Sheng Wang’s First Netflix Special Is a Sweet and Juicy Treat
Photo courtesy of Netflix
Sheng Wang’s utterly sublime hour, Sweet and Juicy, is packed with laughs but also feels noticeably unhurried. Not only is the special Wang’s Netflix debut, but it’s fellow comedian Ali Wong’s first time directing, as well. Between her light directorial touch and Wang’s languid demeanor, the set is like a breath of fresh air, brilliant in its simplicity.
The Houston-raised comedian, who previously wrote on Fresh Off the Boat, delivers story after story in a relaxed manner that swiftly puts the crowd (and the viewer at home) at ease. He’s somehow both silly and matter-of-fact at the same time, maintaining his good-natured persona even when he’s giving out about our fundamentally broken healthcare system. Every joke has time to breathe, making Sweet and Juicy an especially serene and satisfying watch.
Throughout the hour, Wang focuses on the banal, forgoing any bombast or shock value. Instead, he taps into quotidian pleasures and problems, like office printing privileges (“Have you ever thrown away warm paper?”) or the perils of washing a cookie sheet. It could be difficult to draw in an audience with such milquetoast subjects, but Wang’s genius operates outside conventional confines. Between his creativity and lackadaisical onstage energy, he renders even a seemingly dull topic a comedic goldmine.