Middleditch & Schwartz is a three-episode comedy special on Netflix, and where it differs from other comedy specials Netflix typically releases is that these are improv shows. The talent involved here is Thomas Middleditch and Ben Schwartz. A lot of people probably aren’t familiar with these two comedians, or if you are it’s probably because you recognize Middleditch from Silicon Valley or Schwartz from Parks & Recreation. However, I’ve been fans of these two for about 10 years now, and I’ve always loved their comedic style. Seeing their faces was an instant sell for me to watch this series, but I recognize that other people might need some more convincing.

The basic format of the show is that in each episode, Middleditch & Schwartz are putting on an hour-long improv show. How this works is that at the start of each show, they ask a question to the audience, which in this set of three episodes is always “is there something anyone here is looking forward to or dreading in the future?” They then pick out one of the responses that they hear from the audience and have a quick conversation with the person that they picked, asking them more questions about their situation. From here, they do an entire improvised show where they act out the scenario that’s been presented to them. It’s kind of amazing how much they create out of so little. In this season, we get a wedding, a law school classroom, and a job interview for the scenarios.

The thing that I’ve always loved about these two comedians is that they are such character actors, and this shines through in every bit of this. They are able to instantly transform into some character, personality, accent, etc. in a way that brings the whole scene to life. Not only this, but the two of them have been doing improv shows together for years, and so they have an excellent dynamic. They bounce off each other so well, and it’s always so hilarious the stuff that they come up with.

I normally wouldn’t even review something like Middleditch & Schwartz since it falls more into the realm of comedy specials than it does actual TV series, but I definitely think this is going to fly under the radar for a lot of people due to not being familiar with the talent involved, so I wanted to make sure I gave a shout out to it. I was lucky enough to discover these two long before they became famous, and so I watched this because I knew how funny it would be. Others might not be so willing to do so, but I highly recommend taking a chance on it. If you like improv in any capacity, try this out. It was the kind of series where I was so disappointed that there were only three shows, because I absolutely want to see more of these released in the future, so I hope this does well. Give this a shot, it’s absolutely hilarious.

4.5/5