Netflix just finished up its genre trailer extravaganza known as Geeked Week, a mini Comicon (albeit a virtual one) that serves to successfully hype up horror, fantasy, and Sci-Fi fans for all the hottest titles hitting later in the year. With that in the bag, it’s worth taking a look back to early May for another Netflix hype fest that was also crazy successful, the streaming giant’s new yearly comedy festival known as Netflix is a Joke.
The streamer OG has been known for its prolific amount of comedy content for quite some time, so it’s no surprise that they would want to make their status as the destination for comedic talent both established and up-and-coming official. And thus the Netflix is a Joke comedy festival was born. An inaugural fest was planned and announced prior to pandemic lockdowns, but like of so much of 2020 and 2021, it was delayed indefinitely.
Though lengthy, the wait was worth it. The comedy fest finally saw the light of day with performances and panels hitting various venues in LA over the course of 11 days beginning April 28th through May 8th, 2022.
The fest featured appearances from Amy Schumer, Mindy Kaling, Megan Stalter, Chris Redd, Sebastian Maniscalco, Gabriel Jesús Iglesias, Snoop Dogg, Lily Tomlin, Pete Davidson, John Stewart, Pete Holmes, Bob the Drag Queen, Jenelle James, Ben Kissel, Billy Eichner, Chelsea Handler, and about a million more comics.
The fest featured live table reads, musical performances, drag brunch, and of course, tons of stand-up, with many of the performances recorded for later release as specials on Netflix proper. Here are a few highlights from the fest that are now available for streaming on Netflix, no ticket to the show necessary.
Pete Davidson’s “Very Weird Year”
It really has been a strange year for Pete Davidson. He began 2022 by ringing in the new year in a bonkers musical/comedy special with Miley Cyrus. He also famously became Mr. Kardashian, inspiring the ire of Kim’s ex-husband Kanye West. Then in May, around the time of the festival, it was announced that the comedian would be leaving SNL after eight years.
For the fest, Davidson hosted a variety show featuring both comedians and musical guests, and he definitely pontificated on his “very weird year” in his set. But he also didn’t let his tabloid/social media domination overshadow the task at hand: making people laugh. For the variety show, he invited his “best friends” onstage including Machine Gun Kelly, Big Wet, Neko White, Giulio Gallarotti, Carly Aquilino, Dave Sirus, Joey Gay, and Jordan Rock.
The special, Pete Davidson Presents The Best Friends was filmed for streaming and can be found now on Netflix.
Amy Schumer Keeps it All in the Family
After the popular and critical success of scripted series Life and Beth on Hulu earlier this year, Schumer headed back to her stand-up roots to host a new comedy special filmed at the fest titled Amy Schumer’s Parental Advisory. It’s a special about family life, the perils and pleasures of parenting, and the surprising reinvigoration of remarriage with sets from Ron Funches, Jaye McBride, Christina P, Rachel Feinstein, Chris DiStefano, and Lil Rel Howery.
Schumer’s special is also available now for streaming on Netflix.
Netflix Is a Joke Honors the Greats
During the festival, Netflix filmed The Hall: Honoring the Greats of Stand-Up, a special where Jon Stewart, Chelsea Handler, and John Mulaney paid tribute to George Carlin, Joan Rivers, Robin Williams, and Richard Pryor.
Jon Stewart honored the late comedian George Carlin by kicking off his set with the “seven dirty words” never to be spoken on TV as proclaimed by George Carlin. The Hall tribute comes right on the heels of HBO Max releasing the new documentary American Dream which examines Carlin’s life both professionally and personally, focusing on his relationships with his parents and brother as well as his time in the US military.
Both The Hall on Netflix and American Dream on HBO Max are available for streaming now.
Need a laugh? Subscribe now to have comedy picks delivered right to your inbox.