Courtesy of Variety

Yes, Jim Gaffigan’s comedy shows are no “Avengers: Endgame,” but rest assured – no punchlines will be spoiled here. That’s a promise. 

Many who know Gaffigan’s work will find his latest venture new and familiar at the same time. His knack for somewhat exaggerated observational humor tagged with jabs at his own health, appetite and family situation are always present at his shows – that’s his shtick. It’s worked out for him so far, and this past weekend it worked for him again. 

Landing back on Long Island for his “Quality Time” tour, Gaffigan’s down-to-earth presence on-stage at the Paramount Theater in Huntington led him to another night of uncontrollable laughs. With a solid opening act that got the crowd warmed up, Gaffigan took the stage and immediately poked fun at Long Island diners. While no specific jokes will be recapped here word-for-word out of courtesy, Gaffigan’s digs at some of Long Island’s most cherished institutions somehow had the crowd immediately on board. From there Gaffigan was relentless, not even taking all that much time to pause in between his puns and observations. 

Gaffigan’s quips involving his own “fatness” were abundant once again during his set, though not frequently enough to be old or annoying. His jabs at his own less-than-exemplary parenting also still felt fresh, and clearly Gaffigan’s wife continues to do all the work in their family.

Yes, there’s also Gaffigan’s signature move – going meta: “Why is he making so many jokes about [insert subject of joke here]?” That’s familiar territory for Gaffigan fans, and it’s one of the only sections of the act where things get a little stale. 

What Gaffigan may want to reconsider are his quick puns with casual references to suicide. Yes, he was only making jokes, as is the whole point of his career, but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless. Half-breaking the earlier stated rule of not spoiling jokes, Gaffigan could have easily avoided the “Kill yourself” punchlines at the end of some of his setups and instead gone for something a bit lighter that still would have brought the laughs. Think that’s too “politically correct” for this review? That’s your opinion, and admittedly those moments were very few and far between. Nothing Gaffigan said seemed to overtly step over any unmarked lines. However, comedy is usually reflective of current cultural understandings, and those jokes seemed a bit out of place. 

All in all, Gaffigan delivered once again. His knack for observational comedy and his willingness to continually poke fun at himself has not gotten old. He managed to keep things fresh with relevant punchlines about his travels and life experiences.

If Gaffigan is ever in your area, you’d be kidding yourself if you didn’t at least consider listening to this wonderfully funny, pale human being entertain you like he does so well and so often.