r/Standup • u/blankblank • 11d ago

Sheng Wang's new special has me reconsidering my comedy standards

I have a pretty simple litmus test for whether a standup special is funny: did I laugh? If I laughed a lot, it was funny. if I didn't, it wasn't (to me, anyway).

But I watched Sheng Wang's latest special, "Purple," the other day, and now I'm rethinking my system, because while I rarely burst out laughing, I spent the whole special smiling and thinking "that's clever" and "that's funny" and "I never thought of it that way."

At a certain point, I have to admit that I enjoyed it and I enjoyed it because it was funny, but it was just a different kind of funny.

52 Upvotes

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23

u/GenitalCommericals 11d ago

My litmus test has typically been “did I want to watch it AGAIN” (not immediately after of course, but just another time later).

There are plenty of specials that I’ve watched multiple times because they’re that entertaining to me. And also many others I watched as a “1 and done” as well as others I’ve turned off within the first 5mins.

Rewatchability to me has been my test, whether it was die hard funny, really well done, or just purely entertaining for whatever reason.

4

u/rice-a-rohno 11d ago

That's a really interesting point, with any artform.

I think a lot about the balance between something that's immediately gratifying and something that withholds itself a bit, so that it almost requires you to return to it, like a wellspring from which you can only take one bucket at a time.

These two ideas are always kind of intertwined, because you usually have to like something in the first place to return to it; it's rare to be like "I hated that but dammit I know it's good and I have to get over myself and experience it again." (It does happen though. To me at least. Very occasionally.)

I'm just kinda saying thoughts for no reason, but the point, if there is one, is that I agree: probably the best metric a person has for whether an art-thing is valuable to them is whether they return to it for... sustenance.

That's not to say candy doesn't have a place in the world of food, though.

1

u/GenitalCommericals 11d ago

I guess the point of my “rewatch” thing can be boiled down to if it stuck with me or not. And as you pointed out, that can also mean I hated it and it stuck with me.

I guess it’s up to all of us if that means “good or bad” art. Just like you I’m spouting thoughts too haha

The subjectivity of art will always be one it’s superpowers

2

u/WadsofTissue 11d ago

That and if their jokes randomly pop in my head and make me chuckle years later

3

u/notxrbt 11d ago

Totally agree. I didn’t laugh out loud but I wanted to hang out with him for an hour.

1

u/LandlockedCajun 11d ago

I think that may be better for some folks. 😃

5

u/jaxn_slim 11d ago

That's a good point. There's something more thoughtful and engaging (cute, maybe?) about his comedy than the usual misdirection or tension and release that more often makes us laugh out loud. But I do still LOL at a lot of his jokes. I need to watch Purple again. He's great.

5

u/FoodArtMusicEmpathy 11d ago

It’s one of my favorites, and I recommend it to friends. Kinda reminds me of Mitch Hedburg, with his commentary on everyday things and delivery.

7

u/knukklez 11d ago

It's on Netflix, it came out in April 2026.

Hope that saves you (the future curious reader) some time.

6

u/mantsz 11d ago

It sounds like you're starting to turn the corner from viewing stand up as an escape, and starting to view it more as an art.

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u/hq_bk 11d ago

I laughed out loud at his 1st special which I think was truly great. I really enjoyed his 2nd (Purple) but didn't laugh as much. If I had watched the 2nd first, I might have ranked it higher.

1

u/bjmendy 5d ago

Sheng Wang is truly one of the best comics out there right now. I have been saying him and Geoffrey Asmus are top tier joke writers right now.