2023 has been quite fruitful for stand-up and stand-up comedy/musical shows. Today I review two specials set to come out this week. First, we have Chris Fleming: HELL is set to come out on Peacock on August 18. Second, Tracy Morgan: Takin’ It Too Far is dropping on HBO Max on August 18.

Chris Fleming: HELL

Synopsis: Chris Fleming lights up Dynasty Typewriter as he explores the unique hell of performance anxiety through musical comedy, anecdotes about Phil Collins, and everything in between. His surreal take on the plight of being a live performer is accompanied by absurdist sketches depicting the artist’s journey through Hollywood and the mystical nature of live theater.

The run of hilarious musical comedy specials this year has been incredible. The trend is something that I wasn’t super fond of, but after John Early: Now More Than Ever and Alex Borstein’s Corsets & Clowns, I was excited to see what Chris Fleming had in store with his special.

Of course, with comedy, you have a job of telling jokes on the stage and making the audiences laugh. With musical comedy, you have to make everyone laugh while also further entertaining everyone with that musical aspect. Fleming’s charisma on the stage is truly captivating. From his flamboyant personality to his facial expressions to his various voices, he entertains for the entire hour he is on the stage.

Heading into this special, I knew very little about Chris Fleming, and what’s the most impressive thing he did in this special outside of his pure entertainment for an hour was that I couldn’t help but search for more of Fleming’s work online. I am now a fan and can’t wait to see more from him and hope to catch him live one day.

Overall, Chris Fleming: Hell is truly one of the most entertaining specials you will watch this year. If you are a fan of musical comedy, then ensure that you add this to your watch list this weekend.

Tracy Morgan: Takin’ It Too Far

Synopsis: Grateful and hyped, the comedian owns his set, unabashedly tackling topics like dating in his 50s (and the unexpected side effects that come with it), his dysfunctional family, attempting to reverse gentrification in Brooklyn, and the very public 2014 car accident that left him with multiple broken bones, a traumatic brain injury, and a substantial settlement. Bold and brilliantly funny, TRACY MORGAN: TAKIN’ IT TOO FAR showcases a seasoned comedy vet in his most edgy and fearless special yet.

We see Tracy hit the stage in a leather jumpsuit and talking about how crazy 2022 was for comedians. He mentions Will Smith, Dave Chappelle, and Craig Robinson and the incidents with people hitting the stage. He jokes by saying it’s 2023, and a man in a suit with a baseball in his hands says don’t hit the stage or else.

Nothing was off the table throughout the special with Tracy Morgan being as vulgar and uncensored as ever. I love Morgan, but most of these jokes were massive swings and missing. It wasn’t really structured as the special felt like Morgan was on the stage delivering whatever was on his mind. He was all over the place, which is fine, but the jokes just weren’t funny.

Tracy Morgan: Takin’ It Too Far is a massive disappointment for me. It has some funny moments, but the entire special falls short of being anything other than forgettable. The good jokes aren’t great enough to warrant giving the special a recommendation.