Review: Jo Koy, “In His Elements” on Netflix

This is a full-on variety show, as Jo Koy traveled to the Philippines with a breakdancer, Ronnie; a Grammy-winning producer, !llmind; singer/songwriter Iñigo Pascual; and comedians Andrew Lopez, Joey Guila, and Andrew Orolfo to Manila, showcasing Filipino-American talents in the Philippines, while also showcasing them to the world.

It’s better if you don’t even think of this as a comedy special, despite the presence of four comedians and their performances in it. Think of this instead as Koy’s passion project.

That’s what he did.

“This is my bucket list moment right here,” he announces to the audience in Manila. “I brought Netflix to the Philippines, man. Are you kidding me?”

Not even Netflix’s Comedians of the World found room for the Philippines. As Koy recalls onstage, when he began his comedy career, he couldn’t find anyone like him, either. “Do you know how hard it was for me to find another Filipino comic in 1989 without the Internet?” He wore the national flag on his shirt when he made his Tonight Show debut so other young Filipino-Americans could see him.

And now he put the cameras on Filipino-American b-boy dancers, DJs, rappers, singers and comedians to let everyone else know there’s millions more where he came from.

“I hope we entertained you,” Koy says at the end. “And I hope we inspired you to go celebrate your own culture, whatever that may be, you guys. Just do it. Embrace it.”

Plus we got to find out why he goes by Jo Koy.

Read more on Decider.com.

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

View all posts by Sean L. McCarthy →