The Funniest American Stand-Up Comedy


   

The laughDB database is dedicated to the funniest comedy movies, stand-up comedy and TV series.

This section is for stand-up comedy sets from the USA. By default they are presented starting with the ones ranking highest on the laugh-o-meter, but you can also sort them by year, title or IMDB rating.


Funniest American Comedies sorted by Laugh-o-meter (descending) / page 7 of 10


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Pete Johansson: You Might Also Enjoy Pete Johansson posterPete Johansson: You Might Also Enjoy Pete Johansson
      2016 | USA | Laughs: 3.5 (Watch Once) | imdb: 5.2
      

After watching an excerpt from one of his sets, I thought I might enjoy Pete Johansson, so my lady friend and I popped this tape in to give him a go. We both liked him—she perhaps more than I. What I liked was that Pete appeared to be fairly bright and that he made me laugh a few times. His brand of humor seems to be somewhere on the Bill Burr - Louis CK continuum. For now I found the set a bit diluted (not enough laughs), but it's entirely possible Pete may devise something more potent in the future. (Last viewed: May 2017)

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Steve Martin: On Location posterSteve Martin: On Location
      1976 | USA | Laughs: 3.5 (Chuckle) | imdb: 7.7
      

I'm not a fan of Steve Martin's (both his acting and stand-up comedy usually tend to leave me cold) but I enjoyed the first part of this show very much. It didn't make me laugh out loud, but at least I got to chuckle while discovering a range of skills I never knew Steve had, from juggling to playing the banjo.

The delivery reminded me very much of George Carlin. If it is the case that Steve was inspired by George, then perhaps it is a shame that he later developed his own style, which never did much for me.

For me, the end of the show was as boring as Steve's usual act. (Last viewed: August 2018)

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Joe Rogan Live from the Tabernacle posterJoe Rogan: Live from the Tabernacle
      2012 | USA | Laughs: 3.5 (Chuckle) | imdb: 7.3
      

During the first part of this show, I thought it was the best of Joe's that I'd seen so far, including his later 2016 set Triggered and the 2018 special Strange Times.

But sometime after the half-hour mark, the set takes a wrong turn and ends up focusing solely on male physiology and female anatomy. It's a shame, and a problem that probably wouldn't arise if Joe went easy on the protein powder. Maybe time will fix that — hopefully not in the form of prostate cancer, but with these unnaturally beefy guys the risks are high.

(Last viewed: December 2019)

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Denis Leary: No Cure for Cancer DVDDenis Leary: No Cure for Cancer
      1992 | USA | Laughs: 3.4 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 7.4
      wikipedia

This show opens and closes with songs which I would rather have skipped. Leary doesn't smile much, nor does he seem very happy: perhaps this could fit under the genre of "angry comedy". Fittingly, one of the funniest parts of the show is the one about people who are not happy. I also laughed during the routines about smoking, drugs, and meat eating. Denis lost me when he started to talk about his family. Overall, I wasn't sure what he represents. It didn't seem like there was much audience connection: this was very much a "my tantrum" show. For me, the best stand-up comedians are geniuses. Perhaps Denis Leary is just not that bright? Not his fault, to be sure, but not everyone can be expected to love his comedy, even if we appreciate his efforts. (Last viewed: August 2010)

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Ali Wong: Baby Cobra posterAli Wong: Baby Cobra
      2016 | USA | Laughs: 3.3 | imdb: 7.6
      

For some time I must have had Ali confused with another female stand-up comedian whom I couldn't stand, because it took me three years to give this show a try.

It was not nearly as bad as I had assumed — I may have been pushing it, but I was able to get through it in only three sittings. Sure, it was far cruder than I like my stand-up to be, but nowadays that seems to be standard fare, which would make Ali "middle of the road" if she were a white US male comedian.

There were some good moments, particularly when Ali demystifies the point of marriage from "the female perspective". Planning to try her next set, Hard Knock Wife.

(Last viewed: November 2019)

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Demetri Martin: Person DVDDemetri Martin: Person
      2007 | USA | Laughs: 3.1 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 7.7
      wikipedia

Low-key, often clever and charming set involving song and cartoons, but not funny in a laugh-out-loud way, making me wonder whether those who laughed hard in the audience had a crush on Demetri or were paid to laugh. No doubt Demetri is a talented young man, but the audience seemed to laugh and clap at just about anything. (Last viewed: December 2012)

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Buddy Hackett Live and Uncensored posterBuddy Hackett Live and Uncensored
      1983 | USA | Laughs: 3.0 | imdb: 8.4
      

This set was my first encounter with Buddy Hackett. It had good moments, but I wasn't left wanting for more.

A large part of the show was spent on jokes related to people's private parts. In the early 1980s the rawness of it may have been so novel that it triggered astonished laughter, but in this day and age the last thing I need is another stand-up show filled with jokes about genitals.

Buddy has an unusual physique. I'm not sure his face is all that expressive but I found it fascinating to watch. I was impressed with his command of Asian accents during bits that might come across as culturally insensitive nowadays. With many close-up of its faces, the audience was also entertaining to watch. For capturing a time and place so crisply, the set has unquestionable historical value. (Last viewed: September 2018)

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David Cross: Bigger and Blackerer DVDDavid Cross: Bigger and Blackerer
      2010 | USA | Laughs: 3.0 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 7.2
      wikipedia

A very slow set that nearly put me to sleep. To start with, it was not a good sign that David ripped off the title of Chris Rock's mediocre Bigger and Blacker show. Early in the set, some of the comedy is circumstantial (based on the political highlights of the time), never a good sign for a show—unless it's a sign of a short expiry date. Later in the show, David tackles religion, but anything David does about religion, Doug Stanhope and Jim Jefferies can do a hundred times better. I've seen stand-up comics in a coffee shop of a 200-person village who were ten times funnier than David Cross in this show. The one redeeming point is David's excellent impersonation of a rabbi trying to guilt you into buy a more expensive product. (Last viewed: December 2012)

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George Carlin: Doin' It Again DVDGeorge Carlin: Doin' It Again
      1990 | USA | Laughs: 3.0 | imdb: 8.4
      wikipedia

Over the past month I've been watching a lot of stand-up comedy. After seeing so many faces, tonight I felt like resuming my quest (started over two years ago) of watching all the Carlin specials in chronological order. This show was next on the "to watch" list. Within fifteen seconds of stepping on stage, George had taken control of the crowd. Having seen many mediocre acts recently, and not having seen George in over a year, I was initially delighted to see George again. That feeling wore off, though, as I didn't laugh hard, and as much of the material felt similar to bits I'd seen George do before. Much of the show focused on language—expressions in the American idiom that George wished he didn't have to hear. My favorite bits were perhaps those about dogs. A fairly clever set, but not laugh-out-loud comedy. (Last viewed: January 2013)

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Jerry Before Seinfeld posterJerry Before Seinfeld
      2017 | USA | Laughs: 3.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.0
      wikipedia

In this special, Jerry Seinfeld revisits his early career as a comedian. Although the show as a hole is not terribly funny, it has good moments, and it's wonderful to see Jerry on stage again. If you're a fan, I'm sure you won't miss it. (Last viewed: May 2018)

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Jim Gaffigan: Noble Ape posterJim Gaffigan: Noble Ape
      2018 | USA | Laughs: 3.0 | imdb: 7.2
      

That show didn't entertain me nearly as much as the previous two that I'd watched. It's still Jim, and it was certainly a treat to be able to consume his demeanor and facial expressions for over an hour. But I found the material a little dull, and it surprised me to hear this reputedly clean comedian get into bathroom jokes. Nevertheless, the set can be enjoyed when sipped in small doses, and I'm sure it will please many, especially perhaps those of the Catholic persuasion as Jim (a self-professed Catholic) closes the show with a story of how he opened for the pope. (Last viewed: August 2018)

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Louis C.K.: Comedy Half-HourLouis C.K.: Comedy Half-Hour
      1996 | USA | Laughs: 3.0 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 7.4
      

Having recently watched a Louis CK show for the first time, I was curious to see what he was like in his early recordings. Well it's a lot less funny—I chuckled once, a meager payoff for a half hour of comedy. There's a lot of adult material of little interest (strangely, the soundtrack has beeps over the curse words). Unless you're also wanting to research this comedian's past, I'd say you can safely skip this show. (Last viewed: January 2013)

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Tom Segura: Comedy Central Season 15Tom Segura: Comedy Central Presents, Season 15 Episode 1
      2011 | USA | Laughs: 3.0 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 6.7
      

This twenty-minute comedy central special was the third of Tom's sets that I watched (after Completely Normal and Mostly Stories). I was surprised not to like it, but that was not Tom's fault: the audience had been so fluffed beforehand (instructed in the art of laughing for the taping) that it made an abominable background noise, laughing at the wrong moments, before the punchline had been delivered. Robbed of build-up and timing, Tom is only a quarter as funny, as his comedic power draws as much (or more) from his perfect delivery and his demeanor than from his material. Near the end, the audience was a bit more relaxed, which allowed me to laugh (I'm sad to admit) during a cruel segment about little people. (Last viewed: June 2017)

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Zach Galifianakis: Comedy Central Presents DVDZach Galifianakis: Comedy Central Presents
      1998 | USA | Laughs: 3.0 | imdb: 8.0
      

After enjoying Zach more in recent movies such as Due Date than in his earlier roles, it was a pleasure to see him on stage—but I found the segment pretty weak. He opened by rolling out one joke after another. I much prefer when the material is connected. After five minutes, Zach jumped on the piano—to my mind, an accessory that rarely add comic power, but more often covers up loose material. It was cute, but not what I'm looking for when I want to laugh, and I nearly went to sleep. The audience of young women laughed hysterically at the least syllable, so at least someone liked the show. I'll be looking for a full set of Zach's material to see how he performs without the constraint of a twenty-minute TV segment. (Last viewed: November 2012)

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Jerry Seinfeld: Stand-Up Confidential posterJerry Seinfeld: Stand-Up Confidential
      1987 | USA | Laughs: 2.8 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 6.6
      

If you've seen Jerry's other sets, you can probably skip this one. It will mostly be material you're familiar with, but less-well honed.

At the beginning of the set, I was surprised by Jerry's timing and delivery, which reminded me very much of George Carlin's. The tape is peppered with short recorded skits. Far from increasing the interest of the piece, these are too goofy to be funny. (Last viewed: November 2018)

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(This section: Funniest American Comedies)


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