More From Decider

Decider Lists

5 Hilarious Stand-Up Specials You Can Watch On Netflix This Valentine’s Day, No Matter Your Relationship Status

A quick glance at the calendar shows that it’s February 14, which means Valentine’s Day has arrived yet again. Like most singletons who despise this Hallmark holiday celebrating “love,” I will be doing my best to forget the fact that I do not have a love life. The best way I know how is to buy a bag of candy, pop open a bottle of wine (no glass– you drink straight from the bottle!) and watch stand-up comedy specials on Netflix.

But choosing the best special for you is a science, as different comedic styles complement different audience moods/tastes. So for all the singles out there looking to laugh your way through the day of love (or couples enjoying a night in…real “Netflix and Chill,” amirite?), here is a list of streamable comedians that are perfect for the mood you’re in.

1

Iliza Shlesinger, 'Elder Millenial'

Iliza Shlesinger is all about girl power and the speaking up about the harsh realities of being a female in today’s society. She mocks social norms that young women inexplicably practice: athleisure wear, hunting for men at bars, and the unnatural obsession we have with mermaids, just to name a few. Ladies will find themselves pointing at the screen, shouting “THANK GOD IT’S NOT JUST ME!” While each of Shlesinger’s four specials that are available on Netflix rail on the social tendencies of young women, Iliza ultimately preaches female empowerment and self-love throughout. Her general message is that while what we do as women can oftentimes be extremely stupid and nonsensical, at the end of the day you are okay and you are right. She is the perfect comedienne for a single girl or group of girls who want to laugh about and identify with the absurdity of dating today that they did not realize was funny until now.

Stream Iliza Shlesinger: Elder Millenial on Netflix

2

John Mulaney, 'The Comeback Kid'

John Mulaney has cornered the market on stand-up content on Netflix. Each special is funnier, cleverer and more random than the next! His self-deprecating humor and in-depth analysis about the most random of topics is the perfect distraction from the problems in your own life (in this case, your lonely existence on the day dedicated to love). Viewers can enjoy following Mulaney on his tangents that help them forget while also enabling them to pity the oft-misfortunate comedian as he battles with life’s simplest obstacles (does anyone else have that big of an issue with Delta airlines?). John Mulaney is the comedian for you if you don’t want to be burdened by the serious problems with the world outside your living room and just want to laugh at the simple things in life.

Stream John Mulaney: The Comeback Kid on Netflix

3

Jeff Dunham, 'Spark of Insanity'

Jeff Dunham has always been a guilty pleasure. The 56-year-old ventriloquist is perfect for the viewer who has an unfiltered sense of humor and constantly finds themselves having arguments with the little voice(s) in their head. But don’t let the fact that he is a ventriloquist fool you; Dunham is extremely talented at throwing his voice. After 10 minutes, you forget that the person making all the jokes is him. Each of his dummies represents a different archetype/personality that all voice what the world has told you is not okay to say, let alone think. Walter the old man is racist and insensitive, Peanut the monkey is crass and unrelenting, and Achmed the Dead Terrorist is just plain funny (if a bit culturally insensitive). But being able to laugh at what you’re thinking but can never say out loud is a nice relief on a day where all you want to do is scream at people for being so obnoxiously lovey-dovey. Every joke and puppet is wildly insensitive and not politically correct. But blame the puppets, not Jeff!

Stream Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity on Netflix

4

Ali Wong, 'Hard Knock Wife'

Ali Wong’s comedy specials are the ones for you if you want to breathe a sigh of relief that you are nowhere near close to being married yet. The question she poses is this: how hysterically sad is this shit we do in our life? Her deadpan, sometimes-angry rant against the grossness of sexual relationships and then motherhood make audience members both recoil and lean forward in laughter. Wong’s sets simply state that the facts of life are funny. Life isn’t always pretty and clean and Wong constantly reminds you of that with her graphic descriptions on the demolition of the female genitalia after giving birth and the crude sexual acts she has practiced with past and present partners. Being single is a blessing, for once!

Warning: You cannot watch her specials in the workplace. I should not be watching them in the workplace. Why am I watching this in the workplace?

Stream Ali Wong: Hard Knock Wife on Netflix

5

Bo Burnham, 'Make Happy'

Bo Burnham is the comedian for those who don’t want to think they are watching a traditional stand-up special. He’s a jack of all trades: comedian, singer, director, pianist and poet, and uses each conceptual skill to entertain the crowd. He picks apart everything wrong with society, ranging from the hypocrisy of rap artists and the barrel-scraping entertainment spectacles like Lip Sync Battle, to criticizing his own life and trade as a comedian. His shows are rife with interactive sound effects and song breaks on the keyboard that made him famous all those years ago. His dark, dry humor is for the person who relishes in the depressing factor of being single on Valentine’s Day. “The world is not funny” according to Bo Burnham, so then why are we laughing?

Warning: the songs he places throughout his sets will be stuck in your head for months after viewing.

Stream Bo Burnham: Make Happy on Netflix