Many famous comedians will be performing in Madison this fall, including those who have had specials on Comedy Central and Netflix — here are just a handful of them.
Iliza Shlesinger – Shlesinger is known for hosting the syndicated dating show “Excused” on CBS, “Separation Anxiety” on TBS and the late night talk show “Truth & Iliza” on Freeform. Shlesinger, whose career started by winning Myspace’s “So You Think You’re Funny” competition, has also been featured as G4 network’s “Myspace Girl of the Week.” Her career came to the forefront when she won NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” in 2008. Netflix subscribers will most likely remember her four Netflix specials that have aired on the platform, with the most recent one being “Elder Millennial,” which aired on July 24, 2018. If you would like to go out and see Shlesinger live onstage, she will be in Madison Sept. 12 at the Overture Center.
Hannibal Buress – Buress is known for his co-hosting of the “Eric Andre Show” on Adult Swim and for appearing on the critically acclaimed “Broad City” on Comedy Central. Buress started his career by starting at open mic nights in 2002 around the Chicago area. Buress released his first standup album My Name is Hannibal that was released on July 27, 2010. I’ve personally seen Buress live three times in a comedy club in Rochester, Minnesota, and his comedy style can best be described as chill and down to earth: He creates an environment where the audience can relax and enjoy a fun night out. Shortly after that, he was featured on “The Awkward Comedy Show” special on Comedy Central. If you would like to go out and see Buress perform live, he will be in Madison Sept. 20 at the Orpheum Theater.
Bert Kreischer – Kreischer is known for his shows “Trip Bert the Conqueror” and “Trip Flip” on the Travel Channel. Although he went into being a mainstream actor on these shows, his career started off with comedy and partying. Kreischer’s first bit of national attention came when he was featured in a Rolling Stone article while attending Florida State University. The magazine named Kreischer “the top partier at the Number One Party School in the country.” Kreischer has only had two comedy specials: He released the first one in 2009 on Comedy Central titled “Bert Kreischer: Comfortably Dumb,” and his second special “Bert Kreischer: The Machine” aired on Showtime in 2016. If you would like to see Bert “The Machine” Kreischer, he will be in Madison Sept. 20-22 at Comedy Club on State.
Craig Ferguson – Ferguson is known for being the host of “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” which aired from 2005 to 2014 on the CBS late-night lineup. Ferguson, in my opinion, should be considered a veteran in the comedy world, as his first special aired almost 10 years ago with “Craig Ferguson: A Wee Bit O’ Revolution.” His fourth comedic album, titled Craig Ferguson: Just Being Honest, was a Grammy-nominated album in 2016. Ferguson’s albums have revolved around his hectic life and experiences from being in the industry for almost four decades. To see the former late show host, head to the Barrymore Theatre on Oct. 29.
Judd Apatow – Apatow is most known for his directing credits on “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Knocked Up,” “Funny People,” “This Is 40” and “Trainwreck.” His work as a producer includes “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” “Superbad,” “Pineapple Express,” “Freaks and Geeks,” “Undeclared,” “Girls,” “Love” and “Crashing. After taking a 25 year hiatus from stand-up comedy, Apatow returned to the stage to release his first ever stand-up comedy special titled “Judd Apatow: The Return” toward the tail end of last year. Apatow has been touring since the release of his special — if you would like to go out and see the comedic writing legend live, he will be in Madison Nov 2-4 at Comedy Club on State.
Lewis Black – Black is best known for his Comedy Central series “Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil” and appearances on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” delivering his “Back in Black” commentary segment, which he has been doing since “The Daily Show” was hosted by Craig Kilborn. He started his comedy career all the way back in 1981, and if you have caught anything from him, his style of comedy is reminiscent of George Carlin’s style. I have seen him live twice, and just a fair warning: If you are of the faint of heart when it comes to fowl or perverse language, he will not shy away from dropping f-bombs throughout his set. If you would like to go out and see a mental breakdown unfold in front of your eyes, Black will be in Madison Nov. 29 at the Orpheum Theater.
Morgan Spohn is an arts and sports writer for the Daily Cardinal. To read more of his work, click here.
