Here’s what Netflix is giving you this holiday: a whole bunch of jokes. Congrats, and such.
The third season of Netflix’s stand-up series The Standups hits the streamer on Wednesday, Dec. 29. This collection of half-hour specials from six of today’s top comedians includes new sets from Janelle James, Melissa Villaseñor, Mark Normand, Naomi Ekperigin, Dusty Slay, and Brian Simpson, and was filmed at the Edison Ballroom in New York City. Each episode was directed by Troy Miller, who also serves as an executive producer, alongside the six comics.
This season’s lineup is a good cross-section of experienced comedians, some of whom you’ll probably recognize from places like your TV and the internet. Take Melissa Villaseñor, for instance: you might’ve seen her on a show called Saturday Night Live. Naomi Ekperigin has a recurring role on Mythic Quest, and has also written for shows like Broady City, Difficult People and Great News. Janelle James co-stars on the brand new ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary and had a recurring role on Showtime’s Black Monday, which she also wrote for. Nashville’s Dusty Slay has performed stand-up on Jimmy Fallon and Comedy Central, Brian Simpson is a former marine turned comedian getting his biggest exposure yet, and Mark Normand is a well-established comic who’s been around for what feels like forever already. It’s a diverse lineup, with a variety of backgrounds and performance styles, and if you like comedy at all you’ll probably enjoy at least one of the six episodes.
If you’re in need of some solid chuckles, perhaps a hearty guffaw or three, you’ll probably want to login to the ol’ Netflix app come the last Wednesday of the year. The Standups will be there for you, patient and reliable, just waiting for a press of that play button. What else do you have to do on the Wednesday between Christmas and New Year’s?