Netflix has nabbed a new stand-up comedy special from Tracy Morgan, titled “Staying Alive.”
The set has already been filmed at New Jersey’s Count Basie Theatre, and will launch on the streaming service Tuesday, May 16, 2017.
Here’s the official description, in Netflix’s own words: Tracy Morgan’s “Staying Alive” finds the comedy icon exploring his fresh take on life, career and mortality in the wake of surviving a devastating near-fatal traffic collision in 2014. From coping with a traumatic brain injury and learning to walk again to “falling for” his physical therapist and deciding that maybe getting older isn’t such a bad thing, Morgan is back in true form and tackles the most trying time of his life with grace, strength and the jaw-droppingly hilarious point of view fans have grown to love.
Morgan headlined the “Picking Up the Pieces” stand-up tour last year, working out material for “Staying Alive.”
The aforementioned accident occurred on the New Jersey Turnpike in June 2014, when a Walmart truck driven by Kevin Roper struck a vehicle carrying Morgan and others. A lawsuit, filed in July 2014, alleged that Walmart “knew or should have known” that Roper had been awake “for more than 24 consecutive hours” ahead of the accident, violating Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations. The two sides reached a settlement in May 2015.
Netflix has been hoarding big-name comics and their stand-up specials. The company recently signed Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Amy Schumer, Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Silverman and Louis CK.