Subjective ‘Best Comedy Specials of Recent Memory’ List

Elephant In The Room, filmed at the acclaimed Montreal Comedy Festival, is Patrice's first full-length special.

When George Carlin is asked which HBO concert is his favorite, his answer is always, "Jammin' In New York." The reasons are several: It was his first HBO show done live; it was the first he had done in his hometown, New York City; and it was the largest audience he had ever worked before: 6,500.But Carlin says it also represented a newfound sophistication in his writing. "It was the first time I had done truly extended pieces consisting of separate sections all flowing together. It was a big leap for me."The show, taped at the Paramount Theater in Madison Square Garden and winner of the 1992 CableACE Award, is a perfect blend of biting social commentary and more gently-observed observational pieces.

Mitch All Together is stand-up comedian Mitch Hedberg's second comedy album before his death in 2005. It is a recording of a performance at the Acme Comedy Club in Minneapolis, Minnesota from May 2003.

After hearing comedian Frankie Boyle say that all comedian over 40 should quit because they're not angry enough any more, 42-year-old Stewart Lee ponders youth, piracy, pears and the hatefulness of the Top Gear presenters.

In this unique and dynamic live concert experience, Louis C.K.'s exploration of life after 40 destroys politically correct images of modern life with thoughts we have all had...but would rarely admit to.

George Carlin continues making people laugh with his 13th HBO stand-up special.

Comedian Bill Burr's 2014 stand-up comedy special.

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.

Stand-up comedian Bill Burr's 2010 comedy special.

Doug Stanhope performs at Seattle's Comedy Underground.

A master of the one-liner with an absurd rambling style, Zach's sharp, resonating humor makes his show at the famed Purple Onion in San Francisco one of the funniest performances in recent comedy.

Share this *Alcoholocaust: (Meaning: The aftermath of a drinking party, usually resulting in every available horizontal surface being covered in empty booze containers, spilled beverages and a general sticky alcoholic residue.) Jim Jefferies, the globally renowned Australian stand-up, returns to Just For Laughs with his brand new solo show. Alcoholocaust includes some of Jim's favourite wild antics over the past year. As always, his material is set in reality, which is what provides him with his trademark brutally frank style. Among other things, you will hear about a hilarious yet touching true story involving his friend's severely disabled brother, plus Jim's traditional pet peeves - religion & idiots.

Acerbic, eternally world-weary comic in stand up routine. Dylan Moran holds forth on matters important to him such as smoking (pro rather than anti), drink, drugs, music, women and children.

Dave jokes about the sexual assaults dominating the 2017 entertainment news and how and why people allow themselves to be abused.

Chris Rock's third HBO comedy special shows him performing his stand-up routine at Apollo Theater in Harlem.

Executive transvestite Eddie Izzard takes his show to San Francisco to give a brief history of pagan and Christian religions, the building of Stonehenge, the birth of the Church of England and of Western empires, and the need for a European dream. Along the way, he dramatizes Dr. Heimlich's search for a maneuver, the naming of Engelbert Humperdinck, Scooby and Shaggy as archetypes, Neil Armstrong on the moon, society's tolerance of mass murderers, how we sing anthems and carols, Hollywood adapting British films, JFK's trip to Berlin, thoughts on puberty, and how to work schoolbook-French phrases into Parisian conversation. Closeups catch the glint in his eye and his carefully-applied make-up.

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

Maria Bamford performs a rapid-fire, playful stand-up set for crowds at park benches, bowling alleys and LA theaters in this roving comedy special.

Foul-mouthed Australian comedian Jim Jefferies puts everything out there in this raunchy EPIX comedy special -- and shows off his skill for skewering sacred cows and virtually everything else with brutal honesty.

This contains some of Brian Regan's best stand-up comedy including: Emergency Room, Visiting the Doctor, Food, UPS, Refrigerator, Phones and Codes, Airline Stuff, Inventions, Eye Doctor, Dinner Party

Jim Gaffigan does it again with his new stand-up Mr. Universe. Gaffigan jumps from topic to topic joking around with a varied number of topics. Some of the topics included are McDonalds, family, Disney World, and much more.

Veteran New York City comic Dave Attell is back with his Comedy Central stand-up special "Road Work." This unique special cuts together multiple performances from Attell's past tour. From New Orleans to Philadelphia to Minneapolis and more, "Road Work" feels more like a concert film than a traditional stand-up special. Of course, it wouldn't be a proper Attell show without his expert crowd work and clever R-rated material in what he calls "a filthy, dirty mess of a show."

Legendary comic Carlin comes back to the Beacon theater to angrily rant about airport security, germs, cigars, angels, children and parents, men, names, religion, god, advertising, Bill Jeff and minorities.