Brian Regan signs two special deal with Netflix

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Brian Regan’s reputation as a clean, family-friendly comic has often obscured the staggering clout of his observational punches, which place him in the realm of Jerry Seinfeld and Jim Gaffigan despite never having landed a hit sitcom or dramatic role.

Similarly, the affable Miami native rarely gets credit for his work ethic — performing at least 100 stand-up shows annually, often with a brand new hour of material — or his willingness to experiment, as he did on Sept. 26, 2015, with Comedy Central’s first-ever live stand-up broadcast.

At Radio City Music Hall, no less.

“A lot of work went into it and I knew all the downsides, all the stuff you have to prep for in a live show, and it was pretty intense,” Regan said over the phone from his home in Las Vegas, where he has lived for the last 14 years. “And then for it to go off well was relieving. But it was also like, ‘Well, I had all these contingency plans for a heckler or a glitch or this or that, and none of that ever happened.

Starting with his 1997 album “Brian Regan Live” and continuing with shows like Regan’s triumphant headlining set at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in 2015, the 58-year-old has fashioned himself into one of the most popular stand-ups in the English-speaking world.

Now, Regan is reasserting himself with a two-special deal with Netflix, the streaming behemoth that recently reported 100 million subscribers worldwide. Netflix has funded dozens of stand-up specials but only a few of them are multispecial deals, putting Regan in an elite club whose other members are Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Louis C.K. and Dave Chappelle.

“We let the dust settle from the Comedy Central thing for maybe six months and then started talking, my manager and I, about our next step,” Regan said. “Netflix in the meantime has evolved into this international channel and people’s viewing habits were changing like crazy and watching regular TV less. So I was like, ‘Well, what the heck? Let’s evolve with the times.’ I didn’t want to do just one, though. A lot of people can do one. I wanted to see if they’ll offer me two.”

Regan chose the friendly confines of Denver’s Paramount Theatre to tape the first of those specials —
he returns for three shows June 23-24 — having recorded his Comedy Central special “Epitome of Hyperbole” there in 2008. Like so many other top comics, Regan came up playing Lower Downtown’s well-regarded Comedy Works club and feels a strong affection for audiences in the Mile High City. Not that he needs any help selling out shows here.

“I try not to overdo even markets that are good for me,” said Regan, who last year headlined two nights at Salt Lake City’s 12,500-seat Vivint Smart Home Arena. “If anything, lately I’ve had conversations where I want to work them less. I never want somebody to look at an ad in the newspaper and say, ‘Wasn’t he just here?’ I always want it to be, ‘Ah, he’s coming back! Let’s check it out.’ I also want to make sure I’m doing close to a brand new hour of material when I come back.”

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