower Comedy, it’s now actually, really going to happen at Union Station on Sat. Mar. 12th at the North Patio. For only $5, you’ll get to see the LA’s very best with Naomi Ekperigin, Kurt Braunohler, Asif Ali, Langston Kerman, and Chris Estrada along with co-hosts in LA darlings Steve Hernandez and Amy Miller.

Tickets are only $5 right now (and $7 at the door. Go get them right here right now.

Get Your First Look at Chris Redd, Langston Kerman, Sam Jay, and Jak Knight in Peacock’s “Bust Down”

January 28, 2022

News

bust down, chris redd, jak knight, langston kerman, peacock, sam jay, teaser

Though Peacock reported yet another loss for the mega media conglomerate Comcast NBC Universal to the tune of several hundreds of millions of dollars this week, they did also report a healthy subscriber base of 17 million. That’s a pleasant surprise considering they were a late entry into the streaming service game.

Part of that has to do with the sort of content they’ve amassed and put out, perhaps the revival of cult favorite MacGruber being part of that reason. NBC’s streaming service has another card to play in the coming months of 2022 with a brand new comedy in Bust Down. The cast of Jak Knight, Langston Kerman, Sam Jay, and Chris Redd, all rising star comedians through SNL, Big Mouth, Insecure, or maybe even their own show, Pause with Sam Jay, is a selling point all on its own.

The premise of “Four casino employees in a dead-end job in middle America attempt to find self-worth in their bad ideas,” from Luke Del Tredici and Dan Goor could very well be frosting on this cake of a show. It might end up being the sitcom for these late stage capitalist, ongoing pandemic-ridden, climate change ravaged times that makes any and all of us in the thick of struggle feel less alone.

Or, it could be a great vehicle for Redd, Knight, Kerman, and Jay to show off, which we’re also on board for.

Whatever the case may be, get the very first look at Bust Down here, then look for it stream on Peacock starting Mar. 10th.

Pick of the Day: Fake Birthday with Caitlin Cook and A.J. Holmes (in LA) 11/14

November 3, 2021

News

atsuko okatsuka, langston kerman, liza treyger, los angeles comedy, musical comedy, naomi ekperigin, silverlake, variety show, zach zucker

One of NYC’s most fun variety shows is the comedy and music mash-up at Fake Birthday with Caitlin Cook and A.J. Holmes. Holmes is a Broadway dynamo and Cook has toured the globe with her über clever musical comedy (she did a whole solo musical comedy show based on bathroom graffiti). Together, they have been the duo at the core of Fake Birthday and with their musical comedy powers combined (and a stellar line-up of guests), they’ve made quite the spot for themselves in the thriving NYC comedy scene.

So, Cook and Holmes are stopping into LA for an exclusive show at Silverlake Lounge, which, if you’re in and around LA, you absolutely make your Silverlake to catch. They’ve gathered an exemplary LA line-up with Atsuko Okatsuka, Naomi Ekperigin, Zach Zucker, Langston Kerman, Liza Treyger, and Ethan Kuperberg all joining with their own grand comedy stylings in between original songs from Cook and Holmes.

This LA edition of Fake Birthday is set for Sun. Nov. 14th at Silverlake Lounge at 8PM PT. Tickets are $16.95 and you ought to go snag them right now (especially since it’ll be AJ Holmes’ actual birthday for this Fake Birthday).

Pick of the Day: Guilty Treasure (in LA) 8/27

August 20, 2021

News

albert hickman, andy wood, bryan cook, charlie paxson, david wain, dylan gelula, guilty pleasure, langston kerman, laraine newman, musical comedy, rick wood

Thankfully, another show that we are so dearly glad that survived to this side of the pandemic. We tried very hard to never miss Guilty Treasure pre-lockdown as hosts Bryan Cook and Andy Wood assembled many of LA’s funniest individuals to revel in their favorite guilty pleasure songs (and, of course, filling us all in on the background of said song).

Hearing those covers of said songs after hearing what sort of journey a comedian has been on with it usually, for our money, makes it way better.

So, we’re very, very glad to tell you that Guilty Treasure is set for their first in-person show since long, long ago on Aug. 27th at 8PM PT at the Eastside’s Permanent Records Roadhouse (the improbable, but very real hip bar/record store/music & comedy venue). Their line-up, by the way, is worthy of you just going no matter what they’re doing. Slate for the evening is David Wain, Laraine Newman, Albert Hickman, Dylan Gelula, and Langston Kerman. Bryan, Andy, Charlie Paxon, and Rick Wood will make up the band that will be dishing out the guilty treasure hits.

Tickets are $10.

Pick of the Day: Arts & Crafts Comedy (in LA) 8/22

July 29, 2021

News

charlie hankin, ever mainard, jon zucker, la comedy, langston kerman, laurie kilmartin, mike mulloy, nick skardarasy, stand up comedy, will miles

Though you might have seen a lot of shows get postponed or outright cancelled this week in LA due to the rise in COVID-19 cases (and breakthrough infections of fully vaccinated people), there is plenty of stuff to look forward to next month as LA’s wide swath of shows continue to return, step-by-step.

One of the latest shows to announce its return is Arts & Crafts Comedy, which has delightfully been marrying the visual arts with stand-up comedy for years around LA. Hosts Nick Skardarasy and Jon Zucker set a splendid tone for the evening where stand-ups will get some sort of artistic interpretation of their stand-up in a drawing, sculpture, artistic creation of some kind from an esteemed artist.

This first show back since lockdown will feature seasoned illustrator Charlie Hankin (half of the great sketch group Good Cop Great Cop) who has gotten plenty of work featured in The New Yorker. Hankin will be making art inspired a lovely handful of great stand-ups (Laurie Kilmartin, Will Miles, Ever Mainard, Langston Kerman, Savannah Manhattan, and Mike Mulloy).

The first of Arts & Crafts Comedy of 2021 is set for Sun. Aug. 22nd at 8PM PT at Rita House. Tickets are $10 and you can (and very much should) get them here.

Pick of the Day: Hot Tub with Kurt & Kristen 16th Anniversary 2/22

February 19, 2021

News

beth stelling, christina catherine martinez, hot Tub, jackie kashian, kyle kinane, langston kerman, wyatt cenac

Even without a pandemic, the idea of a weekly comedy show, especially a stalwartly funny one, going for 16 years is astounding. Hot Tub with Kurt & Kristen has been one of the best shows hands down wherever it has been (including NYC, LA, and festivals all around).

Kurt Braunohler and Kristen Schaal and their crew, currently CleftClips & HoldThePhone Comedy, have built a comedy institution over those several years, which was where we spent the majority of our Monday nights before lockdown. To keep going during the pandemic as one of the best, yet again, most reliable comedy live-streams deserves a standing ovation no matter where you are or what you’re doing currently.

To mark the occasion, they’ll be doing the show in their virtual Hot Tub: Home Edition format LIVE at HOLDTHEPHONE.TV with a brimming and bustling line-up of their personal favorites including Wyatt Cenac, Kyle Kinane, Jackie Kashian, Langston Kerman, Beth Stelling, and Christina Catherine Martinez.

You can stream it for free on Feb. 22nd at 8PM PT/11PM ET, as you’ve always been able to do during lockdown, or, you can support them and the comics and their home at The Virgil in LA by joining the Hot Tub Club at Patreon where you could be part of a limited live Zoom audience. We say do it if you haven’t already, especially for their 16th anniversary.

Pick of the Day: SALEM 10/28

To keep in the Halloween spirit (and do a show safely while the pandemic still rages on), Drew Anderson and Julia Shiplett are putting together a very special, very exclusive live reading of their comedy pilot, SALEM.

You may not get to do trick-or-treating or endless party-hopping, but you can tune in what might be the perfect comedy thing for this Halloween season. They describe it as:

Mere days before Salem’s 10th Annual Harvest Festival, something strange happens that derails the big day and makes everyone start to question if there could be a witch among them. If you’ve ever wondered what THE CRUCIBLE meets THE OFFICE but very gay would be like, SALEM is your answer.

Supported by many of the very best comedy folks from all over the country including: Mary Beth Barone, Carmen Christopher, Drew Droege, Robby Hoffman, Molly Kearney, Langston Kerman, Marty Miller, Aparna Nancherla, Larry Owens, Rachel Sennott, Karolena Theresa, Sydnee Washington, and Ben Wasserman

SALEM is set to go live on Wed. Oct. 28th at 5:30PM PT/8:30PM ET. RSVP for Zoom link w/a suggested donation of $5-$10 here.

April 30, 2019

Uncategorized

action civics ca, benefit show, chelsea peretti, comedy show, dtla, joe mande, langston kerman, minnie driver, paul scheer, sarah silverman, tig notaro

Action Civics CA, an organization to educating the youth into being informed, responsible citizens of the world, is throwing another huge comedy benefit at DTLA’s Theatre at Ace Hotel that features many of your favorite comedy folks (really, just look at that line-up that will probably have more huge names added as they get closer to the day of).

It’s best to get your tickets for Let’s Save the Future now (they’re going for $40-$100) right now. Go get them here.

August 17, 2018

Uncategorized

boast rattle, champions, conner mcnutt, eddie pepitone, kyle ayers, langston kerman, laurie kilmartin, lizzy cooperman, meeki leeper, will miles

Boast Rattle is gathering the best of the best that can compliment one another in joke form for their “Rattle of Champions” next week at Dynasty Typewriter.

You should never miss this show, but this special champions round ought to be a doozy.

Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Get advance tickets here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, screenings, open mics, maps, and more can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com.

June 13, 2018

Uncategorized

au lac, beth lapides, comedy show, dtla, erin foley, justin sayre, langston kerman, lauren weedman, storytelling, uncabaret, variety show, zach sherwin

So, Au Lac in DTLA, the current home of one of LA’s longest running comedy shows UnCabaret, will be soon going through some changes including discontinuing live shows.

So, there are only a couple of chances to catch UnCabaret in the gorgeous Bar Fedora room and you really ought to not miss the magic blend of storytelling, stand-up, music, and host Beth Lapides while you can.

Get tickets for this penultimate show here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, screenings, open mics, maps, and more can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com.

May 20, 2018

Uncategorized

comedy show, free show, ice cream, jak knight, k town, koreatown, langston kerman, los angeles, stand up, what's happening

You probably love ice cream. You probably love some alcohol too. If you’re reading this, we definitely know that you love comedy, especially served up live.

So, we thought as this is the case that you might want to know about a new stand-up show called Tasteful at the hip ice cream parlor in K-Town, Milk Tavern.

It’s hosted by the fun duo of Langston Kerman and Jak Knight and for their inaugural evening, they’ve got a tasty, pun intended, line-up of Quinta Brunson, David Gborie, Steph Tolev, Teddy Ray, Joel Kim Booster.

The first Tasteful is happening this Wednesday, May 23rd at 8:30PM. Oh yeah, we should mention that admission is FREE.

Get more details here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, screenings, open mics, maps, and more can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com.

2018 Bumbershoot Announces Line-Up Featuring Last Podcast on the Left, Eugene Mirman, Emily Heller, Sam Jay

April 30, 2018

Uncategorized

bumbershoot, chris fairbanks, dear owen wilson, eliot glazer, emily heller, kate willett, langston kerman, last podcast on the left, lisa best, liza treyger, off book improvised musical, sam jaffe, seattle, shane torres

Seattle’s annual big music, comedy, and arts festival Bumbershoot is almost a hop, skip, and a jump away. Per usual, they’ve jam packed the comedy portion of their festival with lovely comedians, podcasts, letters-to-celebrities readings, improvised musicals, and more.

If you’re in the Seattle area on the weekend of Aug. 31st, you might want to get in on pass (3 Day pass starts at $220).

Get more info and passes here.

February 21, 2018

Uncategorized

amber nelson, blair socci, cheap comedy, comedy show, dear owen wilson, fan letters, langston kerman, los angeles, los feliz, reggie watts, silverlake, the virgil, whitmer thomas

Blair Socci’s show that was inspired by a letter she wrote to Owen Wilson over a decade ago makes its debut in LA!

The delightful line-up will be reading letters they wrote to celebrities of their choice, which should make for a great evening in seeing of comedians that you’ve probably never seen before.

Tickets are $5 and you can (and should) get tickets here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, open mics, maps, and more can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com.

It’s a great line-up, great cause, and a great name for a show. What more do you want?

Get your tickets here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, open mics, maps, and more can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com.

Jenny Zigrino and Jen Saunderson Made a Cooking Show Actually Inspired by Jokes with “The Filling Is Mutual”

February 20, 2017

Uncategorized

chopped, comedy crib, cooking show, giulia rozzi, ifc, janelle james, jen saunderson, jenny zigrino, joke recipe, langston kerman, matteo lane, mehran khaghani, parody, stand up, the stand, ty barnett

If you’re a fan of any cooking show where chefs all have to use a weird ingredient, you’ll dig IFC web series The Filling Is Mutual.

Hosts Jenny Zigrino and Jen Saunderson pick out a single joke from their comedian guests’ acts and then dream up a dish based on said joke. Sometimes, it’s delicious and sometimes, it really embodies the joke as much as a recipe can.

In any case, you should watch The Filling Is Mutual and maybe get hungry for ‘dicks in a komono’ or ‘white devil eggs’.