Janelle James has announced her debut hour-long stand-up special, How Romantic, premiering globally on Netflix November 10, Deadline reports exclusively. The special touches on topics ranging from body counts and bank accounts to why women should wrestle men. James wrote, performed, and executive produced the special, with Matt Schuler producing and Marcus Russell Price directing.
A sneak peek clip released alongside the announcement finds James digging into the dangers of men, and that they know it, building toward a bit about the word “boogeyman.” She points out that no one’s scared of a “boogey-woman,” joking that it actually sounds fun.
James is best known for playing Ava Coleman, the inept principal on ABC’s Abbott Elementary, a role that’s earned her five consecutive Emmy nominations, a Critics Choice Television Award, two NAACP Image Awards, and a Golden Globe nomination. Before television, she spent roughly 15 years building a stand-up career, touring as an opener for comedians including Chris Rock, Amy Schumer, and David Cross. She released her debut comedy album, Black and Mild, in 2017, followed by short specials for Netflix’s The Comedy Lineup and The Standups, before headlining nationally and appearing at major comedy festivals. She also runs an annual comedy festival in Brooklyn, now renamed the Janelle James Comedy Festival.
Beyond stand-up and Abbott Elementary, James’s credits include One of Them Days, Central Park, and Black Monday, where she worked as a writer-performer, along with The Rundown with Robin Thede and History of the World: Part II, where she contributed as a writer. She’s currently developing Rock City, a Hulu/UTV comedy set in the U.S. Virgin Islands, alongside Happy Endings creator David Caspe, a project that would mark a shift from supporting work into leading onscreen talent.
With a full-length special now locked for a global Netflix release, How Romantic gives James her first opportunity to headline a major stand-up release entirely on her own terms, following years of festival sets, short-form specials, and scene-stealing supporting television work.