Stream It Or Skip It: ‘David Spade: Nothing Personal’ On Netflix, Where The Comedian Entertains Like He’s Hosting The Afterparty

In his first stand-up special since 2014, and his first for Netflix, David Spade covers a lot of ground, topic-wise. We certainly find out how the former Saturday Night Live star feels about the pandemic, pubic hair and clickbait. But with a title like “Nothing Personal,” is Spade also engaging in a bit of clickbait himself? Just how personal is he going to get, anyhow?

The Gist: The pandemic actually hasn’t treated Spade too poorly in a professional sense. Not that it started out that way, as Comedy Central pulled the plug on his late-night talker, Lights Out with David Spade, two springs ago. But Netflix quickly came to the rescue, hiring Spade to star in a promotional talk show for the streaming giant’s other programming called The Netflix Afterparty. ABC also tapped Spade to host Bachelor in Paradise.

Barely any of this comes up in Spade’s stand-up, though. He will joke about how unlike paradise he felt his accommodations where for the Bachelor gig, and make a crack or two at the expense of his appearance in Grown Ups. Otherwise, this hour is a fairly standard yet scattered one, not spending too much longer than a “Hollywood Minute” on any specific premise.

What Comedy Specials Will It Remind You Of?: The vibe is hanging in a VIP lounge, hearing the VIP hold court with stories — or story fragments — of whatever’s on his mind.

Memorable Jokes: Spade opens with his own perspective on the past two years of the pandemic, getting a rise out of his Minneapolis audience by taking the piss out of Dr. Fauci’s perceived pessimism, comparing the vaccine rollout to a horse race, and joking about how he’d hoped COVID had put an end to hugging. Or more specifically, people who ask for hugs by claiming “I’m a hugger.” “Can we get rid of that? I mean, it’s not working anymore,” Spade joked. He said COVID made that obvious, but the perverted nature of men add 100 more reasons to put a stop to touchy-feely greetings.

If you haven’t heard a rumor about Sylvester Stallone’s sexual prowess, or lack thereof, then allow Spade to be the one to start and spread said rumor. Complete with act-outs. “In fairness, that joke is mostly sound effects,” he added afterward.

As for his Bachelor in Paradise house? Spade recounts how thousands of crabs infested the place, later to be joined by…a jaguar? Not exactly.

And as for his movies with Adam Sandler, Spade self-mockingly suggested: “Grown Ups is a movie you’ve probably seen because we’ve been keeping the lights on at TBS for the last five years. You almost can’t not see it.”

Our Take: Spade’s at his best as a comic foil.

From SNL to his early movies with the late Chris Farley (Tommy Boy, Black Sheep) to his two long-running sitcoms (Just Shoot Me, Rules of Engagement) to even his more recent TV hosting duties, all of those gigs allowed Spade to work off of his scene partners. He’s more confident and emboldened in those scenarios than he ever appears as a solo act telling jokes. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t feel like digging too deep into any of the ideas he presents onstage. Or perhaps his premises don’t deserve much more than a passing zinger. Either way, the jokes breeze past, most of them forgettable once you’ve closed out the credits.

In that sense, Spade’s special is kind of like the clickbait he jokes about succumbing to in online headlines. Sometimes you will want to keep clicking to see what that star from the 1990s looks like now, even though Spade jokes: “I will save you 55 clicks and two-and-a-half-hours…she looks like s–t.”

Our Call: STREAM IT. Of course, sometimes that’s all you want out of a comedy special. Some light titters. An escape from the real-world and whatever problems or anxieties it might be causing for you. Just don’t come here thinking you’re going to glean much insight or see the world around you any differently.

Sean L. McCarthy works the comedy beat for his own digital newspaper, The Comic’s Comic; before that, for actual newspapers. Based in NYC but will travel anywhere for the scoop: Ice cream or news. He also tweets @thecomicscomic and podcasts half-hour episodes with comedians revealing origin stories: The Comic’s Comic Presents Last Things First.