It's been 22 years and a couple dozen movies since Adam Sandler made his lone, songs-stuffed TV comedy special, "What the Hell Happened to Me?" for HBO. Which has long begged the question from diehard fans: When the hell is he going to make another one?

The answer is, right now. 


They're two of at least 10 performances being filmed this month for a new comedy special coming to Netflix, likely later this year. Between all the locations, and Sandler's scattershot, see-what-sticks approach Wednesday, it's obvious a lot of material won't make the final cut (although the jokes at the show were generally better than the punchlines in Sandler's weaker movies). 


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There was one obvious keeper from Wednesday's show for the special: a moving new song honoring a friend Sandler called "by far the funniest guy of all time": Madison native, Marquette University alum, and Sandler's former "Saturday Night Live" co-star, Chris Farley.

Also clear: While it's been 14 years since Sandler's last comedy album, he is still a sophomoric and silly comic, flowing Wednesday from droll, quick-hit observations to surreal, stoner-suited narratives, with enough speed that jokes that fell flat were quickly followed by a fresh punchline. 


And at 51, married for nearly 15 years and father of two daughters, Sandler's done a good deal of growing up, too. That perspective has found its way into his new material, making Sandler more relatable than ever before.

Here are eight of the best bits from Wednesday's show we hope we'll see in that Netflix special. 

Parental panic attack: From quips about his awed commentary filming his kids' soccer game to being irritated by their unruly friends on a bad play date, Sandler displayed the love and annoyance that come with parenting. His best fatherly story resembled a pulse-quickening page-turner, recounting an anxious ride in a ski lift during which one kid's struggling with a glove, another needs Chapstick, and they're all dangling 100 feet in the air. 

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Love and marriage: Sandler modified the "Grow Old With You" song from his movie "The Wedding Singer" to sweetly honor his wife, although he ribbed some of her past passive-aggressive tension with the song "Eggshells." "I don't know what I could have done wrong because I literally just woke up," he sang. "I told her her hair looked good and somehow that made things worse." 

Bathroom humor: There was plenty of bathroom humor Wednesday, and literal bathroom humor in the form of a song about Sandler being too lazy to urinate in the toilet while taking a shower. ("I have no respect for my family … I am an animal … I am the destroyer.") Also crass, and amusing, was a rap song about a smelly Uber ride. ("He got that free water if you want that drink, drink/You know what else he got? That stink, stink." 

Coyote ugly: Sandler was frequently eager to get to the next gag, but he took his time with an amusingly bizarre bit about treating a coyote's injured paw with Epsom salt and forming a special bond that dissolves when the drunk coyote texts Sandler at 2:30 in the morning.

Blinding insults: Seeing Sandler live in Milwaukee will cost you between $40 and $150. Being mocked by Sandler, though, that's priceless, and several (questionably) lucky fans had that opportunity, with Sandler blinding them with a flashlight as he sang (jokingly) cruel insults in the style of a traditional Celtic folk song. 

"Chanukah" companion: Sandler's redone his signature tune "The Chanukah Song" a few times now, but now he's come up with another catchy ditty, "Bar Mitzvah Boy," perfect for your next rite-of-passage playlist. 

Schneider in space: Frequent Sandler co-star Rob Schneider opened Wednesday's show with an unapologetically politically incorrect set. He later appeared as a Russian astronaut singing an erotic duet with Sandler. 



  • (Commenting on Milwaukee's wintry weather Wednesday) "Did you guys know it's not supposed to snow in April? I forgot Wisconsin does spring every other year."
  • "My wife's grandma is 101 years old. She broke her hip recently and I felt really guilty, 'cause I'm the one who bought her the trampoline."

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