It’s always fun to see a comedy legend in the making. To watch a supremely talented comedian when they’re still trying to figure out their voice and style, trying their hand at every genre, not yet locked in on that one thing that makes them go astronomical. HBO: Comedy Half-Hour is a show that’s full of such moments, with its catalog of early career sets by greats such as Dave Chappelle, Patton Oswalt and Kathy Griffin. We know what you might be thinking. “Do I need another subscription to watch this?” And to that we say, no. All these specials are now available on JioCinema.

Shot in the late ’90s, these specials are literally from a different time—back when smoking indoors was a thing and comedians didn’t hold back due to the fear of getting cancelled. Naturally, there are some bits that might not have aged well, and viewer caution is advised. But all in all, they all make for great comedy. With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s dive into our history lesson!

Dave Chappelle

Did you know Dave Chappelle’s first ever job involved dressing up in a cookie costume and handing out flyers for an establishment called The Cookie Bag? Don’t take our word for it. This story kicks off Chappelle’s HBO Comedy Half-Hour special. Shot just two years before Chappelle’s highly acclaimed special Killin’ Them Softly premiered, this half-hour offers us a glimpse of a talented comedian still finding his feet. He’s not yet zeroed in on the prophetic voice that people have come to associate with him now. Here, we get to see a young comedian joking about weed and mushrooms while still sneaking in some sharp racial commentary. Wouldn’t be a Chappelle special without it.

Jeff Garlin 

We all know him as Larry David’s goofy manager on the popular sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm, the family patriarch of The Goldbergs, and—for the Arrested Development fans out there—studio exec Mort Meyers. But before he became a revered comedy actor, Jeff Garlin was a standup comedian, still figuring out his way on the comedy stage. He has the patrons of San Francisco’s Broadway Studios in splits as he seamlessly transitions from one anecdote to another, punching it all up by tapping into his acting abilities and breaking into elaborate characters. This is 30-minutes of solid standup comedy. 

Janeane Garofalo

Another comedy great who first came into the limelight with her half-hour special on HBO, Janeane Garofalo’s set is a classic example of old-school alternative standup comedy, where she breaks away from the norm and is a lot more casual with her approach on stage. An outspoken feminist, Garofalo’s nihilistic, cynically dry style of humour has strongly influenced contemporary comedians such as Sarah Silverman and Natasha Legero. Her affable personality coupled with her charisma makes this a breezy, entertaining watch. 

Patton Oswalt 

We’ve all come to know Patton Oswalt as a brilliant confessional comedian, in large part thanks to his heart-wrenching Netflix special Annihilation, which touches upon his wife Michelle McNamara’s sudden death. But it’s taken him years to hone in on this style of comedy. In 1997, Oswalt was still just an up-and-coming comedian whose bread and butter lay in observational comedy. Sure, some of these topics were done to death, but the magic lies in his ability to peel back the layers of everyday mundanity and reveal the absurdity of so many aspects of modern life.

Margaret Cho 

Korean-American comedian Margaret Cho is an Emmy-nominated actor and comedian known for her refreshing and deeply personal take on comedy, deviating from the set standards of mainstream humour. Cho was known to take the stage and highlight issues of race and sexuality with personal anecdotes, something she has achieved flawlessly in this half-hour special. To talk about these issues as a person from the margins—during a time when standup comedy was dominated by white men making largely problematic jokes—was a feat in itself. The fact that Cho did it with so much style and finesse, makes this special a really engaging watch.