Mike Birbiglia: The New One

I have missed him on Netflix! I loved his first three standup routines..especially the one that centered on Catholicism. I was very sad that he disappeared...but was thrilled that he finally had a new show.

He's obviously had some pretty serious health problems, which is why this delightful and charmingly funny man disappeared. He's come back with some bitterness and fear, and I get it. But this new standup is a little dark...

I liked the "Christ is born, Christ has risen, Christ will come at 10." silliness much better.

When I first saw that Birbiglia was doing this show on Broadway, I wondered what it was all about as Broadway usually has some type of unique aspect that comes with it.

I was ready to give this special a high 8 or 9. I saw Thank God for Jokes when he was touring it years ago and it made me laugh throughout. When it was finally taped and put on Netflix... I'm not sure how the jokes were changed over time(because I couldn't remember when I saw the show live) but they were definitely changed because the jokes didn't land the way they originally did.

With this special, I think Birbiglia is bouncing back. With an almost 90 minute runtime, I wasn't sure where this special would go. One thing is for sure, Mike is your friend. Mike is an excellent storyteller. There is one thing that happens halfway through that utilizes the stage. I think that propels the special into its last act.

This special centers around a lot of things before finally reaching fatherhood. As his daughter is still young, this is a good start. It'll be interesting for his daughter to age a couple of years and new material to appear from those experiences. Comedians can usually gather some of their golden material once they've married, had kids, divorced, and had huge life events. I'm sure Birbiglia will be no different.

This is a must watch. There aren't funny moments throughout but there are those clever quirks that we've all come to know and love from Birbiglia. Some specials will always be funnier than others but Birbiglia solidified himself into a top storyteller long ago.

This routine is both a hilarious take on the fear related to transition to a new chapter and an absolute must see for a new parent. I laughed, cried, and reflected. That is so much more than I've ever been able to say about amy comedy routine.

MB is not afraid to go out on a limb. In fact he does it a lot in this comic monolog about new fatherhood and related issues.

I don't have children (and never plan to - I'm being very clear!), and this was hilarious. So glad to see Mike still doing his thing and as funny as ever.