Whats new in the comedy world: 2024 edition
What’s been up in the comedy world?
As you might know I am super passionate about standup comedy. It has helped me so much! See my previous post about comedy to understand how. Although this post may explain what got me into comedy and how I have gravitated towards comedians who do self-deprecating or mental health related material, for the sake of my personal health and wellbeing I also had to make some conscious adjustments in what kind of comedy(or any kind of content in general) I consume.
I started becoming aware of a phenomenon of being overtly cynical, self-deprecating myself due to the kind of content I consumed. And why shouldn’t I? That is what sells and seems to be in right now. It was also what was taught to me to be the foundation of my own comedy career. I remember while taking comedy classes in San Francisco, our first assignment was to list down all things that make us mad/confused/upset about the world as you can see below:
While I had a lot of fun with this, I feel this can be a slippery slope leading to one becoming trauma dump-ey, nihilist, oversharer, and an overall negative person who romanticizes pain and depression. Atleast that was the turn it took for me, which is why I have been very mindful of what I consume, how I rate, and separate the art from the artist, and the wittiness from the objectivity of a stance shared by my favorite comics. I believe that will be evident in my review of my top 2024 standups below
My Top 3 Netflix Specials of 2024
Taylor Tomlinson: Have It All (Netlfix)
Taylor is pretty funny and also made the list in my top standups of 2022. While her last special was more mental health oriented, this is more about pushing 30s and the pressures that come with it, especially the pressure to find your person and settle down. She compared her life to that of her married friends and how each side had a perspective to lend to the other.
click to reveal my favorite bits - that are also sort of spoilers
- comparing dating yourself to going on a walk without headphones bit
- speaking of having to trade-off in life for it be fair. As in saying no one should be allowed to have both their dream job AND their soulmate...if they do their parents better be divorced or dead.
- This was clever writing but I wasn't very fond of it, because as I said in the intro, I am trying to be very mindful of what I consume, because I inadvertently end up thinking of comics as sort of life coaches and demi-gods since I find this form of art to be very impressive and since comics are known to keep it real, but that can be harmful and at the end of the day as these art just mere mortals like you and me, so their epiphanies should be taken with a grain of salt (something I totally forgot!)
- Dating app date is not a blind date, but definitely a near-sighted one bit
- Comparing dating in todays world to being a stuffed animal is a claw machine bit
- this isnt model squad - its personality squad bit- again, funny bit but not a fan of this limiting belief that you can be just either/or
- Jabs married people and the single squad take at each other as they simultaneously pity and envy the other party:
- Single to Married: "yeah but you're married so its fine that you had to work 60 hours. You have your dream dick"
- Married to Single : "Yeah I'd probably focus on work too if I were alone"
- Single to Married : "Yeah I'd probably have a bunch of kids too if I had no talent"
Neal Brennan: Crazy Good (Netflix)
Neal is one of the wittiest comedy writers out there and also made the list in my top standups of 2022. All his specials are mental health heavy or Traumedy as he likes to call it; which is ironic because he pokes fun of women who talk about their trauma journey in his new special Crazy Good . His takes are quite impressionable and have had huge impact on me but he was also on the list of the artists who romanticize pain/depression I need to avoid in 2024. I inadvertently end up quoting him in conversations to sound smart, only to end up sounding more depressed than I actually have ever been. Also the whole depression-is-a-thing-for-smart-overthinkers narrative can be a harmful one to have.
click to reveal my favorite bits - that are also sort of spoilers (most of these are witty lines but narratives and stances I strongly disagree with and find to be limiting beliefs and stereotypes)
- "certain people... I don't want them to be cool, I want them to be dorks: like my doctors, lawyers, accountants...I want them to be typical nerds - no eye contact, smelly, and just a touch of Aspergers. Like salt bae, but for ✨Aspergers ✨
- women don't take financial risks, they take emotional risks bit (investing in crypto v/s dating a drummer)
- The sun is like cops but for white people
- The whole stance that all greats genuises of the world are psychopaths or drug addicts, who are only optimized for that one particular skill they are good at and pretty much nothing else. (again, not a fan of this take as I feel in past it has led me to use having great analytical and creative skills as a cop out to not work on having good emotional endurance/intelligence or my social skills, because (*read ahead with sarcasm*) demi-god Neal says one can only possess either/or. Nonetheless interesting writing/observations)
- "Is Ellen Nice?" "Is Kevin Hart humble?" is like asking "Is my car also a boat?"
- “Grudges/taking everything personally/revenge mentality fuels all the greats”
- “Lance Armstrong - a criminal who found a bike”
- [hip-hop artists and rappers] - “Should we take him to the hospital? No, let’s take him to the studio and see what happens”
- [Starts naming all the greats in his profession... and their respective mental illnesses/addictions] " I’m depressed, Sarah (Silverman) is depressed, Taylor Tomlinson - bipolar, Mark Twain - bipolar, Howie Mandel - OCD, John Mulaney told me to remind you he’s a drug addict”
Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die (HBO)
And last but definitely not the least, NIKKI GLASER!!!😍 I think this was expected to make the list as I am someone who often makes knowing and having met Nikki my whole personality-lol. Nikki has been the belle of the ball in the comedy world lately due to her massive success off of the The Roast of Tom Brady . Like any and every Bestie I have been so happy for her and been watching and listening to every interview and podcast appearance she has made since. On top of that, She came out with her 3rd special Someday You’ll Die on HBO max. This ironic Mother’s Day release talks about her pushing 40s and still not wanting to have kids, struggles of being an aging woman in Hollywood, her challenging the idea of monogamy, and finding relief in the concept of death. As always it is pretty raunchy and not for everyone. Even I got uncomfortable at some points, but having said that I have already watched it 5 times.
click to reveal my favorite bits - that are also sort of spoilers
- Her sinister thoughts about her friends having kids- "pick-me mom"😆
- comparing feeling of having kids to doing heroin bit
- "Being a bad mom is as easy as a being a great dad"
- [My Favorite!] The whole holier-than-thou stance moms take wherein they brag in an ethereal condescending tone- "I'm a mom, I'm a mamma bear"- "oh, you struggled with the decision? I ALWAYS knew I'd be a mom"
- Greta Thunberg parents aren't here tonight bit
- Hot95 is a radio station not a person bit
- My Soul and clit are not on the same page bit
- I don’t see color ... but I can feel it bit