Welcome to Comedy Now, a weekly column cataloging what comedy fans should know about what’s available in the streaming world. Whether it’s a brand new special, an old classic, or the oddball show that defies categorization, we’ll list as many as we can for your enjoyment right here. Who knows? We may even throw in a few non-streamable bits on occasion, like tour announcements from our favorite comics. You can check out the previous column here.
What’s Now
Cameron Esposito’s Rape Jokes album arrives on vinyl and streaming
With the controversial Senate Judiciary Committee hearings regarding President Trump’s latest Supreme Court nominee happening this very moment, it seems fitting that Cameron Esposito’s Rape Jokes is now available on vinyl and as a streamable album. The comedian’s latest, which initially debuted in June as a free online special (though all donations went to RAINN), is as searing as it is hilarious. Like the online special before it, all proceeds from the Rape Jokes album sales will go to RAINN.
What’s New(s)
Mo Amer doesn’t pull any punches in The Vagabond
Mo Amer is one of the funniest stand-up comedians working in America today, and while general audiences may not know this yet, they’re about to figure it out come Monday, October 8th. Why? Because that’s when the Kuwait-born, Palestinian-descended comic’s new Netflix special, The Vagabond, is set to begin streaming. Amer first made national headlines back in 2016 when he found himself seated in first class alongside Eric Trump. He later turned it into a hilarious bit on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
A massive Robin Williams DVD set is coming
Fans of the late Robin Williams can enjoy some of his greatest stand-up hits, as well as his most popular talk show appearances, with a new massive DVD set scheduled to drop in early November. Titled Robin Williams: Comic Genius, the box set includes a whopping 22 DVDs packed with over 50 hours of material. Among other things, it will include interviews with his famous friends and members of his family, like Billy Crystal, Steve Martin, Jay Leno, Eric Idle, David Steinberg, Lewis Black, and Zak Williams
Ron White isn’t going to be shutting up anytime soon
During the early 2000s, The Original Kings of Comedy tour film sparked several iterations of the same concept. The Queens of Comedy, The Latin Kings of Comedy, and many others were quick to follow in subsequent years. This included the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, which featured, among other characters, Ron White. Depending on which part of the country you live in, White’s brand of humor may or may not interest. Even so, the aptly titled If You Quit Listening, I’ll Shut Up drops Tuesday, October 16th on Netflix.
What’s Later
Ted Alexandro takes on Louis C.K. and the Comedy Cellar ahead of his new special
Next Thursday and Friday, New York comedy staple Ted Alexandro’s latest special and album, Senior Class of Earth, will be released by Bill Burr and Al Madrigal’s All Things Comedy and 800 Pound Gorilla Records. It’s a great special and definitely worth your time, but so is the set Alexandro performed at the Comedy Cellar the same week that Louis C.K. controversially dropped in to perform a surprise set at. The whole five-minute bit is available to watch on the comedian’s YouTube page, and it’s pretty amazing.
The new Flight of the Conchords HBO special is almost here
New Zealand’s fourth-biggest folk-rock duo, Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement’s Flight of the Conchords, is back. It seemed like they weren’t going to be when the former suffered a slight injury in March, but the pair managed to recuperate in time to record their new HBO special, Live In London, which premieres Saturday, October 6th at 10 p.m. ET. Earlier this week, McKenzie and Clement appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert for a hilarious interview and a performance of a new song, “Father & Son.”
