Louie C.K. opened up a revolution in comedy specials: sell them directly to the consumer, letting the consumer directly benefit the performer.  As part of the Required Viewing series, I’ll be sharing some of my favorites, starting with a performer who has long been due for a special: Wendy Liebman.Liebman actually produced the special and sold it to Showtime, but released it earlier this year in a similar way to Louie with a $5 download charge. The special, “Taller on TV,” is fun in that it integrates in bits and pieces of Wendy’s history, family and friends, and of course, some of her classic bits. “I went to Alaska for three days… and six nights. I stayed at the One Season.”

The trailer posted above doesn’t really offer a ton of her material, so to get a taste for her style of comedy, here’s a clip of her from one her recent stand-up routines:

It’s a good hour, and highly entertaining – her style of tucking the punchline into an aside is unique and quite clever. Her special is available on her website, and is well worth the $5.