Bert Kreischer’s Trending New 6-Part Netflix Series Is Saving Old-School Comedy

1 week ago 15

Published Jan 26, 2026, 6:52 PM EST

Greg is a Lead TV Writer & Critic at Screen Rant who also covers Movies and Music. He's published over 2500 articles at SR, including weekly binge guides and dozens of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. He previously worked in Development at ABC Television & Lawrence Bender Productions.

Greg majored in Film Production at Chapman University's Dodge College. Greg also has years of broadcast TV production experience at major networks such as NBC, TNT, and ESPN. He currently lives in Greater Boston.

Following the instant streaming success of Bert Kreischer's new 6-part Netflix series, it's safe to say that the old school comedy genre may finally be making a comeback in 2026.

Kreischer's new movie-length Netflix series consists of six episodes, perfect for binge-watching in just one sitting. Since its Thursday, January 22 premiere, it has skyrocketed up Netflix's U.S. and worldwide charts, making it the biggest scripted comedy debut of the year.

Free Bert Is Perfect For Fans Of 2000s Comedy Movies

Free Bert is one of the most-watched series on Netflix right now and is a strong indication that the giant streamer is becoming the official home for old-school comedy revivals. Although Free Bert is a completely original concept co-created by comedian and podcaster Kreischer, it carries the torch for nostalgic 2000s comedy movies like Wedding Crashers, Superbad, and The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

Free Bert rose to as high as #2 on Netflix's trending charts last weekend and is currently the #3 show in the U.S., which is a promising sign for fans' appetite for raunchy and fearless comedic content. The story follows Bert, who plays a heightened version of himself like Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm, as he and his family try to meet (and rebel against) the ritzy cultural standards of his Beverly Hills neighborhood.

Free Bert was built with the intention of making viewers laugh and has struck a measurable chord with audiences during its first five days on Netflix. Its short 6-part format also appears to be a winning formula for Free Bert, a similar approach that Netflix took with Shane Gillis' breakout comedy series Tires season 1 before expanding it to 12 episodes in Tires season 2.

Why Netflix's Free Bert Season 2 Needs To Happen

If Free Bert's global streaming success continues through the final week of January, it would become a no-brainer for Netflix to renew for a second season, especially given season 1's cliffhanger ending. Netflix beefed up Tires season 2 quite a bit after its comparatively thin first season, made on a very tight budget, and Free Bert has shown enough early potential that it also deserves a sophomore effort.

Tires season 2 also expanded its cast, attracting A-list talent like Thomas Haden Church and Vince Vaughn, as well as being a launching pad for newly added Saturday Night Live cast member Veronica Slowikowska. If Netflix follows a similar approach to expand Free Bert with more big-name celebs and rising stars – which even makes sense for the story, given its LA setting – it could become the perfect edgy Curb Your Enthusiasm replacement fans have been waiting for.

Netflix has yet to announce Free Bert season 2 at the time of writing. That said, it would be wise to do so, considering the comedy's instant breakout success that taps into the nostalgic brand of boundary-pushing comedy that is nearly forgone in this day and age.