9 Best Stand-Up Specials on Netflix Right Now (May 2025)

Early in Postmortem, Sarah Silverman reveals that her father and stepmother recently passed away within days of each other. But even so, Silverman contends that her parents would have wanted her to exploit their deaths and to remind the audience that she’s got merch to move.

Regardless of how crass that may sound in print, it seems very clear that Silverman loved her parents a lot as she shares some stories of accidental humor that came out of their final days. It’s a more personal side of Silverman that she rarely shows, even as she kind of runs back to saying something off-the-wall when things get too serious. Silverman’s genuine grief still comes through, and it’s emotionally moving — and still very funny.

Sarah Silverman: Postmortem is streaming on Netflix.

Conan O’Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor isn’t strictly a stand-up special as much as it’s a roast of the longtime late night talk show host. Conan O’Brien may be retired from that gig, but a lot of his old late night friends are back for this special including his former sidekick Andy Richter and even Triumph the Comic Insult Dog.

Before O’Brien can take the stage and accept this prestigious comedy award, an all-star lineup including David Letterman, Bill Burr, Stephen Colbert, Will Ferrell and more stop by to verbally smash him. It’s delightful and better than the vast majority of stand-up specials.

Conan O’Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is streaming on Netflix.

From his time as a “Weekend Update” anchor on SNL and Late Night With Seth Meyers, you’re probably most accustomed to seeing Seth Meyers behind a desk. But it’s great to see what he can do on his feet when he delivers his first stand-up comedy special. 

He’s wonderfully self-deprecating as he discusses his relationship with his now-wife, Alexi, and how he took five years to propose to her. “That is too long for a woman of her caliber,” he says before adding, “I also appreciate right now that if you’re watching this with a woman you have dated for five or more years, I have ruined your night.” 

And like the title of the special promises, you will scream with laughter when you hear the story of how their second child was, in fact, born in a lobby.

Seth Meyers: Lobby Baby is streaming on Netflix.

Taylor Tomlinson just announced that she is leaving her Comedy Central talk show @fter midnight to refocus on her stand-up career. After watching Quarter-Life Crisis, we’re glad to hear it. 

Tomlinson’s second special focuses on the painful time that is your 20s. She brings up several questions that arise during that pivotal decade, such as, “Will I outgrow this or is it a problem?,” “Is this a phase or a demon?” and “Am I fun or should I go to a meeting?” 

She also discusses dating apps and judging other people’s weddings while single. Whether you’re 25 or 75, you’ll find something to relate to in this edgy, biting special.

Taylor Tomlinson: Quarter-Life Crisis is streaming on Netflix.

Part stand-up special, part confessional one-person show, Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby used Nanette to announce they were quitting comedy. (They ultimately returned with another special called Douglas, but that’s neither here nor there.) In Nanette, Gadsby deconstructs the very nature of humor and joke-telling. (“Back in the good old days, lesbian meant something different than it does now. Back then, lesbian wasn’t about sexuality, a lesbian was just any woman not laughing at a man.”) 

They announce that they refuse to be the butt of their own jokes any longer. (“Do you understand what self-deprecation means when it comes from somebody who already exists in the margins? It’s not humility, it’s humiliation.”) What follows is profound, heart-wrenching and still, somehow, very funny.

Hannah Gadsby: Nanette is streaming on Netflix.

John Mulaney’s second Netflix special established him as a comedy powerhouse in the body of a “tall child” who “looks terrible.” (Don’t worry, those are his words, not ours.) Mulaney entertains his audience with his unique perspective on pop culture touchstones like Home Alone 2 and Ice-T’s performance on Law & Order: SVU.  

While his later specials like Kid Gorgeous and Baby J delve into more profound subject matter, such as his struggles with addiction, New In Town established Mulaney’s suit-wearing aesthetic and unmistakable tone. The title of the special comes from a tale of a particularly pushy unhoused person you have to hear to believe.

John Mulaney: New In Town is streaming on Netflix.

Bo Burnham became famous in the early 2000s by recording comedy songs inside his bedroom and posting them online. As his popularity grew, he began touring, taking his clever wit and wordplay to the stage, but he ultimately quit because of the intense panic attacks he experienced before live performances. 

During the 2020 lockdown, he returned to his roots — in an extreme fashion. Burnham rented a guest house and isolated himself inside it, sleeping there and recording songs while growing out a long beard and head of hair. Inside was all performed and recorded in that same house with no audience, making it a completely new take on what a comedy special can be.

In the special, he critiques American capitalism, politics and social media. He reflects on some of his earlier work, critiquing himself in a rather brilliant song called “Problematic.”

Bo Burnham: Inside is streaming on Netflix.

After a misleading 2023 New Yorker article claimed he had fabricated stories about racism in his previous stand-up specials, Hasan Minhaj took a beat before responding with a video corroborating his side of the story — complete with graphics. 

In 2024, he returned to the stage with new stand-up material to defend his honor as a storyteller. “I got caught embellishing for dramatic effect,” he explains to the audience. “Same crime your aunt is guilty of over Thanksgiving.” 

Minhaj is sharply intelligent, yet he exudes warmth and good humor as he tackles race, class and politics. He even defines a new sub-culture of Americans: “There’s white America. There’s Black America. Then there’s Beige-istan. That’s just everybody. Indians, Latinos, Filipinos, wherever the f*** Bruno Mars is from. Beige-istan.” Minhaj holds nothing back, skewering both the left and the right with scathing, yet undeniably accurate, observations.

Hasan Minhaj: Off With His Head is streaming on Netflix.

Maria Bamford (Arrested Development, Big Mouth) is one of the most talented character comedians working today, and she’s never been afraid to tackle real topics in an unusual way. In Old Baby, Bamford takes stand-up to the streets and the stage, performing for groups of various sizes in both private and public spaces. She discusses her recent time in a psychiatric facility and manages to make it both funny and profound. 

Her style is divisive — one audience critic on Rotten Tomatoes notes that she spends “two minutes just making fart noises” — but try to let go of your expectations and just go along for the ride. Bamford acknowledges she may not be everyone’s cup of tea. She offers this advice if you show the special to a friend and they don’t enjoy it. “You took a risk. And in fact, your relationship has only grown deeper, because now you know you have different senses of humor when it comes to certain types of stand-up comedy.”

Maria Bamford: Old Baby is streaming on Netflix.