6 stand-up specials on Netflix to stream this weekend

Life is hard. We all know this, and the news we see if often heavily bent toward the negative. CNN used to have a program called Good News where that's all they discussed. Maybe that should be brought back.

Thankfully, Netflix offers a lot of things to laugh about. This goes beyond just funny series. The amount of stand-up specials the streamer has is immense.

Below are six that you should stream this weekend just to have a laugh. These are only among the best of stand-up specials Netflix offers. Once you are done with these, feel free to explore hundreds of others.

Stand-up specials on Netflix that will make your life happier

Patton Oswalt - Annihilation (2017)

Oswalt has never been for those who are easily offended. The language can be coarse and the subject matter even more so, at times. And yet, he remains as funny now as he did when his 2004 comedy album, Feelin' Kinda Patton, was released. He has matured, but only so much.

The magic is that he has never been juvenile. He always has been able to reflect on life and make incredible observations about life, a must for most comics. The last bit of this special will get a bit heavy, though, so viewers be warned. The heaviness only gives weight to just how talented Oswalt is as a storyteller, however.

Ronny Chieng - Love to Hate It (2024)

If you only know Chieng from his work on The Daily Show, you are arguably seeing him at his worst. He is still funny, of course, but his stand-up specials are much better. That might be because Chieng brings an almost kinetic sense of humor, and his movements sometimes say more than words.

He also has a way of developing a seemingly mundane subject like a web algorithm and turning that into an unexpected storyline. Chieng can cut to the quick but never is mean. That is a line many comics cannot walk.

Hannibal Buress - Comedy Camisado (2016)

The magic of Buress is that he doesn't look like he would be funny. Instead, he is unassuming and like the kind of guy who would be your best friend who would give you some logical advice, but only when needed. In fact, he does that as a stand-up, but it still strikes as somehow odd.

There is little doubt that Buress is in full control of his timing and delivery here, however. He knows when to speed up and when to slow down. He creates the momentum, and not just when the audience laughs. And there is no subject he cannot make funny, including the awfulness of the Bill Cosby accusations.

Matt Rife - Lucid (2024)

Crowd work can be an easy thing for a comic to do. One does not have to come up with original material, but they do have to be quick and witty when responding to off-script comments. That is, at least, if they want to be successful.

Rife not only brings the funny but there are some heartfelt moments as well. He knows when to make a biting remark and when to pull back. He also clearly likes talking to the audience, and being surprised by some of the things being asked. If there is a college course in crowd work, Rife needs to teach it.

Adam Sandler - Love You (2024)

Sandler does not reinvent his wheel here, and he does not need to. Fans know what they are going to get. That includes a bit of music, some silliness, some funny voices, and some fantastic observations.

The difference here is that Sandler clearly understands he is not the 20-something kid on Saturday Night Live anymore. He is an extremely wealthy producer of Netflix films and a bunch of other projects. There is nothing truly unlikable about him as a person, and that might be why we root for him even when we know he is playing dumber than he really is.

Marc Maron - End Times Fun (2020)

Maron has an almost professorial way about him. His delivery is relatively laid-back but said in a way where you want to believe everything he says. And why not? He drops bombs about pessimistic things while saying we will be fine. He did this all just months before the COVID outbreak.

One might not like it much if a comic uses too much bad language, and Maron doesn't. He does use some, however. The funny part is that it always surprises you as if a teacher is giving you a history lesson and suddenly starts using bad words.