According to the official announcement from Netflix, the two specials — which were recorded during the last two years during his national stand-up comedy tours — will debut on Netflix on the same night, March 21.
Pulled from Chappelle’s own vault, the two comedy specials were directed by Stan Lathan, the director on 2004’s Dave Chappelle: For What It’s Worth special. That special, which aired on the Showtime network and was the comedian’s second hourlong stand-up special, earned Lathan and Chappelle a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in “Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special” category.
The two Netflix specials will be Dave Chappelle: The Age of Spin, which was filmed at The Palladium in Los Angeles in March 2016, and Dave Chappelle: Deep in the Heart of Texas, which was filmed at the Moody Theater in Austin in April 2015. The specials will be the comedian’s first new concert specials to air since For What It’s Worth.
As the trailer indicates, the specials will feature Chappelle covering a wide range of topics, from his own sudden departure from the spotlight in 2005 after the second season of his hit series Chappelle’s Show, to O.J. Simpson and the radical Islamic State terrorists. Each hourlong special was self-financed by Chappelle, who’s been the recipient of three Emmy nominations over the years for both his Comedy Central series and his comedy specials.
Dave Chappelle: The Age of Spin and Dave Chappelle: Deep in the Heart of Texas will both premiere March 21 on Netflix, with a third special expected down the road. Chappelle is currently on tour doing more stand-up performances in preparation for that third special.