Millennial attention spans have become so short that we’re lucky if our readers make it to the end of this article. Netflix is capitalizing on this issue with their series The Comedy Lineup, which allots each featured comic just 15 minutes to perform their set.
The Comedy Lineup: Part Two started streaming Friday with eight diverse newcomers performing their material in front of a live audience. Of the eight performers, here are the three comedians you should familiarize yourself with before their inevitable big break.
Max Silvestri
If you don’t already know Max Silvestri’s name, you should make yourself familiar. For an up-and-comer, he already boasts quite an impressive resume — he’s fresh off opening for standup comedian John Mulaney on his Kid Gorgeous tour, works as a consulting producer on Netflix’s Big Mouth and has appeared on popular shows such as The Good Place, Brooklyn Nine Nine and Broad City. As if that wasn’t enough, Silvestri also co-hosted the long-running Brooklyn show “Big Terrific” with comedians Jenny Slate and Gabe Liedman.
[Read more: Review: John Mulaney’s ‘Kid Gorgeous’ is carried by hilarious storytelling]
Silvestri is one of a select few comedians that can talk about buttholes for the better part of a 15-minute set and still leave you wanting more. He channels Mulaney with his cutting sarcasm and self-deprecating humor. Whether he is discussing bikers in cycle shoes, straight white men or the struggles of living next to an elementary school, Max Silvestri is a joy to watch. If his lengthy track record isn’t proof enough, this special is just the beginning.
Matteo Lane
The Chicago native has made his rounds on the late-night circuit, performing on both Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Now, Lane graces the stage in the new Netflix series with recounts of his experiences on Grindr, going hunting with his very straight father and throwing some much-needed shade at Lindsay Lohan. In addition to his quick wit and perfect timing, the opera-singer-turned-comedian incorporates his musical background into his act by belting out some perfectly-pitched punch lines. It is an absolute treat to hear Lane’s takes on being gay in today’s society — Lane definitely hit the high note in this season of The Comedy Lineup, pun intended.
Emma Willmann
Let’s get one thing straight: Emma Willmann is nothing like Ellen DeGeneres, other than that they both have short blonde hair, are attracted to women, are absolutely hilarious and are appearing in Netflix stand-up specials this year. Willmann cleverly crafts her self-deprecating humor into a hysterical set that emphasizes her sexuality and her proper yet progressive mother. She tells the tales of growing up in a small town in rural Maine, being in an interracial relationship and going to a school for dyslexia that had some offensive traffic signs in front of it. Her bobblehead-like movements and eerily spot-on mom voice add a whimsical realness to her anecdotes.
In addition to The Comedy Lineup, Willmann made her late-night debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and also appeared in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Willmann also co-hosts Inside the Closet with fellow comedian-to-watch Matteo Lane, a podcast discussing what it’s like being gay comics in mainstream society I guarantee this is not the last time you’ll be hearing from either of them.
The rest of The Comedy Lineup: Part Two features sets from Janelle James, Aisling Bea, Josh Johnson, JR De Guzman and Kate Willett. Will Netflix continue to use this bingeable model for watching standup? Only time will tell. In the meantime, get to know these comedians — they aren’t going away any time soon.
