August 2025
Our monthly digest is back with a bunch of links that will make you laugh.
Hi, folks! Welcome back to your free monthly roundup of comedy-to-know.
But first, let’s say a big collective “hell yeah” for some encouraging recent events in popular comedy: in the past few weeks, we’ve seen a ballsy act of satirical resistance from one of the biggest animated series ever in the immediate aftermath of a huge deal, as well as a promising opening weekend for THE movie destined to “save theatrical comedy” (which is, in my personal opinion, a good enough movie to stay in the conversation, bring back repeat theater-goers, and well surpass its $42M budget.)
And as if that wasn’t enough to make you feel like the current “state of comedy” is “pretty good” if not “interesting” at the very least, America’s Got Talent featured Brooklyn sketch trio Chicken Big (watch the clip to the end if you want to see the crowd boo Howie Mandel for saying he “didn’t love” their performance).
Outside of this newsletter, there are [admittedly more serious] journalists focused on what’s money-making about funny-making. With live/touring comedy continuing to be a growing, lucrative business amidst all the chaos of today’s current Film & TV production landscape, more eyes (and ears) are attuned to the penthouse view of the comedy industry. That said, here are two essential listens: Deadline’s Matt Grobar recently launched a new podcast, Comedy Means Business, and Puck’s Matt Belloni recently interviewed Seth MacFarlane about “Why It’s Harder Than Ever to Make a Studio Comedy” (Speculating here, but I always suspect Producer Craig is to thank for any comedy-related episodes of The Town, like this one with Mike Birbiglia.)
Alright, enough about “popular” comedy! Let’s get into the good stuff.
New York
Josh Sharp’s brilliant powerpoint show Tada was extended at The Greenwich House Theater — New Yorkers have until September 11th to see the funniest Off-Broadway offering since Oh, Mary. (Coincidentally, also directed by Sam Pinkleton…)
Jo Firestone is hosting a pie competition at Littlefield on August 10th and I genuinely think everyone should go. Less because anyone wouldn’t already know Jo and more because… pie.
Los Angeles
Fun, young standup Madi Hart made her Largo debut last week on Chris Fleming and Friends. You can (and should!) catch her hosting a lineup at Lyric Hyperion in September.
If you haven’t made it to Nico’s Baby Battista yet, their August lineup of programming boasts plenty of reasons to enjoy an evening in Atwater Village. Most shows are free, their open mics (like Skin Tag) are notorious for actually not sucking, and their relentless comedy offerings include short film screenings and worthwhile experimental fare.
Silver Lake Shorts has two exciting applications open right now: 1) They are awarding $5K for their Fellowship program (deadline is September 15th), and 2) They are looking for New York-based filmmakers to submit to their first Brooklyn screening (on August 22nd at Life World).
Recently screened at LA Shorts Fest, Dog Moms is a short film proof-of-concept for a series about “care, community, and LA bitches.” From young-yet-prolific writer/director Jess Fee and starring must-know improv comedians Angela Giarratana and Tatyana Guchi, Dog Moms is both visually interesting and packed with humor and heart.
On August 15th, LA’s Vidiots is screening Canadian comedy The Heirloom, written and directed by Ben Petrie and co-starring Grace Glowicki. Their last feature collaboration, Dead Lover, was a singularly bonkers ride that screened at Sundance and SXSW (where Glowicki was awarded the NEON Auteur Award for Uncompromising Visionary), subsequently landing them North American distribution.
Duncan Hatch is a Boston-based artist and animator with a new short from Adult Swim Smalls called Unidrome. The art style is clean and poppy, yet it rivals The Midnight Gospel for packing a psychedelic punch.
Well, well, well, well, well…. absurdist Ike Ufomadu has created a perfect bit via Instagram carousel, reminding us that comedians, when too unconventional for captioned standup clips (yet forced to engage with social media), are capable of evolving the form in simple and unexpected ways.
For anyone who enjoyed The Studio, or who needs to laugh about the current state of development: Do yourself a favor and read this short story from Jenny Jaffe entitled The Epstein Files.
Did you guys hear that Matt Rife bought the Conjuring house — including its haunted doll, Annabelle? Let’s just hope we can trust Matt Rife of all people to not open up a hellmouth in Connecticut.
That’s it for this month. I leave tomorrow for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, so expect a premium article sometime next week covering the 20+ shows I’m scheduled to see while there…
Thanks for reading!