It's that time of year again: Vulture critic Kathryn VanArendonk's Best Specials of the Year list is out! Years removed from lockdown and with a rise of specials on YouTube, there was a lot to consider. But these are the 10 VanArendonk thought were best!
Kathryn’s ranking: https://www.vulture.com/article/best-stand-up-comedy-specials-2023.html
Order Jesse's book, Comedy Book: How Comedy Conquered Culture–and the Magic That Makes It Work here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374604714/comedybook
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Best Specials of 2023 with Kathryn VanArendonk

Good One: A Podcast About Jokes is a podcast about - well - jokes, and the people who tell them. Each week, a comedian will play one of their jokes and then break it down with Vulture.com Senior Editor Jesse David Fox.

Comedy

Comedy Interviews

This week on Good One, host Jesse David Fox welcomes Alex Edelman podcast to talk about his special, Just For Us, which premiered on Max earlier this year. Alex walks Jesse through incarnations of the same story about the time his Orthodox Jewish family celebrated Christmas.
Order Jesse's book (out now!), Comedy Book: How Comedy Conquered Culture–and the Magic That Makes It Work here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374604714/comedybook
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Alex Edelman’s Christmas Story

This week on Good One, host Jesse David Fox welcomes Kyle Kinane back to the podcast to talk about his sixth stand-up special, Dirt Nap, which is currently available on YouTube. Kyle discusses putting together the incredible, nearly 50-minute story that he closes the special with me.
Order Jesse's book (out now!), Comedy Book: How Comedy Conquered Culture–and the Magic That Makes It Work here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374604714/comedybook
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Kyle Kinane's Dirt Nap

This week on Good One, host Jesse David Fox welcomes Ramy star/co-creator Ramy Youssef to the podcast to discuss his newest stand-up HBO special, More Feelings. Ramy had been touring his hour for years, but the set really came to focus in the weeks following October 7. This episode they discuss the first joke he wrote about what is happening in Gaza.
Order Jesse's book (out now!), Comedy Book: How Comedy Conquered Culture–and the Magic That Makes It Work here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374604714/comedybook
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Ramy Youssef's Phone Call

On a special bonus episode of Good One: A Podcast About Jokes, Host Jesse David Fox is talking about the creation of Good One: A Show About Jokes, the docu-special currently airing on Peacock about Mike Birbiglia’s search for his next hour. Jesse invites on Eddie Schmidt, the special’s director, to discuss how they went about adapting this very podcast for television.
Order Jesse's book (out now!), Comedy Book: How Comedy Conquered Culture–and the Magic That Makes It Work here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374604714/comedybook
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How Good One Became a TV Show

This week on Good One, host Jesse David Fox welcomes Judd Apatow back to the pod. While last time Apatow spoke about The King of Staten Island and his movie making process, this time he talks about his approach to hosting an award show. Specifically, how he’s approached the five times he’s hosted the Directors Guild of America Awards. Recorded live at SXSW in Austin on March 8, 2024, Apatow and Fox use the DGA monologue as a jumping-off point for a wide-ranging conversation about the state of comedy and the film industry.
Order Jesse's book (out now!), Comedy Book: How Comedy Conquered Culture–and the Magic That Makes It Work here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374604714/comedybook
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Best Specials of 2023 with Kathryn VanArendonk

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