Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Seth Meyers: Dad Man Walking’ On Max, Where The Comedian Takes A Closer Look At His Pained Parenthood 

Ten years and 3 kids into his tenure hosting NBC’s Late Night, Seth Meyers is astatine a constituent successful his life wherever he doesn’t request to beryllium doing stand-up. But to perceive him show it, possibly nan shape is arsenic overmuch an flight from real-life for him arsenic it is for his audiences.

SETH MEYERS: DAD MAN WALKING: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Meyers has been connected our TV screens for much than 2 decades now, first arsenic a writer/performer connected Saturday Night Live (where he served arsenic caput writer arsenic good arsenic Weekend Update anchor), and since February 2014 arsenic big of Late Night pinch Seth Meyers.

In summation to his late-night duties, he besides hosts 2 podcasts: “Family Trips pinch the Meyers Brothers” and “The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast.” He published a children’s book (“I’m Not Scared, You’re Scared”) successful 2022, and he co-headlines a monthly residency pinch chap late-night big John Oliver astatine New York City’s Beacon Theatre.

Meyers received an Emmy information for penning for his debut solo special, Lobby Baby for Netflix, and 5 years later, he has turned up connected HBO and Max, erstwhile again talking astir his children arsenic good arsenic his marriage.

What Comedy Specials Will It Remind You Of?: Neal Brennan directs his longtime drama friend here, and location are times wherever you tin spot really they swipe disconnected connected each other, really Meyers mightiness beryllium a practice of what Brennan’s drama mightiness look for illustration if he were joined pinch kids.

Photo: WarnerMedia

Memorable Jokes: As nan title suggests, Meyers puts his fatherhood halfway stage. Specifically, crediting his kids for making him a much successful comedian?

“I’m having a situation of assurance because my 6-year-old has precocious started saying thing that’s funnier than immoderate joke I’ve written successful nan past year,” he reveals almost immediately, adding: “The infinitesimal he said it I couldn’t hold to get onstage and show it to you.” But this is not a caller arena for him. Meyers wants america to cognize that contempt each of his NBC money, “Lobby Baby has paid for college,” making nan “Ka-ching!” sound for emphasis.

Which has led to him mining his kids for material. Or arsenic Meyers explains successful this play connected words: “I want them to beryllium content. But I besides want them to beryllium content.”

His wife, Alexi, besides gets name-dropped, not only for his expertise to tie Amazon’s “Alexa” instrumentality into their home disputes, but besides to heighten his position that he’s someway outnumbered (or astatine slightest outnamed) successful his ain home.

For those of you who didn’t watch his section of Finding Your Roots connected PBS, Meyers explains really and why his impersonation of nan Swedish Chef from nan Muppets is OK, moreover if much audiences thin to subordinate nan comedian pinch nan 25 percent of his DNA that comes from Lithuanian Jews. And whether aliases not you did spot President Joe Biden’s memorable sojourn to Late Night for Seth’s 10th day show earlier this year, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes communicative astir what happened erstwhile his 3 kids sewage to meet nan president.

Photo: HBO

Our Take: Late Night fans, return note: There’s a batch much astir his location life than his activity life aliases nan existent governmental scenery here, truthful this hr is overmuch much “A Closer Look” inward connected really Meyers is managing (or not) to equilibrium it each personally.

“I americium happy to pass you I person nary anti-trans material,” he makes a constituent of saying, but not truthful overmuch to measurement successful connected his edgelord colleagues successful comedy, arsenic overmuch arsenic to tie a opposition betwixt gender personality and dietary identity. In his worldview, transitioning to veganism, arsenic Seth’s relative has, is overmuch much of a disruption. And yet, moreover successful his annoyance, he’s sewage to manus it to his relative for looking overmuch healthier than him arsenic a result.

Although he sounds overmuch much irritated pinch his woman and kids than he is pinch his brother, his parents aliases moreover his in-laws. Making himself nan put-upon dada who tin only find bid by lingering underneath nan sofa for a fewer other moments aft crawling to fetch nan dice his kids had thrown location during a committee game. He and his woman mightiness beryllium school their children not to usage nan connection “hate” successful their vocabulary, but Seth has much than a fewer things he hates astir them (kidding not kidding), to nan constituent wherever he finds himself taking pleasance retired of ripping nan sweaters disconnected of his children arsenic a substitute for really hitting them. And erstwhile he gets into arguments pinch his wife, Seth finds an state successful his mother-in-law.

This is each kinda classical sitcom dada worldly to beryllium sure, imagining Meyers arsenic a type of Ray Romano’s Everybody Loves Raymond, for instance.

Meyers besides flashes moments of self-awareness that he’s possibly not nan victim. He admits to not knowing still really to illness a stroller, and talks arsenic if his woman handles nan bulk of nan parenting duties contempt nan truth that she has a career, too, arsenic a lawyer. And he acknowledges that it must beryllium difficult emotionally for his woman to moreover beryllium joined to a comedian, not only because his occupation tempts him to opportunity nan incorrect things to her, but past besides to repetition them to millions of strangers later for nan liking of nan joke.

How tin he resist, though, erstwhile his children support providing him pinch specified awesome punchlines?

Our Call: STREAM IT. Of each of today’s late-night hosts, Meyers remains nan slightest apt you’d expect to spot doing stand-up comedy, and yet somehow, he’s besides nan astir proficient of them astatine doing it correct now?

Sean L. McCarthy useful nan drama beat. He besides podcasts half-hour episodes pinch comedians revealing root stories: The Comic’s Comic Presents Last Things First.