Demetri Martin Made a Netflix Hour That’s Actually ‘Special’
In our current age of decision fatigue, Netflix comedy specials have become one of the streaming giant’s most saturated genres. With virtually (pardon the pun) nothing to distinguish its specials beyond standard titles usually following a [comedian’s name followed by a generic verb/noun] format, it can be difficult to know where to start. Many of us fall into the same trap every time we open Netflix’s comedy page: Watching the latest special from the same mainstream comedians we have been watching for years.
It can be high-risk for comedians to break the mold and warp the conventions of comedy. It can also be high-reward, with specials like Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette or Bo Burnham’s Inside receiving critical acclaim. With a pandemic that shut down live performances, Burnham in particular found a novel way to engage fans with a style that enhances the experience for viewers. It far exceeds the typical upload of a live show recording that we have come to expect from Netflix specials; a format that can feel like a lazy cash grab for already-wildly-successful comedians.
This re-imagining of comedy forms the basis of Demetri Martin’s Demetri Deconstructed, with a black-and-white trailer that immediately stood out among the neon signs and primary colors of other stand up specials. Combined with a jazz theme and plenty of Wes Anderson-esque symmetry, Martin’s special feels like something that was designed with purpose: streamlined for streaming as comedy specials should be, rather than left as a lucrative afterthought following a money-making tour.