Amazon Prime has become a competitor in the stand-up comedy market by featuring some of the best comedians of all time in both new and old shows. Reminding Amazon Prime Video subscribers that the streaming service offers more than just science fiction, fantasy, and Middle-Earth’s lords Additionally, there are some top-notch stand-up comedy specials. The appearance and disappearance of “The Rings of Power” will almost certainly be the subject of jokes in upcoming stand-up specials.
Amazon Prime Library Stand Up Comedy Content
Even though stand-up comedy has been around for a while, the emergence of streaming services has significantly increased the amount of attention given to the genre. Although original stand-up isn’t as well-known in the Amazon Prime video collection, the streamer has published more than 30 unique specials since 2017. However, they also have stand-up comedy specials in their library that had their world premieres on Netflix, HBO, Showtime, Channel Four in the UK, and other platforms.
Amazon Prime’s comedy specials span decades and include both early and last appearances by some of the best comedians of all time, as well as specials that have won awards. In light of this, here is a list of some of the top stand-up comedy performances that can be viewed as part of an Amazon Prime membership.
1. A quote from Maria Bamford: “Weakness Is The Brand” (2020)
“Weakness is the Brand,” Maria Bamford’s fourth feature-length Lady Dynamite special, Bamford’s strange voice tone and ability to play different characters helped her get roles in the critically acclaimed animated shows Big Mouth and Adventure Time, where she has become a fan favorite. Weakness is the Brand is Bamford’s most personal comedy show to date. It has her signature voice work and snarky stories, as well as more open talks about her struggles with mental health.
2. Bill Engvall: Just Sell Him for Parts (2016)
Bill Engvall, a regular on the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, has been performing stand-up for quite some time; his first comedy album was released in 1996. Just Sell Him for Parts has more of the self-deprecating humor that made Engvall famous. For example, he builds on his famous “here’s your sign” routine. He also makes light of his disappointing fourth-place finish on Dancing with the Stars. Engvall’s act isn’t anything groundbreaking; it’s just some harmless fun.
3. Iain Stirling failing Upwards (2022)
Iain Stirling has a successful stand-up career, even though he is best known as the voice of the famous narrator on Love Island. The Scotsman discusses his life and how he stacks up against his more well-known wife in Failing Upwards. Stirling is also quite good at riding the wave of the audience’s reactions, whether they’re cheers or heckles. For Prime Video, this is Stirling’s debut stand-up special.
4. Cocoa Brown: Famous Enough (2022)
Although Cocoa Brown does not (yet) have her own Wikipedia article, she does have her own stand-up special available on Amazon Prime Video. During her show at COVID, Brown discusses romance, motherhood, family dysfunction, and double standards. This is Brown’s first stand-up special, and it was shot in the Big Apple. The audience may recognize Brown from her appearances in Never Have I Ever and Tyler Perry’s Single Moms Club.
5. Eddie Izzard: Wunderbar (2021)
While on the final leg of a world tour that would soon become impossible owing to the epidemic, Wunderbar was shot. Eddie Izzard’s London show has some of his usual funny bits, but it also has some deep thoughts about the nature of time and the mysterious meaning of circles. After you’ve finished Wunderbar, go on over to Amazon Prime to watch one of Izzard’s many stand-up specials.
6. White, Ron. “A Touch Unprofessional” (2012)
The 2012 album A Little Unprofessional was only Ron White’s second release in the past five years. The seasoned comedian sneaks away from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour to smoke a cigar and drink scotch while dropping his own jokes. The state of his marriage (which has altered considerably in the years afterwards) as well as his body are two of the many typical blue-collar cliches that he channels into his comedy, for better or for worse. But if you’re in it for the full 80 minutes, you’ll be rewarded with lots of chuckles.
7. Leslie Jones, the Problem Child (2010)
Leslie Jones, before she was stealing scenes on Saturday Night Live, used the stage name “Big Les” and released a number of stand-up DVDs (those things existed, right?). She first displayed the aggressive and profane approach that would catapult Jones to fame in her 2009 debut special, Problem Child. Jones shows that her biggest strength is the same one she shows off to her Twitter followers all the time: she can draw people in and keep their attention.
8. Kevin Smith: Silent, But Deadly (2018)
Kevin Smith’s sixth stand-up comedy special is titled Silent, But Deadly. Silent, But Deadly is Smith’s most true-to-form special, with prepared stories and anecdotes about his family and the condition of his business, in contrast to his earlier specials, including ones done in collaboration with Clerks costar Jason Mewes, which are in a more informal Q&A format. Smith had a heart attack that didn’t kill him soon after the tape was done. This prompted him to make significant changes in his life, making this special more important to him than any other.
9. Zakir Hussain’s “Haq Se Single”
Zakir Hussain’s strength is that he can tell stories that draw people in, and he does this very well in his stand-up routines about his romantic adventures. This stand-up is a mix of poetry and anecdotes that will stick with you long after the show is over. War Paint is Iliza Shlesinger’s first hour-long stand-up comedy show. She was in Dollface and Spencer Confidential.
10. War Paint by Iliza Shlesinger (2013)
War Paint is Iliza Shlesinger’s first hour-long stand-up comedy show. She was in Dollface and Spencer Confidential. In 2008, she competed on the reality show Last Comic Standing and came out on top, besting other well-known stand-up comics like Michelle Buteau and Christina Pazsitzky (a.k.a. Christina P). Shlesinger’s comedic style is defined by her confident delivery, dedication to characters, and well-thought-out routines, all of which she improved in her four subsequent Netflix stand-up comedy specials.
11. Bad for you! George Carlin! (2008)
It’s Bad for Ya! is the 14th and final full-length HBO special by the late entertainer. The special was taped in March of 2008, only three months before the comedian, then 71 years old, died of heart failure. It’s Bad for Ya! is not just the best stand-up special now available on Amazon Prime, but also one of the best of all time, thanks to some of Carlin’s finest and most eloquent riffs. Because he left an indelible mark on the comedy business and influenced generations of comedians after he died, he is at or near the top of any list of the best comedians ever.
12. Bill Hicks: Revelations (1993)
The legendary comedian Bill Hicks, whose life story will soon be the subject of a movie directed by Richard Linklater, has released his fourth and final full-length stand-up special titled “Revelations.” After the release of his first filmed special, “Dangerous,” in 1990, Hicks shot to fame and remained one of the most in-demand comedians in the United States until his death in 1994. Hicks’s last recorded show shows that, despite the fact that he tried to be mean, he was one of the most important comedians of his time because of his sharp social and political commentary and funny stories from his troubled past.
13. Biswa Kalyan Rath, Biswa Mast Aadmi
Biswa is one of the funniest stand-up comedians around, and he has some truly unforgettable situations in which he tells stories. Not only does he tell funny stories from his childhood and college days, but he also manages to use the best parts of his jokes over and over again.
Kenny’s song Sebastian Kenny gave the warning, “Don’t be that guy.” Sebastian’s stand-up is just as approachable as the rest of his work. You’ll laugh out loud at his middle-class woes, which include an equation with his cleaner and other amusing situations. Sebastian Maniscalco is an Italian-American comedian, and Aren’t You Embarrassed? is his third full-length stand-up special. During the previous 13 years, he has released five full-length stand-up specials, as well as written and starred in his book, Stay Hungry, and appeared in blockbuster movies like Green Book and Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman.
14. In the words of George Carlin: “Life Is Worth Losing” (2005)
George Carlin has been filming HBO specials since 1977, and Life is Worth Losing is his thirteenth. As a radio DJ in the late ’50s, Carlin’s illustrious career began on the path that would lead to him hosting the first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975. Carlin, now 68 years old, gives one of the best performances of his career in Life is Worth Losing, showcasing his vast lexicon and signature eloquence.
15. Comicstaan
Tanmay Bhat, Biswa Kalyan Rath, Kenny Sebastian, Kanan Gill, Sapan Verma, Naveen Richards, and Kaneez Surka, among others, help guide ten new comedians as they compete in new rounds and face new challenges to find India’s best comic. Abish Mathew and Sumukhi Suresh host a hilarious series that is worth checking out if you’re looking for some fresh comedic perspectives.
16. This is Todd Barry’s The Crowd at Work Tour (2014)
For his second full-length stand-up special, comedian Todd Barry went on the Crowd Work Tour. Barry is well-liked by his peers in the comedy world, but his mainstream success has been more modest: he voiced a regular character on the animated series Bob’s Burgers and had small roles in Flight of the Conchords on HBO and The Wrestler in 2008. The Crowd Work Tour is a demonstration of Barry’s comedic abilities; he gets all of his material from the crowd.
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