Best Stand up comedy specials

Not all stand-up comedy is spot-cleaned and pre-packaged for the masses. Like the legends who were born out of smokey, booze-soaked nightclubs of decades past, Doug Stanhope spews his own brand of moral outrage in an unmatched style that borders on self-destruction. Nothing is sacred, no subject off-limits and most importantly nothing is contrived. From critically acclaimed appearances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to regular appearances on The Howard Stern Show, Stanhope always shows an intelligence and brutal honesty in his comedy, no matter how viciously graphic or unsettling the material may be. Taped live at the Gotham Comedy Club, this appearance is an unflinching look at one of the few voices left standing in the dark, punk-rock underbelly of stand-up comedy.

Comedian Brad Williams' standup topics include his experiences as a little person and how to please your woman in bed.

Comedian Ellen DeGeneres performs a live stand-up comedy set in Seattle.

Comedian Bill Burr takes the stage in Nashville and riffs on such topics as overpopulation, fast food, dictators and gorilla sign language.

Noah's South African roots and upbringing merge into his recent American experience making for funny and human juxtapositions and observations.

Losing It is a Vir Das Journey of Africa , India and America and religions. He touches many topics with audience laughing throughout.

Russell Brand gets loquacious in London as he ruminates on the state of the world and marvels over how his life changed the moment he became a father.

Stand-up comedian Kevin Hart talks about his family, travel and a year full of reckless behavior in front of a live sold-out crowd in London.

Australian comic Hannah Gadsby reshapes standard stand-up by pairing punchlines with personal revelations on gender, sexuality and childhood turmoil.

Trevor Noah's Netflix one hour standup special. Amazing comedy covering race in America, immigration politics, international relations and more.

Eddie Murphy's raunchy, raucous stand-up comedy routine is captured for posterity on this tape.

Fusing his musical and stand-up chops, Kenny Sebastian gets analytical about frumpy footwear, flightless birds and his fear of not being funny enough.

From the Vedas to Vasco da Gama to vacuous Bollywood plotlines, Vir Das celebrates the history of India with his one-of-a-kind perspective.

Karunesh talks about the "Indian Uncle" and what problems has the "Uncle" species caused all over the world.

Revisiting life goals set in a letter written as a teen to his future self, comedian Kanan Gill reports back on if he's lived up to his own expectations.

Bill Burr unloads on outrage culture, male feminism, cultural appropriation, robot sex and more in a blistering stand-up special shot in London.

Louis C.K. muses on religion, eternal love, giving dogs drugs, email fights, teachers, and more in a live performance from Washington D.C.

A man, with an incredibly stupid laugh, tells jokes to an audience.

Karunesh gives another hilarious performance that's filled with astute observations.

John Mulaney relays his childhood and Saturday Night Live (1975), eviscerates the value of college, and laments getting older in this comedy special. Other topics include the church, his family, President Trump and pedophiles abducting kids.

Demetri Martin performs his newest stand-up routine at The Lincoln Theater in Washington D.C.

Dave Chappelle gives his usual skewed insight into the topics of race, technology, OJ Simpson, and more in a stand up special filmed in Hollywood.

Funnyman Bill Burr takes the stage to uncork a profanity-laced, incisive routine that pokes fun at plastic surgery, reality TV, gold diggers and more.

As he closes out his slate of comedy specials, Dave takes the stage to try and set the record straight; and get a few things off his chest.

In his first one-hour special, comedy and television star Louis C.K. returns to HBO for an hour of no-holds-barred, adults-only stand-up comedy taped before a live audience at the Henry Fonda Theater in Los Angeles.