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.

You may have heard over the past 4 years how bill has slowly crossed over to the other side. Well not quite that far but he certainly has let distance and daylight between his formerly loved party and its more modern incarnation or evolution today.

I hadn't really watched bill in ages myself. Mostly just because of access and interest more than anything. I always felt fairly lukewarm about him generally.

Not to say he isn't funny or that his style at the time simply didn't suit me or perhaps more his biased views that might have tinted his routines and comedy or other shows.

Still seeing this for the first exposure to bill in so long i have to say i like it.

I thought it was a fair classic comedians of yesterday trying to not be victims of the mob or cancel culture or some extreme political loyalty over just loving comedy their personal opinions and finding an audience.

There are digs on both sides. Personally im often a bit right biased myself and i had no issue with excessive or even a majority of biased topics jokes or presentations.

It all seemed like fair or balanced or enough neutral content i didn't mind. I could swear it was a vast majority of criticisms of more modern extreme left views and platforms or issues.

I don't take the time to watch many stand up comedy style performances these days but i am pleased to have watched this one.

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.

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."

Full disclosure- I am not a a huge fan of Bill Maher; however, I liked this special a lot. This is a very honest and bold stand up that daringly attacks insanity on the left and right. While he takes on Trump's madness he also takes on the madness that is Woke thinking in the 21st Century. He very intelligently distinguishes Liberalism, a Progressive way of thinking, and Wokeness, a disease of the mind and society. I don't love his delivery, but I do agree with a lot of his messaging. Even on the stuff I don't agree with- who cares- the whole point is that we should have the ability to disagree. His attack on collegiate thought and young people is so on the mark. This is smart thinking and thoughtful provoking.