If you have Netflix then you have probably noticed that there are currently like 938 new standup comedy specials that have all been released in the past few months with more coming out almost ever week.
Most of them are big-name comedians like Jerry Seinfeld and Tom Segura and Chris D’Elia who are very good at what they do and deliver laughs as they have for years.
Netflix, by sheer numbers of specials alone, has become the place for standup as it has become what HBO used to be in terms of prestige in the comedy world.
But that doesn’t mean Netflix has the best comedy specials out there today, because right now my two favorites aren’t on that streaming service. My two favorites instead are on YouTube and can be watched for free – Sam Morril’s “I Got This” and Mark Normand’s “Out to Lunch.”
Morril and Normand are two youthful veterans of the standup world who live in New York City and hit the legendary clubs there relentlessly during the week before traveling around the country (pre-COVID days) to headline at the biggest clubs. Their styles are similar in that they are more joke writers than storytellers, so their specials are so full of jokes, which is great.
They both turned to YouTube after the Netflix’s of the world turned them down, even though they are just as talented and funny as anyone currently on Netflix – it’s just that the business of standup can be pretty damn hard to crack, no matter how great you are and how many fans you have.
Morril’s came out first a few months ago and already has 2.6 million views. Normand’s came out two weeks ago and just crossed over a million. A few more comedians at their level will be going straight to YouTube, too, which could become a thing for even more to follow because now it’s all about getting your content out there and this way seems like a pretty great way to do it.
But Morril and Normand are comedians you should be watching and listening to if comedy is your thing and you’re not one of those people who is easily offended by jokes and words (if you are easily offended then these weren’t meant for you so just skip them).
Here’s Morril’s special:
And here’s Normand’s:
Now get on your coach and be prepared to laugh!