Patton Oswalt's new Netflix stand-up special to debut Oct. 17

Patton Oswalt's new Netflix stand-up special to debut Oct. 17

Patton Oswalt has just endured the most difficult year of his life, and he’s talking about pushing through the pain and coming out the other side of it in his new stand-up special.

Netflix will release Patton Oswalt: Annihilation Oct. 17, EW has learned. Filmed at Chicago’s Athenaeum Theatre earlier this summer, the one-hour special addresses the comedian’s horrific year and how he tried to cope with tragedy — his wife, crime writer Michelle McNamara, died suddenly last April, leaving him as the sole parent of their 7-year-old daughter, Alice — using the tool he knows best: humor. Oswalt will cover other topics in Annihilation, ranging from social media, robocalls, and, yes, the political climate.

Elizabeth Morris/Netflix
Elizabeth Morris/Netflix

One of the most respected stand-ups working today, Oswalt released his first Netflix special last April. Talking for Clapping not only won an Emmy, but the album version claimed a Grammy.

The King of Queens alum, who hit the big screen this spring in The Circle, has recently graced such shows as Veep, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and Lady Dynamite. He can be heard as the narrator on The Goldbergs and will voice an imaginary blue-winged horse on Syfy dark comedy Happy, which debuts in November. In addition, Oswalt, who recently got engaged to actress Meredith Salenger, appears in the upcoming drama Nostalgia and will star in the midseason NBC comedy A.P. Bio.