Laughter is the best medicine. We know it and we have evidence to prove it to you. However, we have no way to make you laugh or convince you to laugh. This is where standup comedy comes in. Where most people will convince you that laughing is good for your health, others will tell you to laugh at your problems. However, we can all agree that laughing in difficult situations as you are paying bills or getting dumped is a little challenging. This is the reason; standup comedians exist – to make you laugh in all the awkward situations when you cannot find a reason to laugh otherwise.
There is no doubt that you will find standup comedy routines online easily. There are TV channels dedicated to comic relief where you can enjoy nonstop comedy shows. To catch up on the trends, online streaming sites and video streaming sites also have standup routines. However, most of the streaming companies mainly work with mainstream famous comedians only. This leaves the audience with similar jokes that they have already watched on multiple occasions.
To offer you some comic relief, we have assembled a list of some of the best comedy shows that you can watch online or on your cable TV. Since our aim is to offer you some of the best, unrated comedy shows, we recommend cable TV mainly because you will have a huge channel lineup along with an on-demand title streaming option. For affordable cable TV connection, we recommend Optimum TV packages.
5 Best Standup Shows to Watch
1. Taylor Tomlinson – Look At You
Available on: Netflix
Release: 2022
Runtime: 1 hr.
Context: Taylor talks about her mental health, trauma, relationship, and loss
We have all heard people talk about trauma bonding and laughing at our problems but we have hardly seen happening. With Taylor Tomlinson, you will find yourself laughing aloud and there is no boring moment. The best thing about her is the timing and delivery.
Where most comedians have one story that they built on and then deliver a punchline, she has a collection of fun stories with punchlines that will convince you to laugh aloud without any discrimination. She walks the audience through her mental health issues and then the loss of loved ones, which is a rare topic for a standup routine.
2. Daniel Sloss—X
Available on: Netflix, HBO
Release: 2019
Runtime: 88 min
Context: trauma, childhood, family, relationship, and loss
If you are looking for someone who can walk a thin line between offending someone and helping you heal through the loss, this is a perfect pick for you. Most people think young comedians will be politically correct but Daniel believes in helping people get out of the constant pressure of being right.
The best thing about this stand-up routine is that you will find some of the best relationship advice although most of this advice will offend you some might leave you speechless. His humor has a very direct and clever social commentary that will convince you to think about otherwise taboo subjects. However, prepare to give your life another scan because this show will leave you thinking.
3. Matt Rife – Only Fans
Available on: YouTube
Release: 2022
Runtime: 1hr. 8 min
Context: Beauty, pretty privilege, taboo subjects, and social platforms
We have seen comedians openly talking about being ugly on unusual but we have never seen someone talking about being pretty or having pretty privilege. Well, if you have not already, this standup routine will surely make you think about everything again.
From being a pretty boy in southern America to being a comedian who is loved for multiple reasons, Matt has come a long way but talent is not the only thing that has bought him here. Shameless, audience and rather cocky, you will find the routine hilarious regardless.
4. Iliza Shlesinger: War Paint
Available on: Amazon Prime
Release: 2013
Runtime: 1 hr. 15 min
Context: relationship, friendship, gender communication, and toxicity
If next time someone tells you women are not hilarious, just leave them with the link to this stand-up special. The show is hilarious and will leave you in laughing fits. Iliza doesn’t hold back when it comes to delivering her material, she is fearless and audacious offering perfect caricatures and mimicking people.
From the delivery of her material to perfectly defining her routine she is anything but shy. The best thing about her shows is that they are generally diverse talking about multiple things so everyone stays interested.
5. Atsuko Okatsuka—the Intruder
Available on: HBO max
Release: 2022
Runtime: 57 min
Context: friendship, relationship, childhood, race, and traditional upbringing.
If there is something you are good at, there is a high chance that an Asian is doing it better than you are. Well, if this is not true, how do you explain this standup routine? This routine is one of the best things you will come across.
A perfect mix of culture and relatability the comedian was born in Taiwan and raised in Japan and then moved to the US so don’t feel like she doesn’t know what’s going on in the outside world. Witty, funny, and very clever in delivering her role, she is everything and much more.
Bottom Line
There is no doubt that you will find a lot of fun standup lineups online, however very few will make you laugh since most of the mainstream comedians use the same material till it’s not funny anymore. The above-mentioned list has some of the best and most underrated comedy lineups that you will come across.
