Bill Maher: Is Anyone Else Seeing This?

I'm giving this one star for every joke I hadn't heard yet (a few of them were genuine laugh-out-loud gut-busters) . It's probably my own fault for overexposing myself as a regular watcher of Real Time, and semi-frequent listener/viewer of Club Random, and a listener of the What This Comedian Said Will Shock You audiobook. So the premises are just what Bill Maher talks about these days. Many of the punchlines seem familiar, too. Watching this gave me the same feeling I used to get watching his stand-up before I got on board with him -- at times it feels more like a humorous lecture than a stand-up special.

Bill Maher's been talking about the same things for years now. If you don't go outside your comfort zone and change up your material, you're a very tame comedian. Chances are if you went to see this show you've already heard all this before. Now I agree with a lot of what he's saying, but it doesn't really matter. What matters is if it's funny or not. And the answer is "eh." I chuckled a few times but the score I'm giving it isn't because it's very funny. It would at least be a 6 if that were the case. If you're a huge Bill Maher fan you have nothing to lose, listening to him talk about the same thing for the past 5 years. Otherwise, I would t really say it's particularly worth checking out as a "comedy show."

It just isn't funny anymore, Bill. Jeff Dunham manages to get a laugh every 15 seconds, but I sat through 15 minutes of your latest special and barely cracked a smile. If I'm being generous, maybe I laughed once. Comedy is supposed to evolve with time, not devolve, and after decades in the game, you'd think you'd know that. Instead, we're left with lazy, recycled material that feels more like a lecture than a comedy special. It's hard to imagine anyone paying for this if you weren't already a household name. Let's be honest: if this were a debut, no one would be signing a contract for a follow-up.

Poking fun at Trump is the oldest trick in the book, and you've been at it so long that it feels like autopilot. Worse, you're accusing him of things that never even happened, while completely ignoring the glaring disasters of the current administration. Biden is driving the country into the ground, yet you focus on the same tired targets as if it's still 2016. Remember when you confidently said there was "no chance Trump was going to win"? Turns out, you were wrong. And guess what? That kind of arrogance is exactly what turned so many people off in the first place.

Here's the thing: comedy has the power to be a mirror to society, to punch up, to challenge hypocrisy no matter where it's coming from. Right now, comedy feels broken-Hollywood feels broken-but there's hope. Maybe Monday marks the start of something new, a chance for America to be great again. And who knows? Maybe with a little humility and self-awareness, comedians and Hollywood can be great again, too.

Bill, maybe in a few years, you'll get another shot at making a special-one that's actually funny and filled with the apologies you owe for the blind spots, laziness, and partisanship. Until then, you might want to take notes from comedians who still know how to bring the laughs consistently. Because right now, you're coasting on reputation, and that's not good enough anymore.

I've watched real time very consistently for years and have a lot of respect for Mr Maher, but not as much for his brand of humor and stand up.

Well, this was very enjoyable and had way more laugh out loud moments than I would have predicted. Bill seems very comfortable. His timing is mostly on point. The material is his usual metre but with some nice twists and very good presentation.

So, thank you Bill. See you next Friday night. Will be coming for a dose of common sense and with renewed interest in your funny bone.

70 characters left on the wall. If one of those characters should happen to fall...

It's true. Said that to set the foundation.

I mostly avoid American news/media since 2017ish. Yeah, I catch stuff here in there. Not much. Over these years, didn't have an opinion about Maher one way or the other. I will say, I did love Maher from way back in the day.

Last six months, I do watch Rubin Report almost every day. You probably already know their relationship. They just went to a Lakers game together, right? From what Rubin shows, I really like. But, a lot of what Rubin says about Maher aren't feelings I have. I feel like Maher is way more like Rubin and I than Rubin understands.

Saying all this because this disagreement with Rubin's views on Maher is what made we watch this.

Watching made me feel Maher's way more like Rubin and I than Rubin can even imagine.

Overall, it was a homerun from Maher. He 100% says what he thinks and believes and he didn't judge anybody. Ok, maybe he judged a little. But, whatever. None of that bothered me 1 bit.

His honesty and not worrying about offending anyone is what makes me love this!