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JASON ZINOMAN
Posts
Stand-Up Comics Are Asking, What’s So Funny About Grief?
A new generation of stand-ups is mining the heartbreaking loss of a loved one for ambitious shows. How did we get here?
‘Game Theory’ Host Bomani Jones Calls an Audible
“Game Theory,” his HBO talk show, has pulled off the difficult feat of mixing sports and comedy with a political bite. Now he’s trying to…
Can Daniel Kitson Redefine the Relationship Between Comic and Audience?
The elusive stand-up seems to believe in making his listeners work. But it’s not out of contempt. Instead, he’s trying to forge an intimate human…
When Jewish Artists Wrestle With Antisemitism
In this unsettling moment, comedians, filmmakers, playwrights and others have been struggling against a long-ingrained American response to look away.
Best Comedy of 2022
Stand-up specials like “Rothaniel” pushed boundaries this year, and Netflix’s financial setbacks could mean that its dominance in comedy is slowing.
Hey, Elon Musk, Comedy Doesn’t Want to Be Legal
He’s Twitter’s chief jokester, but as his free-speech impulses conflict with his push to label parodies, he shows a misunderstanding of how humor works.
Stand-Up Comics and the Parent Trap
Specials from Nick Kroll, Hasan Minhaj and other young dads and moms show just how difficult it is to mine fresh insights from such worked-over…
James Corden and the Dangers of Likability
No one knows what an egg yolk omelet is, but we all know that TV hosts should be relatable. Or should they? That didn’t do…
‘Beavis and Butt-Head’ Was the ’90s Cartoon That Mattered
It doesn’t make best-of lists, but the series, then and now, was always much smarter than its characters, and it didn’t try too hard. Sorry,…
Kate Berlant Can’t Hide Any Longer
The experimental comic is known for freewheeling sets. Then Bo Burnham asked, “What if you actually tried to make something?” The transition has been hard.