In 2023, Bert Kreischer co-wrote and starred in the film loosely based on his life, The Machine. Kreischer is re-entering the acting world by playing himself in the Netflix series Free Bert. Kreischer co-wrote the series alongside Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel. The six-episode series debuts on Netflix on January 22. I watched the first two episodes of the series and will let you know whether the series is worth checking out or not. 

Free Bert follows Bert Kreischer, the shirtless comedian who finds himself in uncharted waters as his daughters are accepted into an elite Beverly Hills private school. When his antics turn his family into outcasts, he decides to “put on a shirt” in an attempt to fit in. 

‘Free Bert’ Review

The pilot played out exactly as one would expect, with Bert Kreischer performing his normal schtick in front of an audience. However, Kreischer is starting to realize that his shirt-taking-off might be as popular, if not more popular, than the comedy he is telling on the stage. Mix in an embarrassing joke about his daughter he told on stage, and he finds himself in a world of conflict. 

After the success of Shane Gillis’s Tires, I can understand the idea of greenlighting Free Bert. However, unlike Tires, Free Bert felt like a story or, dare I say, joke we’ve seen told on Kreischer’s podcast, stand-up, or even in the film The Machine. The shirt schtick is old, and even the attempt to “overcome” it was not something that I found interesting. 

The lone bright spot in the series was the casting of LeeAnn Kreischer. Arden Myrin, who you’ve seen in projects like The Righteous Gemstones, The Threesome, and Almost Popular. She is quite hilarious opposite of Kreischer and stands her own with some hilarious one-liners. If anything comes out of the series, I hope to see Myrin in more shows in the future. 

Is ‘Free Bert’ Worth Watching?

Overall, if you like Bert Kreischer’s comedy, you may find yourself enjoying what Free Bert brings to the table. Although, if you like his comedy but are tired of the entire shirt joke, you may be in the same boat as me. Ultimately, through the first two episodes, there are some laughs and jokes that do land, but not enough for me to warrant a recommendation.

Free Bert is set to release on Netflix on January 22, 2026.