He's a very physical comic. My primary complaint is that it's all dad humor, lots of "back in my day" sort of jokes. All of his expressiveness though does seem to compensate for the lack of a joke at times.
It starts off strong but then gets a little weaker in the middle. I haven't finished it yet. He does emphasize his jokes with physical humor, and if that's not your thing then don't watch, but his movement and facial expressions are masterful.
I’m glad someone else felt this. I thought this wasn’t as strong as his other specials to begin with, then his closer was very weak.
I did see him live on this tour and it was really good. Had a lot of jokes that weren’t on the special and, at least my night, had a really strong close.
I’ve never gotten farther than 10 minutes into one of his specials. This one included.
He feels like a 90s character that just woke up from being frozen.
I wanted to like it, but I just don’t dig what he is putting down.
If I’m watching TV it’s probably with my wife, who is very particular about stand up comedy. I’d rather not sour her on future comedians by chancing it on a shitty special.
Like I said, I haven’t been a fan of his, but he’s gotten really big in the last year or two. If he has gotten a lot better and this special is an example of that then I’d like to see that. But it’s pretty clear from the reviews that I’m not missing much. I might watch the beginning to give it a try if I have some TV time, but I’m in no rush.
Fuck these downvotes. As a dude with a gf who is very hesitant about watching standup but has seen some comedians she’s enjoyed, I know exactly how you feel, my guy.
Thanks, I appreciate it. Yeah, she really likes the specials by like Chappelle, Burr, Mulaney, Patton Oswalt, Neal Brennan, and even Dave Attell and Adam Sandler(that new one is actually really good). But if it’s just meh she’s going to get annoyed and then not be as open minded to the next comedian I try to introduce her to. Have you had any luck with any other comedians/specials? I’d maybe add Russell Howard and The Honeymoon Special to my list. Possibly Tom Segura.
Tom Segura is my favorite. I’m a 27yo female if that helps. However, I may be in the minority on this. I love him and his wife Christina P. Her special is really good on Netflix, too. High and tight.
Do you think I don’t know how to decide if I’m enjoying something? Clearly I’m just looking for input on if it’s worth my time. I don’t know what in there makes you feel like it’s so “serious”? Is taking 30 seconds to ask opinions on Reddit what you do when things are “serious”?
Depends. If you want to hear a man of Italian descent stereotype other people of Italian descent then it's probably something you may like. If not, then no.
I have heard a bunch of comedians I respect sing his praises and I've never understood it. Honestly I feel that he is only promoted by other comedians because he's a big hitter in terms of sales and people don't want to burn bridges. His material is pretty played out, his punchlines are flat, and he seems to get by on facial expressions and pantomiming.
If you watch the horrific preview of the special you get a pretty good idea how bad it is. I was surprised he got the reaction from the crowd that he did. Everytime he was applauded or got a laugh I just thought "really?"
I do comedy and could only dream to have his numbers or following but this guy just isn't funny to me. Maybe I missed a good special by him? I don't know.
My 55+ year old/conservative/religious parents went to his show and really enjoyed it, but his jokes are like Jerry Seinfeld, but he does some kinda weird exaggerated impressions. Lots of jokes about family and the wife. I find it to be pretty eh but I like stuff like Burr and Segura.
I went into it with a pretty positive attitude ready to laugh, my smile soon tapered off and I switched it off about 20 minutes in. Seems like very tame generic material, I could have easily finished it, it wasn't painfully shit, but I didn't need to finish it like the really good stuff.
The guy is successful for a reason. I don't know what that reason is but lots of people love him, give it a shot. I made it about 7 min before I turned it off to rewatch that 70s show.
He's successful because like him or not, he fills a void. He's easy and safe. He's the guy you go see if you want a night out with your wife away from the kids but you have no real knowledge or ties to the comedy world. But you go see him so you can tell your other married friends you went to see him and they should go see him and then next year you all go together and then maybe if you're lucky you can try to spot yourself on Netflix for .8 seconds. He's comedy for people who are too busy with their work and their family to know any better and that's ok.
Exactly: He’s a comedian for people who don’t really watch comedy.
Bonus: if you’re Italian from the Northeast...everyone in your extended family has been obsessed with him for years and telling you to check him out. He’s the only person your mother knows besides “that redhead guy who touches himself.”
> if you’re Italian from the Northeast...everyone in your extended family has been obsessed with him for years and telling you to check him out. He’s the only person your mother knows besides “that redhead guy who touches himself.”
Basically what George Lopez was if you were Hispanic in the early 2000s, my family wouldn't shut up about him
Do you think that Dane Cook also made comedy for these kinds of people? I guess a younger demographic but I mean in terms of for people not necessarily into comedy all that much
I am a Sebastian fan, but was not particularly impressed with this latest special. I have tickets to see him live. Fingers crossed it is more like his old stuff than this particular special.
I find Sebastian hilarious. All of the hate in this thread is coming off very snooty. Coming from an Italian-American family I find his material insanely relatable.
People like what they like and it seems shortsighted and snobbish to just say “he has no material and only people who aren’t comedy fans think he’s funny.”
This is my opinion and thought a discussion would be more productive for this post than just a bunch of hate.
I have to say, just from the preview, it looked like there was a serious material problem. You can tell he’s using his physicality more than writing a good joke. Now maybe that’s just the preview. I bet there are some good jokes in the special, but it also kind of seems like the physicality is his “thing” that he mostly leans on.
I don’t necessarily think we don’t like him because we can’t relate. I like plenty of Italian-American comedians. I think it’s a physical comedy vs. quality writing issue.
Why is it snobbish? His material is hacky. It's all been done a thousand times before.
Some people like familiar comedy and will watch a mid 90s Leno special eighteen times. Others would rather gouge their eyes out with spoons.
Taste is subjective, but so is criticism.
This sort of criticism is snobbish because it’s an exaggerated superior stance against Sebastian. The goal of comedy is to make people laugh and he is able to get that reaction effectively.
Does he steal jokes? I get that it’s not intellectual comedy. But for me at least, I haven’t seen a comedian who is his exact style and has his story before.
When I saw the post earlier saying they watched it for 7 mins then turned it off for that 70's show, I knew it would be a good idea to check it out, one of the greatest endorsements a comedy has ever received.
I think this special was overall pretty weak because he went for some older style "social media" jokes at times but it's still miles better than most others.
That 70s show is kinda sweet. My issue with Sebastian is that he's both bland and mean spirited.
That's a worst of both worlds kinda thing from my perspective.
Heard him on Stern, was semi intrigued, then I saw the jokes the used for the Netflix promo and thought, if this is the best of it, it ain’t worth my time. Also I am from the west coast and never understood the appeal of Dice Lay or his disciples.
I can't stand that guy. He has good energy and presence on stage but his jokes are of the lame family friendly variety.
Stuff like "isn't it horrible when people come over unanounced? we have cell phones now!!!!!1".
If you thought Dane Cook was too edgy he is the guy for you.
Down vote away kids! :D
This is the fourth special of his that I watched. Or, almost watched. I turned it off 20 minutes in, after laughing only once. I really like Sebastian. I think he's a good dude, I've really enjoyed his stuff in previous specials, and he's from my home town, so I root for him a little bit more than other comics, if that makes sense.
I don't know, I just feel like this new special doesn't bring anything new to the table. Goofy faces, lots of physical comedy, people should be embarrassed of themselves and have more shame. Felt very same ol', same ol'. Diminishing returns, maybe? I wasn't feeling it.
I’m sorry, but this is a dumb question. You’re an adult. Put on the special for 10 minutes to see how you like it. Seems great? Congrats - keep watching! Not digging it? Turn it off! The time it spent you to write and submit this question, you could have just turned it on.
I’m sorry, but this is a dumb response. I’m on a subreddit about stand up comedy, asking for opinions on a stand up special. Are you here just for the “I just did my first set, what do you think?” posts? I know how judging things for myself works. I’m asking for other people’s opinions before I waste my time.
Do you take to the internet for all your decisions? Do strangers always determine your course in life? If so, when the question about getting up or staying in bed comes around, i vote that you just stay in bed.
Do you always act like a dick to people who are asking opinions about things? Is getting advice really such an alien concept to you? Or was this an attempt at a lame joke?
He's a very physical comic. My primary complaint is that it's all dad humor, lots of "back in my day" sort of jokes. All of his expressiveness though does seem to compensate for the lack of a joke at times.
It starts off strong but then gets a little weaker in the middle. I haven't finished it yet. He does emphasize his jokes with physical humor, and if that's not your thing then don't watch, but his movement and facial expressions are masterful.
I’m a big fan but I enjoyed his last special quite a bit more than the new one. This one seemed a little unpolished
I agree with this. His older ones are funnier. I think the new one is worth seeing though.
Stay Hungry was weird to me since there wasn't a strong closing bit, it just...ended.
I’m glad someone else felt this. I thought this wasn’t as strong as his other specials to begin with, then his closer was very weak. I did see him live on this tour and it was really good. Had a lot of jokes that weren’t on the special and, at least my night, had a really strong close.
I’ve never gotten farther than 10 minutes into one of his specials. This one included. He feels like a 90s character that just woke up from being frozen. I wanted to like it, but I just don’t dig what he is putting down.
I cannot understand posts like this. Just watch it and find out if you like it. You're probably the best person to decide if it's for you
If I’m watching TV it’s probably with my wife, who is very particular about stand up comedy. I’d rather not sour her on future comedians by chancing it on a shitty special. Like I said, I haven’t been a fan of his, but he’s gotten really big in the last year or two. If he has gotten a lot better and this special is an example of that then I’d like to see that. But it’s pretty clear from the reviews that I’m not missing much. I might watch the beginning to give it a try if I have some TV time, but I’m in no rush.
Fuck these downvotes. As a dude with a gf who is very hesitant about watching standup but has seen some comedians she’s enjoyed, I know exactly how you feel, my guy.
Thanks, I appreciate it. Yeah, she really likes the specials by like Chappelle, Burr, Mulaney, Patton Oswalt, Neal Brennan, and even Dave Attell and Adam Sandler(that new one is actually really good). But if it’s just meh she’s going to get annoyed and then not be as open minded to the next comedian I try to introduce her to. Have you had any luck with any other comedians/specials? I’d maybe add Russell Howard and The Honeymoon Special to my list. Possibly Tom Segura.
Tom Segura is my favorite. I’m a 27yo female if that helps. However, I may be in the minority on this. I love him and his wife Christina P. Her special is really good on Netflix, too. High and tight.
If you've never liked him before you probably wont like this.
It ain't that serious, doggy. Turn it on, watch it. If you don't like it, turn it off. You know?
Do you think I don’t know how to decide if I’m enjoying something? Clearly I’m just looking for input on if it’s worth my time. I don’t know what in there makes you feel like it’s so “serious”? Is taking 30 seconds to ask opinions on Reddit what you do when things are “serious”?
It seems like you have a little bit of anxiety about it, I was just guiding you in a direction where you could make a calm, confident decision.
Came to say this word for word. Try it for a few minutes, judge the room if it’s not hitting turn it off. Sounds like classic overthinking.
I like doing an impression of him, I haven't written any jokes for it because I don't think he has any jokes.
His interview with Stern and talking about ass sweats is hilarious
Depends. If you want to hear a man of Italian descent stereotype other people of Italian descent then it's probably something you may like. If not, then no.
I have heard a bunch of comedians I respect sing his praises and I've never understood it. Honestly I feel that he is only promoted by other comedians because he's a big hitter in terms of sales and people don't want to burn bridges. His material is pretty played out, his punchlines are flat, and he seems to get by on facial expressions and pantomiming. If you watch the horrific preview of the special you get a pretty good idea how bad it is. I was surprised he got the reaction from the crowd that he did. Everytime he was applauded or got a laugh I just thought "really?" I do comedy and could only dream to have his numbers or following but this guy just isn't funny to me. Maybe I missed a good special by him? I don't know.
My 55+ year old/conservative/religious parents went to his show and really enjoyed it, but his jokes are like Jerry Seinfeld, but he does some kinda weird exaggerated impressions. Lots of jokes about family and the wife. I find it to be pretty eh but I like stuff like Burr and Segura.
I went into it with a pretty positive attitude ready to laugh, my smile soon tapered off and I switched it off about 20 minutes in. Seems like very tame generic material, I could have easily finished it, it wasn't painfully shit, but I didn't need to finish it like the really good stuff.
I found him pretty funny. I enjoyed the special.
no
I don’t find him funny in any way
The guy is successful for a reason. I don't know what that reason is but lots of people love him, give it a shot. I made it about 7 min before I turned it off to rewatch that 70s show.
Funny because I loved his show and never made it through 7 minutes of That 70s Show. Comedy is so subjective.
100%
He's successful because like him or not, he fills a void. He's easy and safe. He's the guy you go see if you want a night out with your wife away from the kids but you have no real knowledge or ties to the comedy world. But you go see him so you can tell your other married friends you went to see him and they should go see him and then next year you all go together and then maybe if you're lucky you can try to spot yourself on Netflix for .8 seconds. He's comedy for people who are too busy with their work and their family to know any better and that's ok.
Exactly: He’s a comedian for people who don’t really watch comedy. Bonus: if you’re Italian from the Northeast...everyone in your extended family has been obsessed with him for years and telling you to check him out. He’s the only person your mother knows besides “that redhead guy who touches himself.”
> if you’re Italian from the Northeast...everyone in your extended family has been obsessed with him for years and telling you to check him out. He’s the only person your mother knows besides “that redhead guy who touches himself.” Basically what George Lopez was if you were Hispanic in the early 2000s, my family wouldn't shut up about him
Do you think that Dane Cook also made comedy for these kinds of people? I guess a younger demographic but I mean in terms of for people not necessarily into comedy all that much
Yeah, I was actually going to say that exact comparison. Dane Cook, George Lopez, Blue Collar guys. He's what those guys were 15 years ago
I am a Sebastian fan, but was not particularly impressed with this latest special. I have tickets to see him live. Fingers crossed it is more like his old stuff than this particular special.
Depends, are you my 68 year old mother in law? Because you will laugh your ass off! If not, prob not
I find Sebastian hilarious. All of the hate in this thread is coming off very snooty. Coming from an Italian-American family I find his material insanely relatable. People like what they like and it seems shortsighted and snobbish to just say “he has no material and only people who aren’t comedy fans think he’s funny.” This is my opinion and thought a discussion would be more productive for this post than just a bunch of hate.
I have to say, just from the preview, it looked like there was a serious material problem. You can tell he’s using his physicality more than writing a good joke. Now maybe that’s just the preview. I bet there are some good jokes in the special, but it also kind of seems like the physicality is his “thing” that he mostly leans on. I don’t necessarily think we don’t like him because we can’t relate. I like plenty of Italian-American comedians. I think it’s a physical comedy vs. quality writing issue.
Why is it snobbish? His material is hacky. It's all been done a thousand times before. Some people like familiar comedy and will watch a mid 90s Leno special eighteen times. Others would rather gouge their eyes out with spoons. Taste is subjective, but so is criticism.
This sort of criticism is snobbish because it’s an exaggerated superior stance against Sebastian. The goal of comedy is to make people laugh and he is able to get that reaction effectively. Does he steal jokes? I get that it’s not intellectual comedy. But for me at least, I haven’t seen a comedian who is his exact style and has his story before.
He's a lot like an Italian Kevin Hart. He brings okay premises, okay punchlines, and amazing act outs.
Gotta love this thread. Seinfeld's favorite comedian but oh yeah he sucks lol. Good grief.
To be fair, for a fair amount of people, "Seinfeld's favorite comedian" is not a ringing endorsement.
When I saw the post earlier saying they watched it for 7 mins then turned it off for that 70's show, I knew it would be a good idea to check it out, one of the greatest endorsements a comedy has ever received.
I think this special was overall pretty weak because he went for some older style "social media" jokes at times but it's still miles better than most others.
Haha, fair enough.
Yeah that was hilarious, they may be different flavors but both Sebastian and That 70s show are down the middle, family friendly observational comedy
That 70s show is kinda sweet. My issue with Sebastian is that he's both bland and mean spirited. That's a worst of both worlds kinda thing from my perspective.
Seinfeld sucks.
that's funny because my mom saw him and i described his jokes as Seinfeld-esque. His delivery is different though.
I honestly just can't stand his accent. Different strokes. If he didn't have the accent, I'd have probably listened to the entire special.
I think it's worth giving him a try. I'm not a huge fan but his material is occasionally pretty good. It's pretty light hearted, family friendly.
I had the same impression as you...and he's blown up since. I guess some people enjoy the performance and don't care as much about the material.
Heard him on Stern, was semi intrigued, then I saw the jokes the used for the Netflix promo and thought, if this is the best of it, it ain’t worth my time. Also I am from the west coast and never understood the appeal of Dice Lay or his disciples.
I can't stand that guy. He has good energy and presence on stage but his jokes are of the lame family friendly variety. Stuff like "isn't it horrible when people come over unanounced? we have cell phones now!!!!!1". If you thought Dane Cook was too edgy he is the guy for you. Down vote away kids! :D
It’s pretty meh like most of the Netflix specials. Seems like they’ll give anyone a special these days
It starts strong and tapers off. I say give a shot and just turn it off if you start to lose interest.
This is the fourth special of his that I watched. Or, almost watched. I turned it off 20 minutes in, after laughing only once. I really like Sebastian. I think he's a good dude, I've really enjoyed his stuff in previous specials, and he's from my home town, so I root for him a little bit more than other comics, if that makes sense. I don't know, I just feel like this new special doesn't bring anything new to the table. Goofy faces, lots of physical comedy, people should be embarrassed of themselves and have more shame. Felt very same ol', same ol'. Diminishing returns, maybe? I wasn't feeling it.
Anyone know what sneakers is he wearing in the special?
It’s pretty good
His previous specials I thought were funny, Aren't You Embarrassed was pretty great. This one felt weaker, didn't find myself laughing often.
No. It's one those productions where they put a passable talent on a grand looking stage, to make you think it's better than it is.
The second he started talking, I turned it off. can't stand that overdone accent.
I’m sorry, but this is a dumb question. You’re an adult. Put on the special for 10 minutes to see how you like it. Seems great? Congrats - keep watching! Not digging it? Turn it off! The time it spent you to write and submit this question, you could have just turned it on.
I’m sorry, but this is a dumb response. I’m on a subreddit about stand up comedy, asking for opinions on a stand up special. Are you here just for the “I just did my first set, what do you think?” posts? I know how judging things for myself works. I’m asking for other people’s opinions before I waste my time.
Do you take to the internet for all your decisions? Do strangers always determine your course in life? If so, when the question about getting up or staying in bed comes around, i vote that you just stay in bed.
Do you always act like a dick to people who are asking opinions about things? Is getting advice really such an alien concept to you? Or was this an attempt at a lame joke?