As Wonder Project expands beyond faith-based films and television into stand-up comedy, comedian Sterling Scott says the studio’s first slate of specials reflects what audiences are increasingly looking for: entertainment that brings families together without sacrificing laughs.
The Canadian comedian stars in “Good Days, Better Nights,” one of six original stand-up specials featured in “Wonder Presents: The Stand-Ups,” Wonder Project’s first foray into comedy programming on Prime Video.
The weekly series marks a new chapter for the Jon Erwin-helmed studio, which has built its reputation on faith- and family-oriented films and series such as “House of David,” recently renewed for a third season.
“When Wonder first asked me to be a part of this, I was first of all honored because the lineup of comedians that they had are truly top tier,” Scott told The Christian Post. “Then I was excited because it was an amazing opportunity … for a lot of talented Canadian comics that the world probably wouldn’t have seen without this project.”
“I’m really proud of the work that we’ve done with this, and I think it’s a great way to introduce us to the world,” he added.
From award-winning comedy studio New Metric Media, each of the six specials will debut weekly. In addition to Scott, the special stars comedians Caroline Rhea, K. Trevor Wilson, Ola Dada, Zabrina Douglas and Erica Sigurdson.
Scott’s path to stand-up was anything but conventional. Originally pursuing acting, he stumbled into comedy after an impromptu appearance at comedian Kenny Robinson’s Nubian Nights showcase. That experience motivated him to study comedy in Edmonton, Alberta. Nearly two decades later, he said, it ultimately led him to projects like “Wonder Presents: The Stand-Ups.”
“I bombed. Did horrible,” Scott recalled. “From there, I realized what I had done wrong was that I didn’t respect the craft.”
His special’s title, “Good Days, Better Nights,” represents a season of acceptance in his own life; Scott, a husband and father, said he views each day not as a measure of success or failure but as “a new beginning.”
“There’s only two things you can ask for in this world: a good day and a better night. Anything else is too much,” he said. “When I’m looking at life through that lens, it’s so much more fruitful than it was the other way. Good days and better nights is truly the motto that I live by.”
Much of Scott’s material draws from stories about fatherhood and family life; he shares stories about his children and says he wants it to feel like sitting around the Thanksgiving dinner table.
“The biggest source of my comedy had to come from my family because the way that they would tell stories … was in a very comedic way,” he said. “When I’m speaking to the audience, it feels like I’m right at home.”
Although “Wonder Presents: The Stand-Ups” emphasizes family-friendly comedy, Scott pushed back against the idea that “clean” comedy is inherently more restrictive than edgier material.
“Clean comedy is a genre. Dirty comedy is a genre,” he said, comparing stand-up to film and music. “Just because you like clean comedy, it doesn’t mean that the dirty comedy is not good … or that clean comics are less talented. The way that I was trained was don’t try to write clean, don’t try to write dirty, just write. I wasn’t trying to be clean. I was just telling you the truth, and it happened to be clean.”
Still, Scott believes the growing popularity of comedians such as Nate Bargatze, who has opened up about how he views his comedy as a “calling” from God, and the emergence of family-friendly comedy platforms reflect a broader shift in audience demand.
“Comedy is blowing up. People are loving it right now,” he said. “If you only have R-rated stuff, you close off such a big audience. But by making it family-friendly, you welcome everyone. … [With my special], they’re just going to be thinking it’s hilarious; they won’t be focusing on whether it’s clean or not. That’s really the strength of this special.”
Beneath the laughs, Scott said he hopes audiences leave with a message that runs throughout his set: “Love who you are, even on the way to becoming who you want to be.” Through his comedy, he said he aims to bring together people who disagree.
“I want to do comedy through connection, not through dividing,” he said. “I want to take two groups of people that disagree with each other and unite them through laughter. Instead of us pretending to be things, we can accept that each of us has flaws. Through seeing that we all have flaws and that we’re not perfect, we can realize that we can unite under the empathy that we all are flawed.”
“I would hope that when someone walks away from this, that they would see that I’m whimsical, that I’m silly, and that I’m somebody that has so much more to offer the world,” he added. “If you give me the opportunity, I’d be happy to make you giggle even more.”
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: [email protected]
