As 2025 draws to a close, and I can’t believe how quickly that is happening, I’d just like to make a recommendation for what I consider to be the best comedy special of the year. Well… two, actually.

I’ll only ever recommend stuff you can see for free, so I won’t be plugging anything locked behind a Netflix or Disney paywall. The specials I’ll link to are both completely free to watch on YouTube.

Has 2025 been an amazing year for comedy specials? I guess so, because there’s more of them available all the time. I’ve seen a lot of them that I wouldn’t say are worth everyone’s time, but no real stinkers this year.

Nothing as egregious as the last offerings from Joe Rogan, Roseanne Barr or Rob Schneider, which has got to be a good thing. They’re from 2023-2024 which I’m now thinking of as a regrettable time. 2025 was not bad, and produced at least two excellent specimens that I’m wholeheartedly recommending to anyone who’ll listen.

The first of these should surprise nobody who follows me on Facebook because I’ve raved about it there. It’s from Gianmarco Soresi, of whom I’ve been a fan since about the time I got into stand up. He has a background in both Improv and stand-up, so he brings all of the dramatic and performance skills people acquire from Improv. I’ve said before that one of those advantages is to present effectively, even to an empty room, just like an actor can. Comedians usually can’t do that, relying on real-time feedback and indicators to evaluate and tweak as we go.

His special, The Thief of Joy, impressed me a lot.

It’s a masterclass in how to get a comedy special right. He goes right into the material, which is rarer than you’d think. Typically most comedy specials start with a long preamble. There’s usually some pointless and unfunny skit at the beginning.

Or sometimes there will be a mini-movie tracking the comedian as they walk down the street and through the club and finally up to the stage. By the way, if you’re due on stage and you’re shambling up there in your own sweet time, I will fucking judge you. A professional will be ready to go as soon as their name is announced.

Occasionally you’ll see five minutes of hype where the comedian tries to convince us of how big they are and how excited we’re supposed to be (like most Dave Chappelle or Bert Kreischer specials). Fuck this. If you have to give me some Superbowl-like hype-fest at the beginning of your special, or need to tell me how big you are, I’ll have either fallen asleep or changed the channel by the time you’re prepared to start proving it.

Why the fuck do we do this? In a discipline that instructs us to trim the fat, get to the first punchline as quickly as possible, etc, etc why is dithering and procrastination normalized in comedy specials?

It’s one of those mysteries of life, but I’m glad some comedians are using what they’ve learned in their craft and applying it to the product they release to the world. Thief of Joy gets straight into the material, which is a blessed relief.

Here’s some other stuff that impressed me about Thief of Joy: You get to see a comedian who’s at the top of their writing game and their performance game. Most of us lean towards one or the other of those skills, but it’s rare and excellent to witness someone showing us an exceptional level of skill in both simultaneously.

Gianmarco’s acting skills are both performative and natural at the same time. There’s not a millimeter of the stage that he doesn’t use. But he also delivers a brilliantly structured and plotted show that’s got all the hallmarks of clever writing. There’s a sense we go on a journey, with lots of foreshadowing and callbacks.

Another aspect I’m greatly impressed by is when someone is able to make it personal and show something of themselves instead of polished detached snarkiness, but not so personal that it’s painful, confessional or cringey. Also, it’s smart and silly at the same time. It touches on big issues, little issues, personal stuff and silliness. This is like a shopping list of everything I love in a good special.

You can watch it on this page or directly on YouTube:

I was just going to offer “the best special for 2025” but then I watched The Last Cancelled Comedian by Alfie Brown just last night, and instantly knew it would have to share top billing.

The same reasons all apply here: Straight into the jokes, and they’re brilliant jokes. It’s both smart and silly, personal and general. It touches on big issues, especially ones relevant to comedians, while detailing a journey of personal redemption. It’s brilliantly written, and also expertly presented on stage.

These two specials will probably show you exactly where I’m at and what I look for in stand up comedy these days, but I’d also point to them as masterclass examples for aspiring comics.

So here’s The Last Cancelled Comedian, which you can also watch directly on YouTube:

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these. What defines or makes a good special for you? I’d love to know if you feel like leaving a comment.

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