Jo Koy: In His Elements Review

We found the previous Jo Koy specials to be outstanding and highly-relatable comedic experiences. But his love letter to the Philippines. "Jo Koy: In His Elements", sadly falls flat. This shouldn't have been an hour long comedy special but rather a series of hour-long episodes instead.

Comedian Jo Koy takes talented Fil-Ams back to the Philippines in his new special, "Jo Koy: In His Elements". Jo Koy and his group of friends celebrate their Filipino heritage by telling jokes about life as a Filipino-American while highlighting the culture they have mostly heard but never experienced.

At an hour long, "Jo Koy: In His Elements" had a lot to do in a very short amount of time. Jo Koy had to make his jokes, there were segments showcasing Filipino talent, and even other Fil-Am stand up comedians doing their thing. If you expected a full-on comedy special then you'll definitely leave disappointed - like we did. In fact, there was really no momentum or whatsoever during its whole runtime. As soon as Jo Koy was getting into the flow, a segment or another person needed to be introduced, breaking it suddenly. Jo Koy was more like a host than a stand-up comic here. The very brisk pace also meant that the segments themselves did not have time to develop into more substantial material. We wanted to love this but we just couldn't. The "In His Elements" could have been so much better if Netflix and Jo Koy broke this into several 30 minute episodes with each episode focusing on one aspect of Filipino culture and one Fil-Am talent. Sadly, the end result doesn't really give justice to Jo Koy, the talents and people involved, and Filipino culture itself.

Rating: 2 reels






Why you should watch it:
- had some funny moments but few and far between

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- this isn't really a comedy special