Mike Birbiglia Sets Fourth Netflix Stand-Up Special, ‘The Good Life’ (Exclusive)

Mike Birbiglia will return to Netflix for his next stand-up special.

The comedian’s latest set, Mike Birbiglia: The Good Life, is set to premiere May 26 on the streamer. The special will be Birbiglia’s fourth at Netflix (and sixth of his career), coming about 18 months after 2023’s Emmy-nominated The Old Man and the Pool.

As is usually the case with a Birbiglia set, The Good Life will combine jokes and storytelling as the comedian talks about his father suffering a stroke and how that led Birbiglia to re-evaluate his own ideas about fatherhood.

“Over the years I’ve done a lot of personal shows, but somehow this one is the most personal because it’s not in my past. It’s my life right now,” Birbiglia said in a statement. “So there’s really no filter. At certain points during the tour I literally thought on stage: ‘Whoa. Am I really gonna tell this story?’ But that’s sort of the idea behind these shows. I try to probe into what’s most painful in order to figure out what’s most funny.” 

The Good Life will join The Old Man and the Pool, The New One (2019) and Thank God for Jokes (2017) on Birbiglia’s roster of Netflix specials. He also has done two other specials, What I Should Have Said Was Nothing in 2008 (which debuted on Comedy Central) and My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend in 2013 (also released on Netflix but produced independently of the streamer).

Seth Barrish, who has directed five of Birbiglia’s previous specials (all but What I Should Have Said Was Nothing), helms The Good Life. Birbiglia, John Skidmore (via his Best Kept Secret banner) and Joe Birbiglia executive produce.