7 Comedy Tips To Level Up
Insights From Episode 1 of Kevin Hart's "Funny AF" (Comedy Resources #17)
I’ve been watching the new show Kevin Hart’s Funny AF the last few nights. What’s surprised me about it hasn’t really been the competition side of it, which shows like Last Comic Standing have maybe had more of, but how much actual “shop talk” happens throughout. Where most shows in this genre stay surface-level, this one keeps circling back to structure, identity, and what actually makes a short set work and what makes a comedian good. Here are my Top 7 Takeaways from episode 1.
Takeaway #1: In the first episode, the biggest thing that stood out to me was how much weight Hart puts on a “the tight 5,” that is, a comedian’s first solid five minutes. He harps on it in subsequent episodes, too. One of his main points is that those five minutes are an introduction. The audience should walk away knowing who a comedian actually is and not just that they can get a laugh.
Takeaway #2: Related to that is the notion that comedy is about giving the audience something they can actually hold onto. The idea behind this is: If people laugh but can’t describe what a comedian’s about, they’ve missed something. Hart and his sidekick in episode 1 in New York City, Keegan-Michael Key, also hit on something I’ve seen repeatedly at open mics: comedians jumping from one angle to another just to chase a punchline. It might get a laugh here or there, but it feels scattered. If a comedian’s point of view keeps shifting, the audience doesn’t know what to trust. Consistency is key here because it’s what lets the audience (as well as the comedian) settle in.
Takeaway #3: Throughout the episode there’s also a lot of attention given to how surprise actually works. At several points there are vignettes where Hart, Key, Kumail Nanjiani, Tom Segura, and Chelsea Handler sit around a table and talk “inside baseball.” At one point, they discuss surprise and how it’s not cheap shock one should be after, but real misdirection. These little asides are a great feature of the show.
Takeaway #4: At other points, matters such as joke structure show up. Hart and crew talk about how a setup has to guide the audience toward a specific expectation, and the punchline has to break it cleanly. If that expectation isn’t clear, the turn doesn’t hit. It’s basic “Joke Writing 101” type stuff, but it’s always a good reminder. And, of course, I love sharing this kind of info myself, so I find it fun to view.
Takeaway #5: They talk about “the dismount,” too, which is just the closing moment of the set. That part gets overlooked more than it should. A weak ending can sometimes tarnish or undo everything that came before it. A strong dismount sticks with people after a comedian has left the stage. It’s the last impression; thus, it carries more weight than other parts of the set.
Takeaway #6: They also discuss the performance side of things, which is great. There’s a good bit of focus, for instance, on what they call “understood silence.” Many comedians rush through quiet moments because they think something’s wrong. What Hart and crew point out is that silence isn’t always failure; sometimes it’s space. If, as a comedian, I let silence sit for a second, it may well give the joke more room to land.
Takeaway #7: That, in turn, ties into confidence, which has a lot to do with a comedian not backing off of what they’re saying. If, for example, I launch into a joke then start softening a premise or hedging in the delivery, the audience feels that. The comedians who stand out are the ones who commit fully. They don’t apologize for the idea once they’ve started it. I also noticed the attention given to how stronger sets feel intentional all the way through. In these, nothing feels random. The jokes connect, the tone stays consistent, and the set builds toward something.
Having said all that, here’s a list of insights from episode 1 that I think are worthwhile:
The first five minutes should make it clear who I am, not just what I wrote;
The audience needs something specific to latch onto;
My point of view has to stay consistent;
Surprise only works if the setup actually guides the audience;
The closing moment needs to be deliberate, not an afterthought;
Silence can work if I let it; and,
Commitment in delivery matters more than playing it safe.
At the end of the day, the show keeps coming back to one idea: A set isn’t just a string of jokes, but a structured introduction to how I see the world. If that part is clear, everything else starts to fall into place. If it’s not, no amount of punchlines is going to fix it. As far as episode 1 goes, those 7 insights are really what stuck out to me.
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