The Spit Take – Professional Comedy Criticism

What’s striking about Holmes’s comedy is that even when he’s venturing into the more personal areas of his life, he doesn’t ever tone down the silliness. And he shouldn’t.

Madrigal’s comedy is often about his family, it occasionally veers into absurdity, and its ceaseless acrimony is cloaked with a cheerful demeanor.

The storytelling/verbal-memoir show’s breathless mix of family stories, loopy characters, and impassioned armchair psychology is equal parts Bill Cosby, Lily Tomlin, and Adam Carolla.

Shaffir is skilled at tapping into the listener’s shared experiences. Universality comes from specificity, and when he outlines the horror his love life can devolve into, although we’re laughing, we’re also empathizing.

In just three words, he’s able to set the tone for the entire evening: a self-absorbed, conceited prick is going to grace you with his presence. You’re just damned lucky to be there.

One thing undeniable about Dice is his showmanship. His appearance is atypical, his demeanor is imposing, and his debasing material puts even the most ardent Jim Norton fans to shame.

Rogan doesn’t have one niche he’s easily boxed into. He’s a pothead, but he’s not a pot comic. He’s a UFC personality and fitness buff, but he’s not a vapid meathead. And he’s a sex fiend, but he’s not a sordid dirtbag.

Mirman is unabashedly absurd—the poster boy for alternative comedy, even. In this way, to some, it’s either love him or hate him.

For all of his astute mathematical analyses of wealth, Gulman is mostly just a laid-back dude making some laid-back observations about life.

Comedians like Peters end up with more money, a higher profile and a more manageable schedule by playing arenas, but risk losing the audience connection that made them successful in the first place.

The oddity of the format has allowed her to dive deeper, to be stranger and to explore the things that make her laugh, things that might not connect the same way if she were filming at a large theater.