Matt Rife: Lucid - A Crowd Work Special 2024 / Comedian Matt Rife wades through stiff opening banter and succeeds as the first pure crowd work comedian on Netflix

It’s a big deal by its very existence, being Netflix’s first pure crowd work special, further elevating the recent popularity of the niche. Rife starts off riffing about audience members’ outfits and “where you from?” banter, his conversational skills transporting you to a high school reunion-esque party where early birds aren’t drunk enough yet, and it does cast some doubt on whether he was the person for the job. But seeing him loosen up along with the crowd is cool to observe, and when he does eventually find himself in the driver’s seat, amid a great theme of dreams to guide the special, Rife proves he was the man for the job.