Neal Brennan: 3 Mics

Neal Brennan: 3 Mics (2017) is a Netflix stand-up special you can watch online on iFILM. Brennan, who co-wrote and co-created Chappelle's Show, structured this hour around three actual microphones on stage — each handling a different mode: one-liners, traditional stand-up, confessional monologues.

The third mic is where this gets unusual. Brennan talks about depression without deflecting into a punchline, in a way that stands apart from almost everything else in the show. It shouldn't mix with the quick-fire jokes on either side of it, and yet somehow it does. The format feels like a gimmick right up until it doesn't. Stream Neal Brennan: 3 Mics online on iFILM.