Each year, there’s an abundance of stand-up specials to find across streaming services and YouTube channels, along with too many short-form videos to list. But there are also some that rise to the top and stand out more amongst the rest of the year, looking back on everything else that I watched.
Here are the five best Comedy Specials released in 2025.
5.) Robby Hoffman: Wake Up
Exploring sexuality, how all men are probably a little bit gay, and his own identity within the public, the first Netflix special from Robby Hottman was a great debut on the platform for someone who is on her way to blowing up.
4.) Steph Tolev: Filth Queen
Steph Tolev’s Netflix special opens with her talking about how wearing a romper isn’t the best idea when you suffer from IBS, and she explains why, if you can’t easily picture the hows and whys. Quickly establishing why the special is titled ‘Filth Queen,’ she has plenty more filthy jokes in this great show.
3.) Mo Amer: Wild World
Mo Amer’s second Netflix special opens quickly with him yelling, “F**k DJ Khalid,” which is one way to grab the attention of anyone who has clicked play. And he spends a fair bit of this special doing a great job of explaining why everyone should care about everyone, and using his platform and jokes to discuss Israel and Palestine.
2.) Joe List: Small Ball
A comedy club special released on Joe List’s YouTube channel carries the pure stand-up energy that defines the artform, and this was the best of the smaller-scale stand-ups I watched in 2025. There’s a very ‘everyman’ style to the delivery of the jokes, and the number of which Joe manages to fit into this show, which is just under an hour, is quick-fire hits.
1.) Marc Maron: Panicked
There’s a point in Marc Maron’s latest HBO stand-up special that he says, “Why can’t I just be entertaining?” After spending the start of his special ripping into the Trump administration and the podcast and comedian bro’s who helped platform idiots. His follow-up story is about evacuating his cats from the wildfires in LA, revealing a softer, more anxiety-ridden side of the comedian not always heard in his specials. Amongst everything, there’s just so much to appreciate about Marc Maron and the way he delivers hard truths with sharp delivery and punch-up jokes, making for the year’s best comedy special.
Find all of Explosion Network’s Best of 2025 coverage right here, and be sure to let us know your thoughts on any of our lists in the comments section.
[He/Him] Dylan Blight is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Explosion Network, an independent Australian publication covering video games, film, television and pop culture.
Since founding Explosion Network in 2017, Dylan has written and produced reviews, news, interviews, features and podcasts across the entertainment industry, while overseeing the publication's editorial direction and content.
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