Dave Chappelle’s Netflix arrival will be marked by three new upcoming comedy specials. A release date for the first two has just been announced. The long absent comedian is back to quench comedy fans’ thirst and reclaim his crown as the king of TV comedy. Chappelle hasn’t had his own special since 2004, though he has been spotted throwing a few jokes around on Saturday Night Live.
Dave Chappelle achieved comedy stardom with his “Chappelle’s Show,” which ran for two full seasons along with an abruptly shortened Season 3. The show ran from 2003 to 2006, with many of the skits and characters becoming so popular that Dave almost couldn’t handle the fame. His sudden departure amid Season 3 left fans, along with co-stars and staff, wondering just where he was and what he was up to.
#Netflix‘s #DaveChappelle stand-up specials will debut March 21 https://t.co/GLkqpqEEJc pic.twitter.com/Ot3R9S2Dhz
— CNET (@CNET) March 2, 2017
Netflix released a teaser trailer of a somber Dave Chappelle hanging out by himself in a park to announce the double feature comedy specials. The release date for the first two is March 21, later this month, so fans thirsty for more Dave don’t have to hold out for much longer.
As Time reported, the specials aren’t exactly new. Among the specials, Dave Chappelle: The Age of Spin was filmed a year ago in Los Angeles. Dave Chappelle: Deep in the Heart of Texas was filmed in April, 2015. The third special and its release date are as of right now still mysteries.
Though Chappelle has been fairly scarce on TV screens, having escaped to South Africa after his “Chappelle’s Show” disappearance, his stand-up career has been going strong for the past few years leading to these specials. The reason for his sudden absence from the comedy scene and TV screens in the mid-2000s is a matter of self-reflection on the direction his career was taking, his reappraisal of the subject matter present in the sketch jokes in his TV series, and taking time to mourn the passing of his father.
Dave walked away from $50 million when he walked away from the “Chappelle’s Show,” but he walked away for reasons of social responsibility and the moral dilemma of his growing fame. He didn’t always believe that his jokes were appropriate, and some he viewed as detrimental, too over the top for his own standards.
Dave told Oprah Winfrey about how one particularly disturbing sketch made him feel.
So then when I’m on the set, and we’re finally taping the sketch, somebody on the set [who] was white laughed in such a way—I know the difference of people laughing with me and people laughing at me—and it was the first time I had ever gotten a laugh that I was uncomfortable with. Not just uncomfortable, but like, should I fire this person?
BREAKING: Dave Chappelle NOT performing in Dayton after all: https://t.co/6WTOr7ewnV pic.twitter.com/bNn6zzw1pZ
— Dayton.com (@daytondotcom) February 20, 2017
He reflected a bit more on the incident with Oprah.
I don’t want black people to be disappointed in me for putting that [message] out there. … It’s a complete moral dilemma.
He started to gain a new consciousness about his influence on the public.
It wasn’t hard for Chappelle to make a career comeback. Fans never forgot how funny he was, and reruns of the “Chappelle’s Show” are still popular. Some of the sketches, especially his more popular ones dealing with the late Prince and Rick James, have never waned in popularity. As fans look forward to the Netflix release date they can still reminisce over classic Dave Chappelle sketches that have fully permeated the public consciousness.