Review ’23 Hours to Kill’: Jerry Seinfeld Brings Stale Humor to Netflix Special

There are only two opinions people have of anything anymore, Jerry Seinfeld notes in his latest Netflix standup set, 23 Hours to Kill: “It’s great!” or “It sucks.” Seinfeld himself is great! He’s the most successful comic in the entire history of laughs. He’ll soon be the world’s first comedy billionaire (and one of only a handful of performing artists of any kind ever to reach that level). All of this is well deserved. But stretches of Jerry’s new special are . . . let’s just say, not great.

Forty years ago the man was making jokes about breakfast cereal. Today he’s making jokes about . . . Pop-Tarts. People who say “It is what it is.” Portable restrooms (“I don’t know how they’re even allowed to call it a bathroom”). Cup holders. Some of this stuff is so bland it deserves to be shipped out to Vegas.

About the Author

Kyle Smith

Kyle Smith is the film critic for the Wall Street Journal.

There are only two opinions people have of anything anymore, Jerry Seinfeld notes in his latest Netflix standup set, 23 Hours to Kill: “It’s great!” or “It sucks.” Seinfeld himself is great! He’s the most successful comic in the entire history of laughs. He’ll soon be the world’s first comedy billionaire (and one of only a handful of performing artists of any kind ever to reach that level). All of this is well deserved. But stretches of Jerry’s new special are . . . let’s just say, not great.

Forty years ago the man was making jokes about breakfast cereal. Today he’s making jokes about . . . Pop-Tarts. People who say “It is what it is.” Portable restrooms (“I don’t know how they’re even allowed to call it a bathroom”). Cup holders. Some of this stuff is so bland it deserves to be shipped out to Vegas.