Aparna Nancherla is an easy mark for self-help. “I am someone who wants to fix my life in five easy steps,” she tells The Cut. “But I also have a very loud existential voice that says, There are no five steps, none of us knows what we’re doing . We’re all floundering . Those are two opposing forces in me.” The Los Angeles comedian’s trademark deadpan-whimsical humor is on full display in Hopeful Potato , her first hourlong stand-up special after working steadily in the industry for 20 years. Nancherla has also appeared in some of the best comedies of the past decade, like BoJack Horseman, Abbott Elementary , and Search Party , the last of which she looks back on fondly (except for that time she received a request to play a nude corpse).

Starting December 15, Hopeful Pota

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