Stand-up special

A stand-up special is a film and television genre featuring a live performance by a stand-up comedian that has been recorded for later broadcast or exhibition.^[1] In the United States, stand-up series and specials were aired on cable TV channels like HBO in the 1970s,^[2] and Showtime, VH1 and Comedy Central in the 1980s and 1990s. They have become increasingly popular and cost-effective content for streaming services like Hulu and Netflix.^[3][4]

Standup specials may "interweave additional filmic material such as sketches (Sarah Silverman's Jesus is Magic), interviews (Gary Gulman's The Great Depresh) or surrealistic cut-aways (Chelsea Peretti's One of the Greats)."^[5] Stand-up specials can feature multiple comedians.^[5] Subject matter within even one comedian's specials may range from political commentary (John Mulaney's "there's a horse loose in the hospital" bit) to self-conscious confessional (John Mulaney's "and this is the story I'm willing to tell you..." recounting of his drug addictions and stint in recovery).^[6][7]

By contrast, "documentaries about comedians and comedy (Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy) don't become specials by virtue of their presentation of actual stand-up set."^[5]

In ideal scenarios for the comedian, bits from the set can go viral on social media and elevate the comedian to a new level of public recognition, such as was the case with Sindhu Vee's segment from the BBC's Live at the Apollo series.^[8] As a rule, live-show comedy-club stand-up is not a particularly lucrative or reliable income stream for the traveling bards.^[9]