Mike Birbiglia Reflects on Family and Pancakes in New Netflix Special
“When I was a kid, I always viewed my dad as larger than life,” Mike Birbiglia says in the trailer for his upcoming special. “He was a doctor, and in his free time, he got his law degree. That’s how much he didn’t want to be a dad.”
The stand-up comedian muses on parents and pancakes (well, “pancake,” singular) in “The Good Life,” streaming on Netflix on May 26. The one-man show sees Birbiglia open up about his dad’s recent stroke and how it made him reevaluate his own parenting approach.
Birbiglia also talks about his own health, and how it might affect his breakfast servings. “A few months ago, Jenny had made me pancake,” he says. “She’s deeply familiar with my health profile, so she knows the right amount of pancakes for me to eat. It’s pancake.”
Birbiglia began touring “The Good Life” in October, performing it six times in New York at the Beacon Theatre. He developed the show after the release of his Emmy-nominated 2023 special “The Old Man and the Pool,” which also streamed on Netflix.
In a statement announcing the special, Birbiglia referred to “The Good Life” as “the most personal” because “it’s not in my past. It’s my life right now.”
“At certain points during the tour I literally thought on stage: ‘Whoa. Am I really gonna tell this story?’ But that’s sort of the idea behind these shows. I try to probe into what’s most painful in order to figure out what’s most funny,” he added.
“The Good Life” is directed by Seth Barrish and designed by Beowulf Boritt and Aaron Copp. Birbiglia, John Skidmore and Joe Birbiglia executive produce, and Best Kept Secret is the production company.
Birbiglia is also known for his specials “The New One” and “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend,” among others. He also wrote, directed and starred in the 2016 indie film “Don’t Think Twice,” and he hosts the podcast “Working It Out.”
