Although Netflix and HBO are more well-known for their original stand-up specials, Amazon Prime Video hosts a wealth of stand-up comedy content – both new and old – with all of them available with a basic subscription. While stand-up comedy has existed for quite some time, the rise of streaming platforms has led to a significant increase in attention paid to the format. While the Amazon Prime Video library isn’t known for original stand-up, the streamer has released several exclusive specials since 2017.

Also among their inventory of stand-up comedy offerings are specials that originally premiered on Netflix and HBO, as well as on Showtime, the UK’s Channel Four, and other outlets. Amazon Prime’s comedy specials go back decades and include award-winning specials with both early and final performances from some of the most iconic comedians in history. With that in mind, here is a look at some of the best performances in stand-up comedy available as part of an Amazon Prime Video subscription.

15

Iliza Shlesinger

A Different Animal (2025)

Iliza Shlesinger rose to prominence thanks to her Netflix specials, with six different ones on the network. However, she also has several comedy stand-up acts on Amazon Prime Video, including her 2013 Netflix debut War Paint. She returned in 2025 for a new comedy special called A Different Animal, the first that is an exclusive for Amazon. Schlesinger ​​​​​​goes into detail in this new special about giving birth to her second child, her thoughts on modern-day feminism, and how comedy is different with Gen-Z than it was for her.

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Schlesinger filmed this special at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City. It follows her recent foray into acting in movies like Spenser Confidential and Pieces of a Woman and the TV show The Righteous Gemstones. With an emphasis on motherhood and her pregnancy, this is different enough from her past shows while maintaining a sharp wit and a clever batch of jokes about women in their 40s and their struggles, especially when dealing with the worst of men.

14

Joel McHale

Live From Pyongyang (2019)

Joel McHale has been doing stand-up comedy even before he gained mainstream popularity while hosting The Soup on the E! television network. While he is best known for his acting career (Sons of Anarchy, Community, Santa Clarita Diet), his 2019 comedy stand-up special, Live from Pyongyang, arrived and is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. Shockingly, even after his long career of stand-up and comedy, this was the first ever full-length comedy special he created as a show.

McHale proves his skills as a storyteller in this stand-up performance, as he has meticulously set up his jokes so that he circles back to some of them later in the performance and adds great callbacks to good effect. However, there is also a bit of overabundance of insulting the audience based on where they are from, and McHale’s shtick of making people mad is on full display here among the laughs. It is also important to note that he did not film this special in Pyongyang.

13

Jim Gaffigan

Dark Pale (2023)

Jim Gaffigan has been a stand-up comedian since 1990, and he has 16 specials to his name. Many of these are brilliant, with King Baby one of his best. However, in 2023, Gaffigan created Dark Pale, which might be his best special yet. Not only is it better than his previous releases, but it is also darker, and he has shown a true progression from a beloved comedian to one of the best working today. This was a shocking turn, with Gaffigan’s normally clean, inoffensive humor taking a turn in this special.

It isn’t suddenly R-rated or vulgar; it is just comedy with darker subject matter. One such joke has Gaffigan imagining his own funeral, which he began to think about during the pandemic. He has a dream that his body will sit up in the casket with his arms raising and a recording of his voice saying he is in a better place before saying, “Just kidding. I’m here.” There are still good old standby Gaffigan jokes, such as his obsession with restaurants, but this special shows an evolution of his comedy, and it works perfectly.

12

Jenny Slate

Seasoned Professional (2024)

Jenny Slate is a stand-up comedian from New York City who got her big break when she joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2009. She also appeared in TV shows like Bob’s Burgers, Parks and Recreation, and Kroll Show​​​​​​. In 2024, Slate released her second televised stand-up special, Seasoned Professional, which followed her 2019 Netflix special, Stage Fright. This time around, she is on Amazon Prime Video as an exclusive for that streamer.

The special has Slate talking about a variety of topics, including an unexpected pregnancy, seeing a therapist for her problems, and trusting a partner with her vulnerabilities. Slate is also someone who will talk about anything, no matter how embarrassing, and she had funny jokes involving breastfeeding, diarrhea on a school trip, and masturbation. She also had a fantastic joke about getting an email suggesting she play Pennywise in Stephen King’s It, an idea that horrified her.

11

Tig Notaro

Hello Again (2024)

Tig Notaro had a new comedy special come out in 2024, and it is available on Amazon Prime Video for fans to enjoy. Notaro has been incredibly successful in her career, earning a Grammy nomination in 2014 (Live) and both a Grammy and a Primetime Emmy nomination in 2016-2017 (Tig Notaro: Boyish Girl Interrupted). Hello Again is her fifth television special, and her first for Prime Video (she had one on Comedy Central, two on HBO, and one on Netflix before this).

As with her past specials, this one is all about her storytelling, and, as always, her tales are often bizarre and strange but always entertaining. Notaro is as droll and laid back as always, but she has some of the best wordplay and spoken visuals, and she keeps the audience laughing with every unexpected joke she lets loose with. With Notaro talking about everything from making different life choices to awkward doctor’s visits, she delivers yet another crowd-pleasing stand-up act.

10

Kevin Smith

Silent, But Deadly (2018)

Silent, But Deadly is the sixth solo stand-up comedy special from View Askewniverse creator Kevin Smith. While most of Smith’s other specials, including those done in tandem with Clerks costar Jason Mewes, are in a more informal Q&A format, Silent, But Deadly is Smith’s most true-to-form special, with prepared stories and anecdotes about his family and the state of his career. The special is named in reference to the non-fatal heart attack that Smith suffered moments after the taping finished.

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The heart attack prompted a significant change in the filmmaker’s lifestyle, making it his most meaningful special to date. While fans might be familiar with Smith’s brand of down-home humor and his comfort at speaking with fans, this was a good chance to show him at his best – a natural storyteller who knows that the best jokes are the ones he makes about himself, his life, and his insecurities.

9

Iliza Shlesinger

War Paint (2013)

War Paint is the first full-length stand-up comedy special from Spenser Confidential star and Dollface guest star Iliza Shlesinger. She appeared on the reality competition series Last Comic Standing in 2008, ultimately beating out other notable stand-up comics such as Michelle Buteau and Christina Pazsitzky (a.k.a. Christina P.) for the season’s top spot.

Shlesinger’s bold delivery, commitment to characters, and thoughtful, well-crafted routines define her comedic style, which she continued to cultivate in her subsequent four Netflix stand-up comedy specials. She has since released her first Amazon Prime Video-exclusive comedy stand-up special, which shows her development as a comedian. However, when it comes to her comedy act, she has always strived to match her debut, as War Paint is still the best of her career.

8

Tom Segura

Completely Normal (2014)

Tom Segura has deeply entrenched himself in the world of comedy for the better part of the last two decades, rubbing elbows with some of today’s most popular stand-up comics and even marrying fellow brash comedian Christina Pazsitzky (of Midnight Gospel). Completely Normal is the first full-length stand-up comedy special from the Your Mom’s House podcaster, and it exemplifies the early stages of the comedic style that would propel Segura to mainstream success.

His deadpan delivery and characteristic nonchalance are on display in the special, which would famously garner the attention of legendary former boxer Mike Tyson. This is a low-energy stand-up special that nonetheless delivers the hilarious comedy that fans might have hoped for, and this, along with Mostly Stories, shows that Segura is as comfortable on the stage as he is on his podcast.

7

Sebastian Maniscalco

Aren’t You Embarrassed? (2014)

Aren’t You Embarrassed? is the third full-length stand-up special from Italian-American comedian Sebastian Maniscalco. He has dominated the comedy scene for more than a decade, releasing five full-length stand-up specials and his memoir, Stay Hungry, all within the span of the last 13 years, while also appearing in massive films like Green Book and Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman.

Maniscalco talks about everything from life in a traditional Italian-American household to the problems that come with growing up in a society where everything is on the internet for people to find. The comedian mostly takes viewers on a trip through his childhood to his life now in his 40s where he is still trying to figure things out. His matter-of-fact style of storytelling and accentuated mannerisms make him an engaging performer, as displayed in his Aren’t You Embarrassed? special.

6

George Carlin

Life Is Worth Losing (2005)

Life is Worth Losing is the 13th special George Carlin filmed for HBO since his first back in 1977. Carlin’s legendary career began in the late 1950s with a stint as a radio DJ, starting him down a path that would see him eventually host the pilot episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975. The 68-year-old Carlin is in peak form in Life is Worth Losing, making use of his impressive vocabulary and characteristic eloquence in one of the best performances of his career.

George Carlin died three years later at 71. That makes this special very macabre, with the entire set nothing but giant tombstones and Carlin spending much of the set talking about depression, torture, and suicide. This is very dark, and it takes on an even darker tone when people realize that he isn’t going to be around much longer. This is also a perfect special showing how Carlin’s unique worldview is not only funny but also poignant and often thought-provoking.

5

Todd Barry

The Crowd Work Tour (2014)

The Crowd Work Tour is the second full-length special from comedian’s comedian Todd Barry. Though he is well-respected within the comedy community, Barry has enjoyed rather moderate mainstream success, voicing a recurring character in the animated series Bob’s Burgers and appearing briefly in HBO’s Flight of the Conchords as well as the 2008 film The Wrestler.

The Crowd Work Tour is a showcase of Barry’s wit and comedic talents, relying solely on his audiences to provide him with the basis for his material. This is an interesting comedy special because “crowd work” just means a comedian having spontaneous conversations with audience members. After 20 years of stand-up, it gave him a chance to do something different, and what resulted was this comedy special that shows how quick-witted and talented Barry really is.

4

Maria Bamford

Weakness Is The Brand (2020)

Weakness is the Brand is the fourth full-length special from Lady Dynamite creator Maria Bamford. Bamford’s unique vocal inflection and distinctive character work have led her to a rather fruitful career in voice acting, appearing in hugely popular animated series as various characters in Big Mouth and Adventure Time. Weakness is the Brand is a mix of Bamford’s characteristic voice work and sarcastic anecdotes interspersed between more vulnerable reflections on her mental health.

That makes this one of the most personal comedy specials of her career to date. This is very different from Lady Dynamite as her mental health issues are not as much a part of her act. Instead, she still focuses on weakness while using herself as the brunt of her jokes. Bamford is in complete control of the show and her audience with this stand-up special. She delivers on more jokes than not and finishes with a great performance.

3

Eddie Izzard

Dress To Kill (1999)

Dress to Kill is the fifth full-length special from prominent British comedian and Hannibal co-star Eddie Izzard. The show is named in reference to Izzard’s tendency to present as female while onstage, advocating for trans rights since the early ‘90s and switching exclusively to she/her pronouns in 2020. Izzard’s refined and eloquent comedic style, as seen in Dress to Kill, has led to a rather successful career in film and television, and her message of logic and love makes her stand out amidst the often angry and sometimes cruel world of stand-up comedy.

When this stand-up series came out in 1999, there was nothing like it. Izzard came out dressed in her heels and a Chinese silk smock, and the “executive transvestite” delivers some great jokes about childhood, makeup, and gender confusion. What really makes this stand out, though, is when Izzard launches into a long monologue that hits on anything and everything that comes into her mind, and while it isn’t funny on its own, Izzard’s delivery makes it all a great watch.

2

Bill Hicks

Revelations (1993)

Revelations is the fourth and final full-length stand-up special from prolific comedian Bill Hicks. Hicks quickly rose to prominence following the release of his first taped special, Dangerous, in 1990, lifting him from relative obscurity and making him one of America’s most sought-after comics until his death in 1994. This performance took place at the Dominion Theatre in London in November 1992.

Despite his intentionally abrasive style, Hicks’ insightful social and political commentary, paired with outlandish stories from his troubled past, made him one of the most influential comedians of his era, which can be plainly seen in what would be his last taped performance. Hicks died the year after this comedy stand-up special was released, which makes it sad to watch for his fans, but he didn’t relent on his biting humor and observations about the state of his country.

1

George Carlin

It’s Bad For Ya! (2008)

George Carlin…It’s Bad For Ya! is the 14th and final full-length special the late performer recorded for HBO. The 71-year-old comedian recorded the special in March 2008 before dying of heart failure just three months later. Carlin delivers some of the most well-crafted and eloquent riffs of his career, making It’s Bad For Ya! not only the best stand-up special streaming on Amazon Prime right now but one of the best of all time.

His iconic style and unparalleled tenacity have posthumously inspired new generations of comics, landing him comfortably atop most lists of the greatest comedians in history. In this special, he offers the same sort of jokes he is known for. When looking at patriotism, he said it is as silly as being proud of being born with cancer. When it comes to being old, he says he can take advantage of people but isn’t responsible for it. He was as blunt and outspoken as always, which is why he is one of the best to ever do it.