While some consider it passive consumption, I'm going to file it under empathy research. I spent an afternoon this week dismantling decorations and watched three comedy specials from my ever-expanding watchlist that happened to prove you don't have to continue suffering (and being insufferable) for your art. You just have to survive and have the courage to talk about it.
We used to romanticize the tortured artist while refusing to burden others with our tales of mental illness. Granted, we still bothered them with the side effects of our untreated maladies, but I digress. These guys (and while they are all guys, I can't help shout out Maria Bamford at the forefront of this loosely labelled movement) refused to die for the bit and as the years go on, maybe this will seem less groundbreaking and new comedians will choose some balance of honesty and medications. It turns out that staying alive and getting the help you need from the family, friends, and community that matters to you makes for better comedy and better everything else, too.
We all know deep down that authenticity helps us become our true selves; we just get sidetracked thinking people would rather see some other version of ourselves, dislocated from our reality and experience. If you're feeling the weight of the world right now, these are the realistically and begrudgingly optimistic voices we need to hear, share, and protect.
Chris Gethard: Career Suicide (2017) - ★★★★
Reviewed on 13-JAN-26
Currently making the rounds, Chris Gethard’s in-depth reflection on the death of the middle-class comedy career on the Good One podcast made me rewind the clock and finally check out his Apatow-produced special featuring his takes on meds, suicide branding, and the trope of losing your creativity on prescription drugs; all completely relevant and worth exploring today. More one-man show than straight stand-up, this is Gethard’s true-to-life take on growing up in New Jersey, struggling as an artist, and discovering your mental health issues on the go with his “shrink” Barb. While clearly pre-pandemic (Starbucks albums, Skype, GChat, reverence for Marvel, quoting racism, and Morrissey without the controversy), this is a well-paced, seriously personal revelation that is both relatable and entertaining. A genuine act of authenticity before the algorithms.
Gary Gulman: The Great Depresh (2019) - ★★★★★
Reviewed on Jan 13-JAN-26
A monumental feat of strength, this is mostly stand-up but sparingly interspersed with the behind-the-scenes journey of Gary Gulman overcoming anxiety to return triumphantly to the stage. He weaves growing up in the ‘70s on the East Coast with a clear respect for subsequent and younger generations’ ability to overcome many toxic issues of the time. Other insights of note include the systematic lack of violence in basketball, the sinister nature of 60 Minutes to a child, the toll of moral panics on vans, and Gulman’s general mastery of the English language. Oh, and the electroconvulsive therapy (ETC) rebrand. In the end, this is a very alive performance and a thankful dodge of any “death by depression.”
Marc Maron: Panicked (2025) - ★★★★½
Reviewed on 13-JAN-26
Maron hits the ground running, bending the arc of anxiety by being as authentic as he can be. He tackles many sides of cat life, the wildfire hysteria, turbulent authoritarianism, eye-rolling righteousness, and accidentally tuning into a Swiftie to be just a little more okay with his pending mortality.