Mediocrity Breeds Mediocrity: A Love Letter to Comedy’s Basement Dwellers

You ever watch a comedy show so bad you start questioning your own taste in friends for inviting you? Like, “Damn, did I really go to college with you and sit through this set where a guy just lists types of soup for five minutes?” That’s not just a bad night. That’s what happens when mediocrity becomes the norm. And let me tell you, in comedy, mediocrity isn’t just tolerated—it’s booking gigs.

Look, I get it. Everyone has to start somewhere. We’re all going to bomb. But there’s a difference between taking your lumps and setting up camp in Bombville, population: your same five jokes that never worked. Comedy isn’t just showing up—it’s rewriting, growing, and not treating the stage like your personal therapy session about your ex from 2012.

But when a scene stops challenging itself—when the bar is “you showed up,” and not “you killed or at least tried something new”—that mediocrity becomes contagious. Suddenly, everyone’s doing variations of the same safe jokes. It's like watching the same open mic on loop, except this time it's also a showcase and someone's aunt is in the front row pretending to laugh.

When the bookers don’t push for originality, when the hosts are just there to hear themselves talk, when your fifth “token lineup” still includes the same three white dudes named Kyle... it breeds laziness. It tells comics, “Eh, this is fine.” But comedy wasn’t built on fine. Comedy is chaos. It’s risk. It’s the courage to say something wild and hope it lands.

If we want better shows, we need better standards. And I don’t mean elitist gatekeeping—I mean effort. Rewrite the joke. Try the new bit. Don’t wait for someone else to raise the bar. Be the bar.

Because when you challenge mediocrity, something wild happens—you get comedy that actually makes people feel. Not just polite chuckles. Real laughs. The kind that leave an audience texting their friends, “You have to see this show.”

Let’s stop rewarding “meh” and start pushing for “holy sh*t.”

For comics who give a damn. For audiences who want more than polite chuckles. For anyone who’s ever thought, “Why am I sitting through this?”—we hear you. We have two shows every Tuesday at 8pm and 10pm at N sur Mackay. Get your tickets today!