Nikki Glaser’s Hulu Special ‘Good Girl’ Redefines Comedy with Pop Star Production

Standup comedy specials have long followed a simple formula: place a comedian on stage, set up a few cameras, and record the performance. But Nikki Glaser’s new Hulu special ‘Good Girl’ abandons this traditional approach, opting instead for a production that mirrors a pop star concert.

This evolution didn’t happen overnight. Glaser first collaborated with production company Done+Dusted on her HBO special ‘Someday You’ll Die’, released in May 2024. The project marked a turning point, according to executive producer and Done+Dusted partner David Jammy.

“That was her coming out. It was her saying, ‘Hey, I’m really good and I’m a star.’”

Just weeks before ‘Someday You’ll Die’ premiered, Glaser’s appearance on ‘The Roast of Tom Brady’ went viral, catapulting her into mainstream fame. Jammy described the impact as transformative: “It shot her into the stratosphere of the top comics. She was suddenly all over the world.”

With ‘Good Girl,’ Done+Dusted fully embraced this newfound momentum, building on Glaser’s back-to-back hosting gigs at the Golden Globes and other high-profile events. The team sought to redefine the standup genre entirely.

“On paper, producing a standup special is very simple,” Jammy explained. “But we said, what if we approached it like a pop star concert? What if we treated it as storytelling — both in the material and in how it’s presented visually?”

For Glaser, this shift was revelatory. “Most comics just look at a special as a way to get their material out there,” she told TheWrap. “They handle the jokes, but how it’s packaged is usually little to none of their business. As a lazy comic, it makes the special easier for us to make. But after working with Done+Dusted, I realized I had been leaving so much potential on the table.”

She credited Jammy and collaborator Chris Convy with pushing her to think beyond traditional comedy boundaries. “They were the first team who asked me questions like, ‘What is this special trying to say?’ or ‘Why is this moment different from all your others?’” she said. “They encouraged me to see myself as an artist (not just a clown) who deserves to make something exceptional.”

To execute their ambitious vision, Done+Dusted assembled a top-tier creative team. Academy Award-winning production designer Elina Billingsley crafted an intricate, ever-changing backdrop for Glaser’s set. Lighting designer Bobby Dickinson, known for his work on the Grammys and Tony Awards, elevated the visual experience for both live and at-home audiences.

The special’s opening sequence reflected Glaser’s larger-than-life persona. Inspired by arena tours from artists like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, the special features a pop star-style entrance where Glaser dramatically emerges onto the stage, walking out to her own original hype song. “We wanted to have fun with the open,” Jammy said. “What if she comes out from under the floor like a pop