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The Best Stand-Up Comedy Specials Available Online

Stand-up comedy has been undergoing somewhat of a renaissance on the Internet lately. As distribution methods for content have changed and people have been able to stream or download sets from their favorite comics instead of going to see them at clubs or waiting for their next stand-up special on Comedy Central, the variety of comedy available has expanded beyond a handful of high-profile performers.

4. Mike Birbiglia – My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend

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There is probably no other comic out there right now who appeals to the NPR crowd as much as Mike Birbiglia. Not only has he been a repeat contributor to This American Life, but he has also found himself a niche as a stand-up comic doing the sort of long-form storytelling that has lent itself to a one-man off-Broadway show (Sleepwalk with Me) and a movie based on that show. What’s remarkable is that he has done all this without abandoning his roots as a stand-up comic. His recent My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend worked both as an off-Broadway show and as a stand-up comedy special, and now he is on a more purely stand-up oriented tour called Thank God for Jokes.

Thank God for Jokes includes some of his best work yet, including a killer bit about director David O. Russel, but My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend still offers the most compelling look at how Birbiglia is able to be a crossover success and appeal both to fans of the sort of story-based performance one would find with The Moth as well as fans of traditional stand-up. Even as he is essentially telling one long story, Birbiglia keeps the jokes coming fast enough that there is rarely a gap in the laughs.

Where to find it: Netflix