The history of comedy has one consistency: technology uprooting the status quo, giving comedians access to new opportunities to make people laugh. Ancient Greeks and Romans went to the amphitheater to watch masked actors animate plays; the advent of film paved the way for legends like Charlie Chaplin; and now, the era of Netflix and Comedy Central has given Bill Burr and Dave Chapelle access to millions of new fans. These hour long movies emulate the experience of sitting in a theater and watching the show in-person. Comedy “specials”’ have been the dominant medium for the last decade; however, that is changing. Accelerated by COVID-19, long-form comedy podcasting has ushered in a new wave of content that is quickly overtaking outdated, overproduced comedy specials.

Comics have been prevented from recording specials, which require large crowds and full venues. Many have turned to podcasting to channel their art forms over the last eleven months and have found tremendous success in doing so. Tim Dillon, a thirty-six year old from Long Island, is one of many comedians with a booming podcast. Tim’s long, nihilistic, rant-style comedy fits perfectly with a longer medium; his average podcast viewership has risen more than 500% since last February. Other comedy podcasts such as ‘Flagrant 2 with Andrew Shulz and Akaash Singh’ have emerged as premier forms of entertainment. The reality of the situation is that, prior to COVID, this was already the trend of the comedy industry – forcing people to stay home from public events and spend more time on their screens only expedited the movement.

And they’re much funnier! Comedy specials feel forced and awkward due to the alienation viewers feel from the large crowds enjoying the live performance. Sitting in your basement and forcing yourself to pity-laugh at the corny, rehearsed punchlines is no way to enjoy comedy. Rather, listening to naturally funny comics navigate the slopes of a long form conversation or monologue is truly more enjoyable. Punch lines that require hours of writing, timing, and practice simply aren’t that funny; if you can’t do it on the fly, you’re going to be replaced by someone who can.