Whether "House of Cards" is your obsession or "Orange is the New Black" is more of your thing, it's no doubt that Netflix now dominates original TV programming. Now the video streaming giant is about to step up its game. Its comedy game, to be precise.
Netflix announced four new comedy specials set to stream exclusively on the platform starting in late August. This news comes after Netflix previously announced it would be streaming Chelsea Handler's comedy special "Uganda Be Kidding Me," set to air Oct. 10.
The line-up includes the comedy stylings of legends and newbies on the comedy scene. Australian comic Jim Jefferies will bring his unfiltered comedy in his special "Jim Jefferies: BARE," which premieres on Aug. 29. "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" fan favorite Chelsea Peretti will bring her kooky humor in the premiere of "One of the Greats" on Nov. 14. Netflix will stream Bill Cosby's latest special, "Bill Cosby 77" on Nov. 28, where the comedy veteran talks relationships, marriage and children on his 77th birthday. Bill Burr rounds out this stand-up comedy line-up with his special "I'm Sorry You Feel That Way," where his topics of discussion range from the zombie apocalypse to rom-coms to manliness. This special is a follow-up to his past performances, "Let It Go" and "Why Do I Do This?"
Netflix has been the source of comedy special premieres before. After the success of its original programming, the streaming service announced in July 2013 that it wanted to expand that to include documentaries and comedy specials. Shortly thereafter, on Nov. 1, 2013, Netflix premiered Aziz Ansari's stand-up special "Buried Alive."
The streaming service has also found success with its original documentaries. "The Square," which premiered in 2013, follows 2011's Egyptian Revolution. The film earned an Academy Award nomination for "Best Documentary." Netflix also received acclaim for its streaming of "Mitt," the documentary that follows former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney on the 2012 presidential campaign trail that premiered in January 2014.
Netflix recently picked up the documentary "Mission Blue," which is about the oceanographer Sylvia Earle and is set to premiere Aug. 15, and "Virunga," about a group of park rangers fighting to protect a national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo set to premiere later this year. The documentary "E-Team," which details human rights workers investigating in the field, was also picked up.
For fans who like a bit more fiction with their Netflix, don't fret. The streaming service has a ton of comedies and dramas in the pipeline. In addition to third seasons of "House of Cards" and "Orange is the New Black," not to mention a recently-confirmed fifth season of "Arrested Development," Netflix has plenty of new shows in development. These include "Grace and Frankie," starring Jane Fonda, Martin Sheen, Lily Tomlin and Sam Waterston, the Wachowski siblings'-helmed "Sense8" and a series based on Marvel's "Daredevil." Now we really have no reason to go outside ever again.
