College is stressful, and what better way is there to mitigate stress other than Netflix? But sometimes you aren’t in the mood for drama, you don’t think you can try to get into a new comedy show, and frankly, trying to watch shows for children sometimes makes you feel as if you have lost some control over your life. So what do you do now? You need something to lift your spirits, something that makes you feel better about yourself, but low commitment enought that you won’t end up accidentally binge watching three seasons in one night. But what choice do you have? Oh boy, have I got an answer for you. Or rather, oh girl. Here are five stand up comedy specials that are indeed on Netflix, all performed by some extremely talented women. So get your Netflix open (or steal an account from your friend), pop some popcorn, and get ready to literally laugh your socks off.
1. Iliza Schlesinger: Iliza has not one, not two, but THREE specials on Netflix. With her hilarious takes on dating, femininity, her spot on demon voice, and her girly girl impression, you will be basically shrieking with laughter. Start with her first special, War Paint, then to her second, Freezing Hot, and on to her third and only very recently released hour special, Confirmed Kills. And yes ladies, she is coming to Dallas in January, so snag your tickets now.
2. Ali Wong: In her special, Baby Cobra, Ali Wong performs seven months pregnant. Yes, you read that right, she is very pregnant, and she makes some hilarious jokes about it. She’s one of the talented writers of Fresh Off the Boat, and her comedy is very different, but no less witty, fast paced, and fresh than the show is. Her discussions about trapping a man will explain all of your plans for the future (until you reall find out who trapped who), her jokes about race will make you laugh only slightly uncomfortably, and her frank remarks about pregnancy will make you shriek with both laughter and shock. The woman is a star, a loud and pregnant star, but no less of a star.
3. Jen Kirkman: I’m Going to Die Alone (And I Feel Fine) is Jen Kirkman’s tongue-in-cheek discussion of life as a divorced woman. Jen plays with cultural norms about expectations for women, with both self deprecation, and a complete lack of caring about what society tells her to do. Jen doesn’t care if you want her to be married, you don’t like that she once accidentally dated a 20-year-old, or that people would really like her to stop hating on kids- and she’s going to joke about it. She’s starting a commentary, and she’s not holding back. Dying alone doesn’t seem so bad when Jen Kirkman jokes about it.
4. Anjelah Johnson: You may know Anjelah Johson from her hilarious bit about nail salons, but don’t worry, she has two full specials on Netflix- Not Fancy and The Homecoming Show. She was also as Bon Qui Qui from King Burger on Mad TV, and don’t worry, she’s still just as funny. Her two Netflix specials have talked about being a Latina, marriage, wearing Forever 21 clothes on the red carpet, and a million more things you would be surprised she can joke about. It’s going to be surprising and entertaining as hell.
5. Leslie Jones: From Saturday Night Live to the new Ghostbusters, Leslie Jones creates hilarity in everything she touches. She is an extremely talented comedian, and her special Problem Child is a pure hour of some wild high jinks, including some harrassment of audience members, all done in good fun. Be prepared to laugh out loud, but don’t watch this with a gentle or particularly judgemental roommate, because this sh!t is gonna get loud. You can’t watch this with your mom, that’s for sure, but if you need some aggressive feel good about yourself comedy, this is the special to beat. Mom’s not here.
6. Chelsea Peretti: You can tell One of the Greats is going to be an ironic and grandiose type of hilarious when the special starts out with a dramatic shot of Chelsea riding on her motorcycle, with a Clint Eastwood style growl of narration talking about the “trials and tribulations” that brought her to this point. From here, she constantly throws the expectations of female comics up in the air, from playing on stereotypically male bits in her act to telling us why she’ll never joke about her period. Her masterful writing is so fast paced and so effortless that you won’t even notice an hour has gone by until the credits are rolling.
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