Stand-up comedy is not an easy pursuit. It’s live and thus, you need to be quite smart with your content and delivery. That is why not everyone can be a successful stand-up comedian. Interestingly, there are some brilliant stand-up comedy specials on streaming sites like Netflix and HBO. Daniel Sloss‘ DARK, Jigsaw, and X are some of the best stand-up specials that one might come across.

This Scottish comedian, actor, and writer has perfectly mastered the art of stand-up comedy and is definitely memorable. There are so many things that make his content exceptional. From being realistic, to the inclusion of hilarious facial expressions and the added advantage of his Scottish accent, his specials address political and social issues in the best ways possible. Here’s why Daniel Sloss deserves more recognition and credit.

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Dark Humor

Samantha Shaw calls Sloss’ specials; “Not for the faint of heart, Daniel Sloss’ first special, Dark, is aptly named. His punchlines will leave you slightly shocked, and wondering if you should be laughing or not (you should). Jigsaw builds off of the first special and truly leans into the dark comedy that makes him so witty.”

The accuracy of this statement lies in the fact that Sloss’ humor can be intensely dark, which makes the audience uncomfortable, but also comfortable at the same time. In Dark, we see him reminiscing over his past. Sloss gets personal and elaborates on his sister’s death. Of course, evoking humor through someone’s loss might seem harsh, but Sloss ensures that anyone going through a loss is made to feel a little bit better using his comedy. Sloss’ jokes are not limited to his personal life. He does dig into social issues, like gun laws in America. His dark humor is also used to take a jab at hypocrites in society.

“Self Awareness”

Another factor that makes Sloss a memorable stand-up comedian is his self-awareness. Of course, he doesn’t use it to hold himself in high regard. In fact, he accepts that he is still a very flawed human being. However, he uses his mistakes and perhaps, misconceptions he used to hold, to make fun of himself and also anyone who is like him. In X he states, “I bring them up to show you that I used to be a piece of s*it— I mean, I still am one — but I’m getting better. And that’s allowed.”

Daniel Sloss might be stubborn in his own way, but he does accept his flaws, which makes him better than many. Sloss does give himself credit here and there; however, it only makes his specials more hilarious. His real self-awareness does not stem from statements about his flawed nature. Rather, it is made obvious through the way in which he is well-versed in certain topics. He can also be called more emotionally intelligent than most comedians. In fact, the way he approaches the subject of disability by showing how toxic positivism and false empathy can do more harm than good is definitely an interesting viewpoint.

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Relatable Content

At the beginning of Jigsaw, Sloss points out that if you asked his friends whether he is a good person, they would say yes. However, that is because “they only hear what comes out of (my) mouth. They never hear what’s going on in (my) head, and those are two hugely different things”. This might be a statement that many of us can relate to. Of course, Sloss might be different from the rest of us human beings, because his “Hitler-like passion” is not something everyone shares (even though he does “not hate the same things that Hitler did”).

Most of Sloss’ content is quite relatable, which can be a rare factor in many comedy specials. In fact, there might be moments when he states certain things that many of us think but are too afraid to share. Thus, one can argue that it is like an unfiltered and uncensored one-hour of relatable comedy. Sloss even takes it a step further by tapping into his own experiences. Some embarrassing situations are definitely scenarios many of us have faced or perhaps, might even face. His relationship advice might have caused “120,000 people to break up with their partner or end their relationship“, but it is hard to argue that it is his fault, as he can be brutally honest sometimes. In fact, the title “Jigsaw” for his Netflix special is based on the idea that we sometimes end up finding the wrong piece for our jigsaw puzzle.

Final Verdict on Sloss

If your following Sloss on Instagram, one might be able to get a glimpse of his comical nature. He might not update his social media all the time, but when he does, he always ensures that he makes the viewer laugh. This further establishes his natural talent for being a comedian. His delivery is brilliant as the perfect timing of pauses and expressions amps up the hilarity of the specials. The audience is left laughing from the beginning till the very end. It is definitely not an easy task to relay dark content while invoking humor, but Sloss seems to have mastered that art perfectly. Moreover, he makes sure the viewer is left thinking about some important issues as he sheds light on some crucial debates. Daniel Sloss is undeniably a brilliant stand-up comedian that every adult needs to check out. Once you start watching his specials, you are left wanting more of his comedy.