Colin Quinn, Reggie Watts, Michael Che and More Netflix Original Hour Specials Announced
The Netflix Original Hour Special has become a force in the comedy business. The Netflix Effect (a term coined by Comedy Dynamic’s Brian-Volk Weiss in an interview with us earlier this year) is undeniable. It is a powerful career changer for comedians. Netflix has also become synonymous with quality in the comedy special game.
So when Netflix announces a new slate of specials they’re releasing we pay close attention. The latest run of specials includes an impressive array of names. Cedric the Entertainer, Russell Peters, Joe Rogan, Dana Carvey Colin Quinn, Michael Che, Reggie Watts and Gabriel Iglesias will all release new specials this fall via the Netflix Platform. There isn’t a special on this list that we aren’t excited to see, with particularly interesting and unique offerings coming from Colin Quinn, and Reggie Watts. We’re also particularly excited to see Michael Che’s stand up- his first solo outing. He taped a half hour for Comedy Central in 2014, but the half hour specials are taped as part of a group series, and have a different flavor from hour specials.
Chronologically, Cedric the Entertainer: Live from the Ville is up first premiering on Friday, September 16, 2016. Taped in Nashville, at the famed Ryman Auditorium, Cedric looks at the aggressive lyrics of today’s rap artists, raising kids in the Snapchat generation, and Obama’s legacy. Continuing to trade on the fact that he is one of the most successful stand up performers in the world and not yet a household name, Russell Peters: Almost Famous is the culmination of a gigantic worldwide tour. Taped in Toronto, Peters’ special dives into the topics of family and race and will debut on Friday October 7, 2016. Joe Rogan taped his new special Joe Rogan: Triggered at the Fillmore in San Francisco and you can expect him to talk about edibles, Santa Claus, raising kids, and talking to dolphins. Triggered premieres on Friday October 21.
November brings three more releases, from three Saturday Night Live Alums. Dana Carvey: Straight White Male, 60 is Carvey’s first comedy special in over eight years. His first two were filmed in 1990 and 2008, making this his third hour special. Carvey’s new special was filmed at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston, and premieres on November 4, 2016. We’re very excited about Colin Quinn’s new special- more of a one man show than a stand up special. Colin Quinn: The New York Story was based on his excellent book covering the topic of race in American Culture, New York Stories. The theatrical run of The New York Story was sold out throughout its residency, and was filmed at the Schimmel Center in New York City. This is Quinn’s third theatrical show, and he’s already working on his next one. Quinn is easily one of the smartest, funniest and most prolific performers in stand up today. The Jerry Seinfeld directed show will debut on November 18, 2016. Rounding out the SNL series, Michael Che Matters will premiere on Friday November 25, 2016. The SNL Weekend Update anchor and former Daily Show correspondent packs an even bigger punch on the stand up stage than he does on television. It’s no stretch to say he is one of the freshest young voices in comedy and has a long career ahead of him. This will be his first hour special. He taped at the Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse in Brooklyn, New York just a few weeks ago and we can’t wait to check it out.
In December, Netflix will debut specials from Reggie Watts and Gabriel Iglesias. Reggie Watts: Spatial was filmed on a Los Angeles soundstage, and promises to be creative, experimental and unexpected. If there is such a thing as jazz comedy, Watts is it. Netflix is promising a one-of-a-kind surrealist adventure combining stand up, sketch, short stories and dream sequences culminating in a special unlike any other, debuting on December 13, 2016. Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias is one of the most popular comedians in the world with his recent tour hitting up 24 countries. His sixth special will be his first with Netflix and was recorded in Chicago on his recent tour. Gabriel lglesias: I’m Sorry For What I Said When I Was Hungry premieres Tuesday, December 20, 2016
These comedians join the already announced special from Iliza Shlesinger (titled Confirmed Kills, out September 23) and one from the blue collar comedy duo of Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy (titled We’ve Been Thinking, premiering on August 26).
