Comedy Specials to Watch (or Skip) in January 2024 [Updated]

Editor’s Note: This list has been updated to include comedy specials that were not previously announced at the original time of publication.

January tends to be a bit shit for several reasons—if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, there’s the dreary weather. If you celebrate Christmas, you’re probably looking at a depleted bank account. And if you mark the New Year on the first of the month, you’re likely thinking about the passage of time and whether you’ll actually stick to any resolutions. Nevertheless, stand-up is steaming ahead with a handful of new comedy specials this month. Mind you, these are just the ones that have been announced—who knows what surprises may lay in store?

We’ve sorted through the stand-up specials due for release in January to make sure you don’t miss the best ones, and that you’re at least aware of the dubious ones that are coming out. And if you’re feeling behind on 2023 releases, you can check out the best specials from last year here. 

Don’t Miss

Eric André: Eric André Live Near Broadway

Where to watch: Adult Swim
Release date: January 18

Eric André never ceases to delight with his increasingly bonkers comedy. His eponymous talk show returned to Adult Swim for a sixth season in 2023, with bigger and weirder stunts, including a haywire hayseed rideshare prank. We expect he’ll continue to pull out all the stops with his new special, which will feature cameos from The Eric André Show characters The Fridge Keeper and The Grim Reaper. Chris Fleming’s not the only one to have weird puppets in his special!

Jacqueline Novak: Get on Your Knees 

Where to watch: Netflix
Release date: January 23

Jacqueline Novak’s special Get on Your Knees is nearly six years in the making. Novak’s first iteration of the show, called How Embarrassing For Her, premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2018, before becoming an Off-Broadway staple. As the title suggests, Novak spends the hour discussing blow jobs, though there’s much more to it. It’ll be intriguing to see how her one-woman show changes as it goes from stage to streamer.

Dusty Slay: Workin’ Man 

Where to watch: Netflix
Release date: January 16

Break out that old trucker hat and prepare for Dusty Slay to surprise you. He certainly surprised me in 2022 when he was featured on Season 3 of Netflix’s The Standups, bringing an easy, shrugging Southern charm to the mic. Fans of Nate Bargatze will warm to Slay, though he’s not quite as clean-cut. However, that rough-around-the-edges quality only adds to Slay’s appeal, and his Netflix hour’s title suggests that he’s bringing some of that beloved grit to the stage. (Time will only tell if the special will draw on his YouTube ranking of the best five country songs about workin’ men.) 

We’re Ambivalent

Pete Davidson: Turbo Fonzarelli

Where to watch: Netflix
Release date: January 9

I wasn’t a huge fan of Pete Davidson’s 2020 special Alive From New York—in fact, I kinda hated it. However, in recent years Davidson has branched out, writing and starring in the 2020 film The King of Staten Island and the 2023 Peacock series Bupkis, and maybe he’s grown along the way. Neither the movie nor the show quite knock it out of the park, but Davidson’s charm is the centerpiece of both, which also draw on elements of the comedian’s real life. Our hopes aren’t that high for Turbo Fonzarelli, but we’d like to see Davidson get in some good jokes, as opposed to the puerile nonsense and name-dropping that was Alive From New York.

Morbidly Curious

Kevin James: Irregardless

Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Release date: January 23

Kevin James made an interesting move in 2020, appearing as a racist home invader thriller Becky and, honestly, doing a pretty incredible job. However, now he’s returning to form with his new comedy special Irregardless. His last hour, Never Don’t Give Up, was released in 2018—his first in 17 years—and was a dated mess. James spent that hour harping on the dearth of real masculinity in American life, and considering the current wave of comedians appealing to conservative audiences with the same sort of rhetoric, we can’t imagine Irregardless will be much better. Go back to the villain roles while you can, Kevin!

Jack Whitehall: Settle Down

Where to watch: Netflix
Release date: January 30

Jack Whitehall is smarmy, posh, and annoying, which is why he worked as the smarmy, posh, and annoying character JP on the British college dramedy Fresh Meat. Whitehall is pretty much just an entitled nepo baby (his dad worked as a talent agent, with clients like Judi Dench and Daniel Day-Lewis) who’s returning to stand-up after attempting to break America with roles in duds like Jungle Cruise and Clifford the Big Red Dog. Honestly, I plan on avoiding his special like the plague (unless I have to review it, we’ll see), but for those who can’t help but watch the disaster, I wish you well.

Clare Martin is a cemetery enthusiast and Paste’s assistant comedy editor. Go harass her on Twitter @theclaremartin.