Man, what a year it was in 2025. Twelve months of absolute chaos, but we made it — wait, what? We’re only half way through? Well, that sucks. Luckily though, we’ve had plenty of opportunities already afforded to us by some of the best in the comedy game to escape the insanity (for at least an hour at a time) and collect ourselves. Whether it was filled with social commentary, personal reflection, or just talking shit for the sake of a hearty laugh, we feel like we’ve already seen it all when it comes to the offering of stand-up specials this year as we flip the calendar page smack dab in the middle of the dog days of summer.
Much to our own personal terror, we don’t know what the rest of the year will bring, but what we do know is that we have enough, as far as comedy is concerned, to keep our spirits up for an hour a night until we finally do reach that finish line on this ”007 Nintendo game concussion grenade” of a year, and here are some of our favorites that have put in the work to do just that throughout the first half of the calendar. Check ‘em out.
Roy Wood Jr., Lonely Flowers
Perhaps it’s both helpful and terrifying that the thematic elements of Roy Wood Jr’s most recent special are as timely now as they were when the year first started. It also helps that the laughs still hit just as hard, too. A lot has surely transpired since its premiere, but our feelings from January still stand: For all of the creative and comedic force that pushed its way through the wind and the snow to start the year, arguably none came out swinging as heavy as Roy Wood Jr.’s Lonely Flowers. Arriving on Hulu right at the midpoint of the month, the former Daily Show star returned with that familiar wisdom dressed in sarcasm and comically dissected frustration that has made him such a valuable voice in the realm of socially and politically-concerned comedy over the last few administrations, all the while keeping a core foundational message of just urging us all to simply be better as a collective as we navigate the insanity of the world that unfolds with more intensity every day.
Bill Burr, Drop Dead Years
The tides were turning in Bill Burr’s career even before he became ol’ Billy Broadway and crushed his role on stage in Glengarry Glen Ross earlier this year. Part of that tide turning was his latest special, in which the introspective nature that the Canton native has injected into his stand-up significantly more over the last few years is on full-display, yet still incomplete by Ron indirect admission. While it may be a stretch to consider a sunny disposition has entered the chat of Burr’s comedic arsenal, the amount of self-reflection and fresh insight taking the place of untethered Bostonian rage is a good sign of what’s to come in the next chapter of Burr’s career. Now, instead of eviscerating more mundane happenings like traffic and the oddities of any given demographic, Burr digs his heels in on what it means to be a man to him now after a full perspective shifts over the past few years, and pointing the bullshit happening on a grander scale, from Wall Street to the White House, without any fucks to give and a whole lot of poetically profane diatribes at the ready.
Bert Kreischer, Lucky
In a landscape of specials that focus on things going on around us, Bert Kreischer’s latest hour has become more valuable since its March release, due to the fact that it takes us away from the chaos for a minute. The general makeup of this special isn’t anything too different from what we’ve seen from The Machine in the past, but with a whole new slate of tales from behind the scenes of one of the most excessive and exciting arena-filling artists today, it really does come with a feeling of knowing the man more than we already thought we did. But be forewarned, his closing story will have you either holding back tears or emptying the Kleenex box, whether you have a dog or not.
Ian Karmel, Comfort Beyond God’s Foresight
We’re still feeling the glow of this special, and it’s getting us through as we hit the halfway mark of the year. The genuine joy for the craft that Ian Karmel exudes on stage can finally be seen on record, at least for longer than 15 minutes, as the Oregon native unleashed his first full hour special earlier in the month. Equipped with his trusty child-like charm and ability to pull back the layers of any situation to find the humorous core of it, Karmel shows off exactly why he is getting all the love he’s continued to receive this year, after a successful 2024. This is Ian Karmel’s world, and we’re really just livin’ in it.
Kelsey Cook, Mark Your Territory
While we’ve all been burning the candle at both ends from the jump this year, we’ve only had the chance to revisit a handful of specials for a refresher on what makes it such a force. This is one of them, because Cook has figured out that magic ingredient that seems to add something new to the excitement each time you watch it. Bringing us in on her new life in Minnesota, her experiences navigating her mother’s battle with dementia, and everything else the world has thrown at her since we last heard from her, Cook sticks the landing in grand fashion as she connects with her audience in a way that balances sarcasm and sincerity, while giving a firm middle finger to the notion of the sophomore slump.
Ali Siddiq, Rugged
When it comes to storytelling, there are very few comedians in the game right now that can truly compete with Ali Siddiq. Aside from the sheer volume of material he’s released as specials over the last year, which is even more staggering once you realize the returns refuse to diminish, the Houston native has executed the rare feat of hitting us exactly where we needed to be hit, while also where we least expected it. His latest special, Rugged, brings us through another cavalcade of experiences with the 51-year old as he digs deep on his philosophy of masculinity, and what it truly means to be a man. The laughs are constant, as he often points out where he falls short, but the heart of the special is such a special element, especially considering he released it on Father’s Day, that we’re fully confident that it could stand on its own away from the comedy realm.
Tom Green, I Got a Mule!
Man, we really missed Tom Green, and this return to the spotlight was a true comeback for the ages. His hair might be grey now, and “The Bum Bum Song” may no longer be the biggest song on MTV, but as we can see in his newest offering to the world, Green is still as balanced in his approach of spastic, playfully dark, and bluntly awkward comedy as he was at the turn of the century. Joined on stage by his dog Charlie, Green brought us us up to speed on what he’s been up to since returning to Canada to tend to a “radish” farm, and in the process, he paints a portrait of a genuinely content artist who is now just looking to make people laugh and have a good time on stage without the weight of global superstardom crushing down on him.
Joe List, Small Ball
We didn’t realize that we needed a special in our lives that could be used as evidence that you can, in fact, be in two places at the same time. With the power of the editing room aside, the way in which Joe List seamlessly volleys between two different sets in two different cities, while bringing the two together in holy matrimony, he once again showcases his growth as an artist with not just the overall creative vision of his latest hour and the comfortable setting that helps you feel like you’re in the room with him, but also a bolstered perspective on the world as a result of life, creativity, fatherhood, and knowing exactly how to tear himself down in front of his fans without making us feel bad for him. There’s no Boston bias intended, but List is a true 1-of-1 that, as shown once again, cannot and will not be stopped.
Mike Birbiglia, The Good Life
Oh wow, one of the best joke writers and storytellers of our time released another special that covers all the bases of what you’d hope for in a special? Again? It’s the best problem to have, really. Mike Birbiglia has once again brought things to the next level with his increasingly introspective and deeply thoughtful musings on what it means to truly be alive, all while taking every shot he can at just how brilliantly flawed and imperfect he is, which only further embodies the beauty of the human spirit when you really think about it. Birbiglia still brings the heat with his poetically crafted jokes about fatherhood and how he sleepwalked through a window at a La Quinta Inn in Walla Walla Washington, and we get to see a new edition of a man still figuring it all out in real time, which in turn helps us in our journey. No L’s in sight.
Steph Tolev, Filth Queen
In case you thought the Paradise couldn’t get any filthier, Steph Tolev stormed the gates of the legendary venue, and dialed up the grit and grime with her first hour special, Filth Queen. With diabolical levels of untethered storytelling and energetic comedy that will have you in knots as you try to figure out whether you should cringe or gasp for air in between fits of laughter, the Toronto native leaves it all out there as soon as she hits the spotlight, and doesn’t relent for a second. The local aspect is cool, sure, but the unhinged death ride of constant hilarity, fueled by a revolving ticker of LPM, is something that everyone will soon find out they need in their lives.