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Netflix Announces Dave Chappelle’s New Year’s Eve Special With A Stranger Things Mashup

Dave Chappelle: Equanimity is set to drop on December 31st.
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By  · Published on November 20th, 2017

Dave Chappelle joins the ‘Stranger Things’ extended universe.

There might not be a bigger name in comedy than Dave Chappelle. For the past decade, Chappelle has sold out concerts (including ten consecutive shows at Radio City Music Hall) despite not appearing on TV or in films. In 2016, he re-emerged on TV, hosting Saturday Night Live’s first post-election episode, and back in March, Chappelle made his return to the spotlight official when he released two hotly anticipated stand up specials on Netflix. Today, the streaming giant announced the air date for the third special in his Netflix deal.

Chappelle’s fans get to ring in the New Year with a special holiday treat. The comedian’s latest special, Dave Chappelle: Equanimity, is set to drop on Friday, December 31st. What’s notable about Dave Chappelle: Equanimity is that it’s the only one of Chappelle’s specials to feature brand new material shot specifically for Netflix. His previous specials, The Age of Spin: Dave Chappelle Live at the Hollywood Palladium and Deep in the Heart of Texas: Dave Chappelle Live at Austin City Limits, featured material the comedian already had in his personal archives when he struck his three-special-deal with Netflix.

Chappelle commands enough star power to go the Louis C.K. route and distribute his own material, but I’m glad that he’s now part of the Netflix family. If Chappelle signed his deal with anyone else, we would never have been treated to this hysterical Chappelle/Stranger Things mashup. Not that this special requires any more promotion, but I would love to see more Chappelle/Netflix brand mashups. I can already imagine where Chappelle’s dirty mind would go in an Iron Fist spoof. Here’s a look at Dave Chappelle: Equanimity’s teaser trailer.

Today’s comedy scene has seen a drastic shift since Chappelle’s Show’s heyday. Not that long ago, audiences were giving comedians a free pass to say whatever was on their minds, but that’s no longer the case. Today, comedians are held to task for offenses ranging from perpetuating gender biases to not respecting trigger warnings.

Chappelle doesn’t seem concerned with buffing potentially offensive material out of his act, and as recently as March he found himself receiving considerable blowback for offending the LGBTQ community. Chappelle’s act has always had a puckish quality to it, and you can be sure that his next special will continue that trend. It’s not a matter of if Dave Chappelle: Equanimity will offend, it’s only a matter of who.

 

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