Dr. Jason Leong is a Malaysian comedian who has been gaining more and more prominence in the global entertainment scene ever since he won the 7th Annual International Hong Kong Comedy Festival in 2013.
Now, he’s going even bigger and better with the premier of his new Netflix comedy special “Dr. Jason Leong: Hashtag Blessed”. The stand up comedy show premieres on the 16th of September and can be viewed by audiences in over 190 countries!
While Dr. Jason Leong has always been a unique personality due to his backstory of doctor turned stand-up comic, his newest show prescribes us with an extra-special dose of comedy that makes him stand out even more.
What are these extra-special something somethings you ask? Well, here’s a list of reasons explaining exactly why you should channel an appointment with Netflix and tune into Dr. Jason Leong’s latest release:
1. Ruthlessly Funny
From relentlessly dissing traditional medicine to straight up calling out the shows offs on social media, Dr. Jason Leong’s humour is a captivating balance between somewhat insensitive to downright ruthless. He calls out everyone’s bullshit, and truth be told, we can’t even be mad because it’s actually damn funny! We’re sure even you have probably done at least one of the things he calls people out on, but trust us, you still won’t be able to stop yourself from guiltily laughing along with him.
Even his aunt Saraswathi, whose racist comment is now an all time favourite joke on the stand-up comedian’s show, laughs along whenever Leong chooses to bring up her candour. Leong tells us the story of how he first cracked this joke at his brother-in-laws wedding right in front of his Indian aunt, and she later even ended up saying “Jason, I love you.”
2. Authentic and Relatable
Our favourite thing about Dr. Jason Leong’s Netflix special is that a good portion of his content is based on actual events and his real life experiences. From stories with his wife to hilarious run-ins with patients during his time as a doctor, Jason gives us content that we can all relate to.
You’ll be sitting there with your popcorn while nodding in agreement thinking, “Haha, yes Jason, I’ve been there too!” It’s like Leong has climbed into our brains and been there for every moment we were annoyed at an obnoxious Instagrammer, got pulled over by the cops or even when and if (we really hope for your sake that it’s an if), you get kicked right in the balls.
3. Home Is Where The Heart Is
A crucial factor that makes Leong so relatable is that he’s a comedian born and bred in Malaysia. And so, as a true citizen, he knows all the classic factors that will undoubtedly make Malaysians crack up.
Little things, like Asian parents blaming “heatiness” for any ailment to serving stale food at the Hungry Ghost Festival, really hit home as they are unique to those from this beautiful part of the world. Leong knows what’s up with us and tells it like it is! One of the greatest things about having more homegrown shows on Netflix is that they basically represent our day to day life and, you’ll definitely let out a chuckle as he comically retells out life story.
4. Timeless Entertainment
As the doctor cum comedian said so himself, the Netflix show contains “One hour of material which is timeless. In a sense that back then it was funny and if you watch it now it’s still funny.” Dr. Leong further goes onto to explain why audiences will still find the content relevant and funny, even while the Netflix special was filmed in 2018: “Because it’s about things like how we are as a people, how we treat other people, Malaysians from a few countries; so they all remain the same.”
And we couldn’t agree with him more. I mean, is there ever really a deadline for when trying to escape a saman from bewildered cop stops being funny?
5. Caters to a Global Audience
While we absolutely love that Jason is “authentically and unmistakably Malaysian”, we also love that his content can be enjoyed by quite literally everyone and anyone. A skill that can truly be commended when it comes to this local comedian is his ability to appeal to a global audience. He presents his jokes in a manner where even when Leong is talking about the most Malaysian thing ever, anyone from anywhere is able to understand and laugh at the comedy behind it.
“And if you watch my special you will realise that although I am authentically and unmistakably Malaysian, in the show, you don’t necessarily have to be Malaysian to understand the jokes,” said Dr. Leong while explaining how his content caters to a global audience. “I made it accessible to as many people as possible and so, I feel very excited because this was a dream come true.”
Since his Netflix special is available in 190 countries, the Malaysian comedian has put extra effort into making sure it can be enjoyed by every single viewer from these versatile nations. “Truth be told, when I first filmed the special I already had in mind that I was going to take advantage of the opportunity that it offers. In the sense that it is going to be available globally,” said an enthusiastic Dr. Leong.
There you have it, 5 reasons why you should definitely watch Dr. Jason Leong’s latest Netflix special, “Hashtag Blessed”. If these reasons don’t convince you, we don’t know what will!
On second thought, if you still don’t trust our word, you should tune into the Netflix special itself and see for yourself! We guarantee that after a good laugh with Dr. Leong you will be #blessed 😉
