Michael McIntyre: Showman review – the comedian charms the audience again

By Daniel Hart
Published: September 15, 2020 (Last updated: last month)
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Netflix stand-up special Michael McIntyre: Showman
3.5

Summary

Michael McIntyre: Showman is unsurprisingly hilarious — it’s very difficult at this stage to even consider why someone would not find this man funny.

Netflix stand-up special Michael McIntyre: Showman will be out on the streaming service on September 15, 2020. 


There is no denying that Michael McIntrye is one of the funniest people on the planet. The man lands stand-up after stand-up and he has managed to amass himself a loyal fanbase that enjoys his quirks more than his jokes. His bamboozling personality always leaves you in tears of laughter by the time he reaches his third act. He manages to drum up such comedic frustration. It’s contagious.

By now it’s a wonder that his material has not dwindled slightly. Like the comedian’s other content, Netflix’s Michael McIntyre: Showman follows the similar beats; he complains about his wife, his kids, and puts the smallest of the scenarios under the magnifying glass — like needing to wee at 3 am in the morning and the deliberations it brings like creaking floorboards.

Michael McIntyre: Showman offers no surprises but the jokes land. Michael talks about family, technology, sharks, accents and a time he confused himself as a world leader. His segment on accents is likely to be the highlight as he flits between Australian and the what he claims to be strange — a Northern Ireland accent.

There’s nothing particularly new about Michael’s material but it’s his consistent delivery that makes him stand out. Usually, comedians have to diversify their content in order to remain fresh — a usual technique is segmenting a time in their life and making the stand-up a chapter. It can be assumed that Michael’s life is so “middle-class normal” that he has the freedom to magnify his situations instead, using his normal life persona as a strength rather than routine.

My favourite joke of the stand-up is when Michael describes the time he went to Hong Kong; he was seen as overly attractive. In the UK, Michael describes himself as a “4” but in Hong Kong, he is seen as an enigma — a man that looks Asian but isn’t — he’s a 10. The comedian successfully builds up the scenario with ease, allowing the audience to view him in a slightly different light than a man trying to squeeze himself in a suit that doesn’t fit.

Michael McIntyre: Showman is unsurprisingly hilarious — it’s very difficult at this stage to even consider why someone would not find this man funny.

Netflix, TV Reviews