Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life

Brett Goldstein's first stand-up special, The Second Best Night of Your Life, is a mixed bag that showcases his comedic potential but struggles with consistency.

Known for his early starring roles in SuperBob, Tom in Ricky Gervais - "Derek" and later for his Emmy-winning role as Roy Kent in Ted Lasso and co-creating Shrinking, Goldstein brings his signature gruff charm to the comedy stage.

The special, filmed in New Jersey, leans heavily on cultural observations - British vs. American quirks, Muppet encounters, and self-deprecating humour. When he's sharp, like joking about his "exotic" name in England versus its banality in America, the laughs land well.

His bold dives into personal topics, from botched relationships to masculinity, are refreshing and often endearing, avoiding the pitfalls of crude comedy. However, the pacing falters, and Goldstein's stage persona feels undefined.

Some bits, like rants about U. S. public toilets, meander into confusion, and his delivery can feel rehearsed or overly vulgar, lacking the organic flow of seasoned comics.

While fans of his TV work will enjoy his charisma, the special doesn't fully coalesce. It's a promising debut but uneven, leaving you wanting a tighter set.

Rating: 6/10.

Zzzzzz is it over yet ???? I really wanted to laugh and was just waiting for something funny but it just never came though out the whole show, I mean it sounded like he was just talking about his own life experiences and don' t know who would find this funny maybe the Americans do but felt most of those laughs we're out of pity really (Ahhh look at the cute British guy trying to be funny !) Even his punch lines were miss timed and the jokes were long forgotten by the time they came. I don't know who wrote his material but I would have actually been embarrassed to repeat it in front of a live audience.

I know I'm probably in the minority that didn't get 'Ted Lasso'. I tried, but despite the efforts of Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham and Brendan Hunt, it was let down by awful scripts and the fact that no-one apart from the aforementioned could act. 'Shrinking' is a clever, witty and charming show, both thoughtful and thought-provoking, that was immeasurably diminished by the awful wooden 'acting' of Goldstein. Now you're probably wondering why I tuned in to Goldstein's stand up show. He must be good at something, right? Wrong. His stand up is about as funny as lung cancer, but what do I know, people pay to watch this bilge.

The genius of this special is that it seems like he has not been at this a long time, so you let your guard down ... The, BOOM! A vicious rib-hit of comedy! History will hopefully remember this as a great special. I mean, dude had imaginary friend puppets as a callback to his best day of his life, reminding you of a tight act. Bravo! I loved it and I was entertained as could be! I realize that perhaps I'm just a simple guy, but I've seen great standup and loved it. I know bad standup. This is so refreshing - yes, refreshing! The puppets got me. I also want to look up his mom! Superb special by HBO! I'll pay for more.

Brett Goldstein is an engaging, handsome and charismatic performer. This special had good pacing and some good jokes. If you like stand up, you'll find things to like in this stand up special. Overall I was amused and laughed out loud twice.

I cannot score higher because the delivery of the jokes felt really awkward. Typically comics act as if they are telling the audience the jokes organically and naturally. This performance felt like a dress rehearsal that perhaps should not have been filmed. I don't know if this is his style or if he was just nervous. I did find this element to be distracting.