Most people tend to know Netflix best for their explosive docudramas on cults and killers, or for reviving mid TV shows from other networks, or for titillating sex and violence, or even for mind-bending sci-fi. But for the past decade, there is no genre the global streaming giant has thoroughly dominated more than stand-up comedy.
If the key to comedy remains timing, then this week’s kickoff of the second Netflix is a Joke Fest across Los Angeles feels most auspicious.
Set aside anything Jerry Seinfeld has said as fuel to gin up publicity for his own Netflix movie (Unfrosted, premiering Friday) and his Hollywood Bowl shows Wednesday and Thursday where he shares a bill with Jim Gaffigan, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Nate Bargatze. Fans of all political persuasions keep watching old Seinfeld episodes and snapping up tickets to his live shows. Nobody at the 17,500-seat amphitheater in the Hollywood hills is likely to make much of a fuss—especially after paying up to $700 for a ticket.
