You know that feeling when a comedian you grew up with suddenly changes their whole vibe? It's jarring. We spent decades watching Sarah Silverman play the "ignorant-arrogant" character—the one who’d say something truly heinous with a wide-eyed, innocent smile. But her 2025 Netflix special, Sarah Silverman: PostMortem, is something else entirely. It’s raw. It’s kind of heavy. Honestly, it’s the most "grown-up" she has ever been, and that has some fans scratching their heads.
The special dropped on May 20, 2025. It wasn't recorded in some flashy Vegas arena. Instead, she took it to the Beacon Theatre in New York City. The setting felt right. Intimate. Stately. A little bit old-school.
The Elephant in the Room (and the Urn)
The central hook of Sarah Silverman: PostMortem is grief. Not the poetic, cinematic kind of grief, but the "buying a casket is like buying a used car" kind of grief. In early 2024, Sarah lost both her father, Donald (affectionately known as Schleppy), and her stepmother, Janice, within just nine days of each other.
That is a lot for anyone. For a comedian, it's material.
She literally admitted to stealing jokes from her father’s eulogy. That sounds dark, right? It is. But if you’ve followed her career, you know that her dad was the one who taught her to swear in the first place. He was a character. A clothing store owner from New Hampshire who left sarcastic, hilarious voicemails. In a way, the special feels like she’s just passing the torch he lit.
Why PostMortem Isn't Just "Another Special"
Most people expected her to keep up the momentum from her 2023 HBO special, Someone You Love. That one was "classic Sarah"—edgy, silly, slightly detached. But Sarah Silverman: PostMortem leans into the vulnerability. She talks about her mother’s last words. She talks about the "deal of a lifetime" she got while planning two funerals at once.
The humor here is gallows humor. It’s what happens when you’re "all hands on deck" in a hospital room and someone lets out an ill-timed fart. It’s human.
Some critics have been a bit cold about it. They say it feels more like a podcast or a one-woman show than a traditional "stand-up special." And yeah, if you’re looking for a joke every ten seconds, this might feel slow. But if you want to see an artist actually evolve? This is it. She’s 54 now. She’s not that girl from The Sarah Silverman Program anymore. She even jokes about how she’s "not on-brand from 20 years ago," and honestly, thank god for that. Who wants to be the same person they were at 30?
The "Dead Dad" Show Trope
There’s this thing in the UK comedy scene they call the "dead dad show." It’s basically a subgenre. Sarah’s 2025 special is her entry into that world. She navigates it by mixing the high and the low. One minute she’s talking about the Jewish way of handling death, and the next she’s pivoting to:
- Ridiculous stories about male fetishes.
- Sharp-tongued Hitler gags (because it’s still Sarah, after all).
- Deeply personal reflections on her short, messy stint at Saturday Night Live.
- Observations on bodily fluids that would make a teenager blush.
The variety is weird. It’s messy. But that is what makes it feel like a real person talking to you, not a polished PR product.
What Critics Are Missing
The biggest misconception about Sarah Silverman: PostMortem is that it’s supposed to be "healing." Some reviews say it’s "aspirational" because her father lived a long, full life and died surrounded by love. They argue it lacks the "tragedy" needed for great comedy.
That misses the point.
The "tragedy" isn't just the death; it’s the absurdity of the aftermath. It’s the paperwork. It’s the "Silverman United" WhatsApp group chats. It’s the fact that life keeps moving when you’re stuck in a funeral home. Sarah isn't asking for pity. She’s showing us how she used her "ignorant-arrogant" toolkit to survive the hardest year of her life.
📖 Related: Why the 21 Jump Street Cast Worked When It Honestly Shouldn’t Have
Should You Watch It?
If you like your comedy with a side of existential dread and a lot of heart, then yes. If you’re still waiting for her to do a "Jesus is Magic" Part 2, you’re going to be disappointed.
Sarah Silverman: PostMortem is a pivot point. It’s the moment a "great" becomes a "master." She isn't afraid to let the room go silent for a second. She isn't afraid to be the daughter instead of the provocateur.
Next Steps for the Fans:
- Watch the transition: If you haven't seen it yet, go back and watch Someone You Love on Max first. It provides the perfect contrast to the tone of PostMortem.
- Listen to the backstories: Sarah’s podcast (relaunched through Lemonada) has a few episodes from 2024 where she first processed these events. Listening to those before watching the special makes the jokes land much harder because you know they came from a place of real, raw survival.
- Check the credits: Stick around for the end of the special. The dedication to Donald and Janice isn't just a footnote; it’s the whole reason the hour exists.
This special isn't just about dying. It’s about what we do with the pieces left behind. And in Sarah’s case, she turned those pieces into a pretty incredible hour of television.