Controversial comedian claims the Netflix top chart spot

In most of the world, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder has claimed the top slot among Netflix shows. But not the US.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, after two days on top, was knocked off the number one slot by controversial comedian Joe Rogan.

Joe Rogan: Burn the Boats is the most popular TV content in the US at present. According to Netflix’s own figures, the comedy special was watched 2.5 million times in its first two days on stream.

Rogan is world-famous as a podcast host and provocateur. He’s less well-known and less revered as a stand-up, though, and that's coming through in the reviews for Rogan’s latest special.

“Burn the Boats isn’t cutting-edge art. It’s not disruptive like the interventions of Jerrod Carmichael, or Hannah Gadsby, or Bo Burhham. Rather, Rogan’s humor caresses a mass constituency, a ginormous “we.” If his jokes reflect the sensitivities and anxieties of a huge swath of American men, then that’s a gloomy prophecy,” says MSNBC.

Decider has little positive to say about the special itself, but does say you should watch it because of the sheer cultural relevance of Rogan himself.

“Precisely because Rogan is such a large figure in the media landscape of setting the conversations for 2024, I’d urge you to STREAM IT,” says the Decider review.

Variety’s review, thankfully, espouses more than most on whether Joe Rogan: Burn the Boats is actually funny. But the verdict isn’t good, the review saying Rogan’s jokes "feel decades too late.”

“He is not a generationally gifted comedian, or even a very good one, but his invocations of culture-war wedge issues bring him attention he would otherwise not have merited,” says Variety.

The Wrap’s review summary should give you the best idea of whether you should watch Joe Rogan: Burn the boats or not.

"If you know Rogan, you know exactly what you’re getting with this special … even if the special’s title might need to be clarified for those not familiar with the idiom it offers,” the review says.

Already a fan of Rogan's stand-up? You’ll probably enjoy Burn the Boats. But it probably isn’t going to convert anyone else.

This is Joe Rogan’s 11th comedy special, and his third for Netflix, following 2018’s Strange Times and 2016's Triggered.

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