Hannah Gadsby’s New Feel-Good Comedy Special To Premiere On Netflix

Hannah Gadsby’s new comedy show, Something Special is set to be released on Netflix next month. 

This will be the third show by the award-winning queer comedian and will delve into the story of their recent wedding to producer Jenney Shamash. The show’s synopsis teases a “panicky proposal, a novelty wedding cake”, and a “fateful bunny encounter” in the self-described “feel-good comedy special”. 

Gadsby’s first comedy special Nanette (2018) took home several awards including a Peabody award and a Primetime Emmy award. Their follow-up, Douglas (2020) was nominated for two Primetime Emmy awards and won an AACTA Award. 

Something Special was filmed at the Sydney Opera House last year as part of their world tour entitled “Body of Work”. 

Public Outcry Following Dave Chappelle Controversy 

The Netflix deal that Gadsby signed last year follows the comedian’s public denouncement of Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos in 2021 for the way the streaming service handled Dave Chappelle’s transphobia controversy. 

The streaming provider faced public backlash after Chappelle declared ‘I’m team Terf’ on his show The Closer, and supported author JK Rowling, who has a history of making anti-trans statements. 

At the time, CEO Ted Sarandos defended Chapelle’s special The Closer, referencing Netflix’s queer content, naming Gadsby’s own specials. 

The feud between the comedian and Netflix, saw Gadsby posting to Instagram, “Fuck you [Sarandos] and your amoral algorithm cult. I do shit with more backbone than you”. 

New Show With Gender-Diverse Comics

Netflix and Gadsby have since reached an agreement, with the streaming service commissioning  Something Special and an upcoming compilation, hosted by the comedian, that will see a cast of six new gender-diverse international comedians.

Gadsby shared their excitement about their new comedy special, posting an announcement to Instagram on Wednesday, “Pretty darn chuffed to be able to share this one with y’all. It’s a feel-good show. Seriously.” 

Last year, Gadsby released a statement explaining their vision to challenge the “notoriously transphobic industry” by looking to “broaden the scope of opportunities for genderqueer performers from around the globe as well as expand the diversity of offerings to audiences on one of comedy’s biggest platforms”. 

The comedian spoke about the program’s ties with a mentorship initiative for the new comics, with the objective to “foster the professional development of a demographic that is still struggling to have their voices heard”. 

The line-up show was recorded in a single run in the UK, with Gadsby declaring that this would be a chance for the world to “hear these voices for the first, but definitely not the last time”. 

Hannah Gadsby’s ‘Something Special’ will premiere on Netflix on May 9.