Hysterical Review: The Future of Comedy is Female

Hysterical, brought to us by FX Documentaries, shows the history of comedy through the perspective of the industry’s future: the female comic.

Stand-up comedy has always been a man’s game, but change is happening thanks to the fierce and fearless female comedians that brave the frontlines on the stage armed with just a mic.

Comics are artists that use words as their materials, and Hysterical uses words and definitions as clever title cards. There’s the basic definition and then a second one that applies the word specifically to a woman’s experience in the world of comedy.

comedy (n)\’käm-əd-ē
    1. causing laughter or amusement
    2. sometimes thought exclusive to the male gender

The Painful Past

The painful past of women in comedy could fill its own history book. From microaggressions to sparse opportunities to sexual assault, Hysterical does a good job of covering this heavy and expansive subject.

Male comics have dominated the scene for so long and they’ve gotten away with too much bad behavior. “Women can’t be funny” is an old stand-by excuse to not give women a chance in the field, but really it’s that men don’t want to admit that women are funny because that means they would have to share the spotlight, or worse, women would outshine them.

All the trappings of sexism and misogyny are found in the comedy industry. As a woman, you just can’t win.

Iliza Schlesinger: Men have always gotten to do things first. Whether it’s owning property or having freedom of speech or anything fun and expressing yourself, men got to do it first. So, by sheer numbers, more men have been doing comedy for longer because women for so long were expected to stay home, have children, and then die.

It sounds archaic, right? But this kind of thinking is still very common, and women comedians continue to contend with these stereotypes and notions. 

Moms Mabley, a Black women comic who began her career in the 1920s, adopted an “old lady” persona so her edgy routines would be more palatable for audiences.

There was the “woman disclaimer” used by talk show hosts, comedy club emcees, audience members, and even the female comics themselves.

Ed Sullivan would introduce a comedienne onto his show by saying, “Here’s my little daffy friend” or another equally demeaning preface. Just the fact that they are a woman needs to be a part of their introduction to “prepare” audiences for this bizarre concept of a funny female.

Judy Gold: Women would get on stage, acknowledge that they are pieces of shit, and then go, “Okay, so here are my jokes.” It was like, “Hi, I know I’m a woman. I know I should be home with my kids, so I’m going to acknowledge that and then can you listen to my jokes.”

For a long time, there was the idea that comedy shows could only handle one woman on a line-up or only one woman-led sitcom on a network. It’s still used today, although not quite as pervasive, thankfully.

This kind of ideology pits women against each other and invites an unescapable competition between female comics—they have to fight over that one spot.

Rachel Feinstein: They would openly say that to you. It’s like “Oh, we can’t go vag, vag. God forbid. We can go dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, but we can’t do two vags in a row. That would confuse everyone.”

Doubling Down on the Double Standard

The double standard is alive and well in comedy. The powers that be would never tell men the same thing they tell women. Qualities that women have that are seen as negative are seen as positive when possessed by men.

Sherri Shepherd bursts out laughing at the question of whether it felt like an equal playing field back then between men and women. “It’s not even an equal playing field now!”

When men are called “hysterical” it usually only refers to them being very funny. When women are, the outdated definition applies—the one derived from “hysteria”—a mental illness specific to women. The same is very true when it comes to the emotion of anger. 

Margaret Cho says, “Male comics are often really, really celebrated for their very famous anger.” And following this statement is a disturbing series of clips of male comics and their rage including infamous screamer, Sam Kinison.

Now compare that with the anger of Hannah Gadsby. Kinison is aggressive and hostile. Gadsby expresses her rage calmly with ample examples to why her anger is valid. 

Schlesinger: We’re not allowed to show that we’re angry even though we are. Women are filled with rage, but we have to keep a smile and not show it because of wrinkles and likability, so we shove it down. But, it finds a way; it comes out.

Comedy as Therapy

A common theme for the female comics on this documentary are childhoods where they didn’t feel heard or seen or acknowledged. Another unfortunate commonality is that they have suffered trauma in their lives. 

Women have an advantage in stand-up comedy because we’ve been dabbling in our feelings for far longer than men have.

These women have found a way to work through their pain and anxieties and insecurities with their humor. And it’s a humor that they share with their audiences which, in turn, might help others to feel less alone. They bare their souls on a nightly basis and bring joy and laughter along with it.

Schlesinger: I’m offering myself up in an effort to find myself, hoping in doing so you will also find yourself.

Cho looks at a comedian’s use of their trauma in their act as “a testament to [their] skill,” suggesting that there is a darkness behind good comedy.

When Marina Franklin is diagnosed with breast cancer, she puts it straight into her act. Trying new material out on a live audience is nerve-racking enough without the added pressure of revealing something personal that most people would rather not talk about. 

Franklin: It was so good for me, and I could see that I was actually reaching people.

As she’s saying this, the camera shows the audience reacting and laughing in slow motion, almost as if you can see the moment that her words resonate with them and how the humor lightens a very dark subject. 

The Bright Future

Schlesinger agrees with George Carlin that comedians are “modern day philosophers,” but she adds, “we’re also whistleblowers.”

I remember reading about Harvey Weinstein attending a comedy show amidst the height of the allegations and a female comic calling him out. On Hysterical, that comic, Kelly Bachman, recounts the moment first-hand.

Bachman: I’m a comic, and it’s our job to name the elephant in the room.

Bachman is a relatively new comic, having only been doing it for a year when she made a very public stand against Weinstein. Veteran comedians who have been in the business for years like Kathy Griffin, Cho, and Shepherd expressed their admiration of Bachman’s bravery.

Griffin called it “an act of civil disobedience.” Nikki Glaser said she was inspired by Bachman. “That’s how cool that is, that someone who is just starting out can make me feel so empowered.”

Bachman likens that moment to David and Goliath. “Once you yourself stand up against power then the narrative changes.”

More and more, up-and-coming women comedians are speaking about hard topics on stage and challenging the status quo. And off-stage they are coming forward about how toxic the comedy environment has been and still is for women.

Shepherd: Now I’m seeing comics speak up. I’m seeing a lot of bad ass girls get into this field now. I feel like they are equipped more than we were. 

Things are shifting. Rather than enabling that competitiveness that was forced upon them, female comics are backing each other up and supporting one another. Those that have reached success are giving chances to the younger crowd.

Fortune Feimster and Glaser credit established female comics for giving them opportunities. They climbed the ladder and are now reaching back to help others up. 

Bonnie McFarlane: People started going to each other’s shows anyway and just hanging out with each other. It’s really remarkable when you do stuff like that, how much it grows and, not to sound too corny, but that’s how movements happen.

Not to say that there’s not more work to be done—there is. No woman has met the same status as some of their successful male counterparts. BIPOC representation in comedy has improved, but as Griffin points out, “As much as there’s progress, if you notice the progress, it’s not really a trajectory for all women. It’s kind of like we’re still in a period of fits and starts.”

In a dramatic work, if done well, you can feel the creator or actor’s heart and soul. With comedy, especially stand-up, the same thing is happening, yet you don’t realize how deeply it’s settling into you because you are happy and laughing. It’s quite a skill to impart profound messages while making people crack up, and these comedians are highly skilled.

What did you think of Hysterical? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Hysterical is currently streaming on FX on Hulu. 

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