The iconic Jerry Seinfeld returns to the stage with 23 Hours to Kill, a Netflix special that's structurally dedicated to societal and personal complaints. In the first half, Seinfeld muses about the consequences of living in a "device dictatorship," followed by a second half commentary about the realities of being a married, 65-year-old man. Overall, 23 Hours to Kill is full of comedic reveals, with the premise centered on the idea that the audience has better things to do with their time.
As Seinfeld fans already know, the American comic rose to fame with his observational humor and starring role in the NBC series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Three years after making his Netflix stand-up debut with Jerry Before Seinfeld, the legendary comic performed at New York City's Beacon Theatre for his 2020 special, and appears in top form as usual.
On the surface, Seinfeld initially comes across as an older man who doesn't appreciate technology's societal influence. But while poking fun at phone-addicted people who don't use their devices to verbally communicate with others, Seinfeld indirectly reveals that he hasn't lost his comedic edge when deconstructing the "natural obstacles of life." Rather than merely complaining about 2020 realities, Seinfeld goes a step further by noting the absurdity of texting "k" rather than "OK," and how it's become commonplace to describes things as "great" or "sucks." Through wordplay, Seinfeld nails the punchlines early in 23 Hours to Kill, and with a wink-of-the-eye approach that reminds the audience he's there to perform and entertain, as opposed to offering a didactic commentary about how things should be. Through the first half, Seinfeld reveals why he's an elite stand-up comic. From there, he drops his guard and reveals what he's learned through marriage.
Midway through 23 Hours to Kill on Seinfeld reveals that he's currently experiencing his "favorite decade," and seems to appreciate that he can mostly relax rather that trying to evolve as a human. "I don't want to expand my interests," Seinfeld says, "or learn anything I don't already know." Once again, he implies a certain reality, only to set-up several jokes about the never-ending learning process that is marriage. "There's nothing the female brain cannot do," Seinfeld declares, and then its that he often finds himself in hypothetical conversations with his wife. But whereas most comics tend to double down with jokes about aging and marital conflict, Seinfeld shuffles up his act with more observational humor from the perspective of a married man looking outward to society; a full-circle stand-up moment.
Seinfeld sets up his final segment by comparing his college-bound 18-year-old daughter to an alligator that needs to "get the hell out." He also jokes that the letters in golf stand for "get out, leave family," and that men stick to fashion trends that connect to the year of their marriage. Interestingly, Seinfeld's personal reveals seem to act as a cover for sharper commentaries on society, such as being asked to to pick up garbage at movie theaters. "I'm not sticking my arm into that dark, scary hole," Seinfeld says - a concept that certainly isn't causing him any problems during the middle months of 2020. Jerry Seinfeld ends with a bit about horrific bathroom experiences, which serves as the exclamation point to the act; a final performative reveal that implies he hasn't settled for married dad humor, but rather continues to be a comedic "secret agent man" like the subject in Johnny Rivers' song that ends 23 Hours to Kill on Netflix.