The world is ready for no comeback story like it's ready for Dave Chappelle's. The comedian, as you know, skipped town just as his star burned brightest. Maybe he really thought season three of Chappelle's Show sucked (it did), or maybe he just really really hated being famous. Though Chappelle has been touring, making surprise club appearances, and even hosting SNL, he hasn't yet fully reemerged on the national scene.
His three-special deal with Netflix will change all that. Better still, we only have to wait two weeks for the first two specials to drop. That's truly, deeply special. Pun acknowledged and not apologized for.
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Check out the trailer.
Two specials. One event. Dave Chappelle returns March 21, only on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/xiSv0SVVDV
— Netflix US (@netflix) March 2, 2017
Chappelle is coming back at the perfect time. He's always pitched himself as the consummate outsider. Unlike comedians like Key & Peele or Amy Schumer or, say, Patton Oswalt, he doesn't really turn the lens on himself so much as he does the culture. When a comedian like that, sharply observational, always hilariously aggrieved, becomes the culture, that's not a recipe for success. Now he's gone away and we've sort of forgotten just how huge he was.
Also, we have a clown-painted punching bag in the White House. So that's a good thing for any comedian.
The two shows are Dave Chappelle: The Age of Spin and Dave Chappelle: Deep in the Heart of Texas. They're filmed in Los Angeles and Austin, respectively.
A third will come some time in the near future.
Oh, and if you're wondering why he came back now, it's because he's getting a reported $60 million for the three projects.