The difference between Paper Tiger and Sticks and Stones is that Chappelle’s content actually has bite. Burr’s material, on the other hand, feels toothless.
In a culture that grows increasingly irony-poisoned and irony-fatigued, we’re embracing a brand of emotional comedy that values earnestness over cynicism.
With Netflix green-lighting any project with shapes and colors, comedy specials range from amusing to mediocre to feeling as joyless as a DVD enthusiast.