Junetwentieth doesn’t quite roll off the tongue the way Juneteenth does, but Netflix’s infinite wisdom was smart enough to acquire and showcase the first comedy special from the popular “85 South Show” crew of Chico Bean, DC Young Fly and Karlous Miller. The timing is a bit bittersweet, though, as DC Young Fly is still mourning the unexpected death of Jacky Oh, his longtime partner and mother of his kids. The special is dedicated to her.
The Gist: Chico Bean from D.C., DC Young Fly from Atlanta, and Karlous Miller from Oxford, Miss., all came out of the long-running MTV comedy rap battle series, Wild ‘n Out.
The trio realized they had extra special comedy chemistry, from which they launched the “85 South Show” podcast in 2015. They’ve accumulated 3 million followers on Instagram, some 2.4 million subscribers on YouTube, and even created their own SVOD service, Channel Eighty Five (they premiered their first stand-up special, from Leonard Ouzts, earlier this year).
They filmed this “hometown” stop on their Ghetto Legends tour at the Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta in December, with veteran comedy director Stan Lathan behind the cameras, and special guest performances by Rich Homie Quan and Goodie Mob.
What Comedy Specials Will It Remind You Of?: As the voiceover boasts over the opening credits: “There is no other show like this…and it’s all improv.”
Memorable Jokes: The jabs the guys get in on each other, a la Wild ‘n Out, don’t stand out quite as much as their interactions with their fans.
A woman stands up almost immediately from her front row seat to announce it’s her birthday, and all three of the comedians clown on her while allowing her to snap selfies with them. When her boyfriend stands up to defend her, the trio breaks into a song based on the line, “she about to cheat.”
At multiple points, they go into the audience while freestyle rapping. Chico gets an older woman to dance with him in the aisle, only to learn that wasn’t just any random older woman. An interaction with an interracial couple inspires the trio to launch into a series of jokes based on the film, Get Out. DC repeatedly asks for any fan to throw him some weed, even prowling through the aisle in search of some substance. When someone from the crowd eventually does toss a joint onstage, the fellas defer, jokingly worrying about what other drugs might be in that pre-roll.
If you’re not from Atlanta, you’ll also learn how the locals decide if you’re a local.
If you didn’t know that DC could play the drums, now you’ll know. He gets behind the kit and jams with the 85 South Show’s backing band.
They also welcome Rich Homie Quan for a medley of “Lifestyle” and “Type of Way,” and later close out the show with Goodie Mob coming out to perform “Get Rich To This.”
Our Take: Halfway through the special, after Rich Homie Quan’s performance, Karlous says, “we needed that little musical interlude.”
Did they, though? Yes and no.
Chico, DC and Karlous have no difficulties keeping their fans entertained, whether they roasting the audience or each other, or freestyling lyrics as they jam with their band for their own musical interludes. The band’s regular drummer is ready for rim shots aplenty, as well. All with the lights up in the arena.
It’s definitely a party atmosphere. Even if, at one point to set up a bit, Karlous asks: “Don’t this feel like a megachurch for real?”
Megachurch services do feel rather festive, too, though.
If there’s anything to quibble about, really, it’s only that at 53 minutes, this feels like the party ends almost as soon as it began. It barely lasts as long as a megachurch sermon. On their own SVOD, the 85 South Crew sells other live concerts from their tours that clock in at twice as long as their Netflix debut. So why are they teasing us here like this?
Unless that was intentionally the point.
Our Call: STREAM IT. Chico, DC and Karlous definitely left us wanting more. And that’s a good thing.
Sean L. McCarthy works the comedy beat. He also podcasts half-hour episodes with comedians revealing origin stories: The Comic’s Comic Presents Last Things First.