Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been a big fan of stand up comedy. Of course, being at such a young age, it’s not like I was going to comedy clubs or even theater shows to see standup. Instead, it was watching the various specials (new and rerun) that would air on Comedy Central that grew my interest in the form. And speaking of Comedy Central, it was their show Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist that introduced me to even more hilarious comics — including the one and only Jim Gaffigan. So when I saw that Hulu was not only introducing a slate of stand up specials but also kicking it off with a new special from Gaffigan, I was pretty excited.
Titled The Skinny, it doesn’t take long for viewers to find out why the special bears that name. Right off the bat, we’re treated to material covering somewhat controversial topics such as appetite suppressant drugs (like Ozempic but not that specific one in this case), which Gaffigan fully admits to taking. That’s not quite where the hot topics end either as the comic manages to make his way toward talking about religion soon afterward. There’s even a brief and subtle political reference thrown in along the way. That said, like many other past Gaffigan specials, The Skinny is mostly clean, with only a few mid-range swears and no F-bombs. Whether or not that makes it family friendly is up to you, but it’s certainly not the bluest of stand-up sets.
Throughout the first half of The Skinny, I found myself laughing out loud repeatedly. Even when I could see certain punchlines coming, Gaffigan’s delivery would often make the joke for me. And while this remained the case in the second half, I wasn’t quite as sold on the material. It’s not that his observations on marriage and kids aren’t funny — it’s just that they’re pretty well worn territory for him at this point with this being his 11th special. Some of his five(!) children reaching teenager-dom does change things a bit, but not quite enough to make these sections feel more than generic. Heck, even his closing joke was weak, which doesn’t seem like a good sign for a comedy special.
Tying into the pre-Thanksgiving release of this special, the key art depicts Gaffigan as a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon. Thinking about it, Thanksgiving is actually a pretty good analog for how I felt about The Skinny: while the food is certainly tasty, it’s also very familiar (and, in some cases, maybe a bit stale).
Despite my lukewarm reception to some of the material, overall, I thought that The Skinny was worth watching as it did its job in getting me to laugh through most of it. I guess this goes to prove that, even mid-tier Jim Gaffigan is still an enjoyable way to spend an hour. So, if you’ve been a fan before, I think you’ll find something to enjoy in this special as well.
Jim Gaffigan: The Skinny is now streaming on Hulu as part of the platform’s Hularious series.