Publication Date: 06-08-2026

Wanda Sykes: Legacy (2026) review

Dir. Julie Dash

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★★

Wanda Sykes: Legacy — the veteran comic’s most-recent Netflix special, and third since 2019 — takes a minute to get going. If your mileage for commentary on Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy, and others within the current clown-car administration has reached critical mass, Sykes’ comments, while amusing, are familiar. Not to mention, this material takes up about one-fourth of an already short special.

Just when I thought politics was going to be the dominant topic of Sykes’ special — which was filmed at Virginia’s Hampton University, her alma mater — she pivoted into more relatable topics, such as self-checkouts. On that note, rest assured that this 65-minute stand-up routine from one of the most assertive voices in comedy isn’t solely a political screed.

Back to self-checkouts, however. Sykes remarks how grocery store chains essentially slow-walked consumers into working for them for free, scanning our own items. Now, many are removing the self-checkout machines in their stores due to theft. Sykes riffs on this for a minute, and it’s very funny stuff. The only thing she misses is my biggest gripe with self-checkouts: why do the machines balk at me if I don’t place the item I just scanned “in the bagging area?” I’ve scanned it. I’m going to pay for it. Whether I place it in a bag, back in my cart, or stick it up my ass, what does it matter?

One thing that’s on display throughout Legacy is Sykes’ ability to craft a set. Her experience is evident in the way she intentionally pauses, enunciates her words, controls the speed of them, and even at 62, throws in some physical comedy to the amusement of the packed house. She takes her rant about self-checkouts, segues it very naturally to similar observations about hotels, then circumvents the story with one final punchline.

Some of the most inspired bits are when Sykes impersonates her longtime wife, Alex, who is French. Sykes impersonates her with an impressive French accent while pretending to smoke a cigarette. Alex doesn’t smoke. That’s just how she pictures her.

On stage at her alma mater, donning a satin jacket with the university’s logo emblazoned on it, Sykes looks and feels completely comfortable. She’s always commanding, but in this particular setting, her energy is palpable. Ever go back to your old school? That’s the kind of illuminating glow she exudes, and Legacy is a lovely encapsulation of everything Wanda Sykes does increasingly well as both a performer and comedian.

Directed by: Julie Dash.