Netflix released 14 new stand-up comedy specials in 2021, some more high-profile than others. Dave Chappelle’s “The Closer,” of course, stirred up discord both within and outside of Netflix for its offensive discussion of members of the trans community, while Bo Burnham forced us to think deeply about our time in quarantine in his equal parts hilarious, catchy and sad one-man-show “Inside.”
Below, we’ve put together a list of the best Netflix stand-up comedy specials of 2021 as ranked by Rotten Tomatoes audience score. The vast majority of Netflix specials do not have a Rotten Tomatoes critics score, so we deferred to the audience score below but noted the critics score when applicable.
It’s also important to keep in mind that the audience score can be skewed based on a number of factors, including the total number of reviews that make up the score and, in the case of “The Closer,” potential support for Chappelle with regards to his controversy rather than an actual grade of the comedy special.
Regardless, if you’re looking for a rundown of the best Netflix comedy specials that were released this year, the below list should serve as a guide of sorts to finding the best of the best.
9. “Theo Von: Regular People”
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 66%
8. “Phil Wang: Philly Philly Wang Wang”
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 67%
7. “Jim Gaffigan: Comedy Monster”
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 68%
6. “Chris Rock: Total Blackout – The Tamborine Extended Cut”
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 73%
5. “Brian Regan: On the Rocks”
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 80%
4. “Nate Bargatze: The Greatest Average American”
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 91%
3. “Bo Burnham: Inside”
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 93%
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 94%
2. “Dave Chappelle: The Closer”
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 95%
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 40%
1. “Mo Amer: Mohammad in Texas”
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 100%
