Your Friend, Nate Bargatze

Sometimes stand-up comedy can be a scary thing to turn on with family with so many comedians using crude and uncomfortable humor lately, but this one is a winner. Nate's style of delivering dry and often self-deprecating jokes create contagious laughter that grows and grows as he elaborates on parts or our day to day life so that we can see the hilarity for ourselves, almost as if we are discovering the comedy right along with him. His delivery is great, the venue is great, the crowd is great, and the special is great. I would have rated this higher, but the jokes aren't really my personal style. However, this is one of my most highly rated specials that don't have jokes that would be uncomfortable to watch with family. It is funny even though I'm clearly not the target audience.

As a longtime fan of Nate Bargatze, I went into his latest Netflix special, Your Friend, Nate Bargatze, with high hopes. Having thoroughly enjoyed his previous specials-The Tennessee Kid, Greatest Average American, and Hello, World - I was expecting another round of clever, laugh-out-loud comedy. Unfortunately, this special didn't quite deliver.

To start, it felt like the material wasn't as sharp or well-developed as in his past work. Nate has a lot on his plate these days - he's touring, hosting a podcast, working on corporate gigs, performing on SNL, and tackling other projects. It seems like this packed schedule might have left him without enough time to fully refine this set. The result is a special that feels rushed, with jokes that don't land as solidly as they should. Surprisingly, he even reused some material from earlier specials, which felt out of place in what should have been a fresh performance.

Another noticeable difference was Nate's demeanor. In his earlier specials, his dry delivery was balanced by an energy and looseness that made his performances feel warm and engaging. Here, the dryness was dialed up to a point where it came across as flat, almost as if he wasn't having fun on stage. He seemed less invested in the material, and that lack of enthusiasm translated to the audience, whose laughter seemed subdued compared to his earlier shows.

Watching this special left me nostalgic for The Tennessee Kid, which remains my favorite. That special was packed with brilliant observations and moments that had me genuinely laughing out loud. By contrast, Your Friend, Nate Bargatze had me smiling here and there, but it lacked the consistency and punch of his best work.

That said, everyone has an off night. With everything Nate is juggling, it's understandable that not every project can hit it out of the park. If this is your first time watching Nate Bargatze, I recommend starting with one of his earlier specials to get a true sense of his comedic talent.

While this special might not be one I revisit, I have no doubt Nate has it in him to bounce back with stronger material next time. For now, though, this one felt like a swing and a miss. Generously, I'd rate it a 6/10.

Here's hoping the next special brings back the Nate Bargatze we all know and love.

I don't know what the bad reviews are about, I get that comedy is subjective but I thought he did great. I don't think some people get when he's being sarcastic. He says out loud all the things we think about on a daily basis in a marriage. The beginning was a little slow but still had so many funny moments. The second half was so good and had my family laughing so hard we were crying and that hasn't happened for any of us when watching a stand up comedian in a loooonnngggg time!!! To find a comedian who can deliver true funny bits that are clean without needing to include all the inappropriate details that so many others rely on is refreshing. I like those other comedians also but it really shows how talented he is that he can be this funny without it!

Is this the slowest, most unaware man to ever live or is this an act? Judging by all of his specials I've seen, it's his stage persona. But it's wearing thin. We get it, your wife knows & does everything for you & you mumble & stumble your way through life. This man is my age, 45. This whole aloof act might have been funny as a newly married man in his 20's or even 30's, but you can't expect me to believe he has made it to the ripe old age of 45 not knowing anything. I guess I might choose Nate Bargatze if I was unaware of what comedy was and didn't know of any other comedians. But, he's shot to the top of the charts, though, so what do I really know? I guess a lot of people find this schtick hilarious. But, Joe Rogan has a lot of fans too. So, go figure.

I've always love love LOVED (not in a creepy way - don't hate lol) Nate Bargatze's comedy and saw him live not long ago in Green Bay, WI. But this special just seemed...tired. Truly hope he's doing ok. I wouldn't be surprised if he's a little burnt out. Heck, anyone would be with how much fame he's gained recently! Touring, SNL...it's gotta be a lot to say the least.

I was so excited to watch this special, but at the end, all I felt was worry for him.

Repeated jokes in this special also seemed (to me) to lack enthusiasm. I'm sure it gets monotonous to tour and say the same jokes over and over, but you'd think for a Netflix special, he could have at least faked enthusiasm.

I'm truly hoping all is well with him. It's not a terrible special, but I'd recommend his previous stand up and his SNL skits before this.