“In some ways, comedy is fortifying its place in New York City culture: Theaters are busy, offering niche shows ranging from Andy Kaufman–esque character showcases to all-Asian long-form improv. In other ways, the scene is stagnating. Stand-up is still the city’s saving grace, going strong in three of the five boroughs, as energized comics display a level of thought and creativity that the improv and sketch scenes currently lack. While it’s great there are many more venues to provide stage time, it would be better to feel performers justifying the attention of audiences by pushing boundaries, or, at the very least, playing from their hearts rather than playing to a hypothetical agent.