classicsoncall Review of Jim Gaffigan: Dark Pale

Jim Gaffigan: Dark Pale (2023 TV Special)

"Hundreds of people have died today. Let's go to a comedy show."

[7/10 · 2 August 2023]

Almost every review here for Gaffigan's 'Dark Pale' routine draws a negative response, and though I'm a fan of all his other stand-up shows, I'd have to agree that he took this one to a place he probably didn't have to. It got a little clumsy with the obsession over diarrhea jokes, and coming out of Covid, the shots taken against anti-vaxxers were all one sided. He could have balanced that with a few token jabs at the pro-vaccine crowd as well. He reverted somewhat to usual form with jokes about Starbucks, new sneakers and long lines at Chick-fil-A; I could relate to that last one when on vacation last summer, my family encountered the same thing, only it was two lines of cars, one for drive-ups and one for app orders. Some might have found the digs at funeral homes in poor taste, but knowing a pair of brothers in the business, I did get a kick out of that bit. All in all, not one of Gaffigan's best, but to his credit, he does keep it clean of four letter words, which is almost a rarity for comics these days.