Netflix gets 'Latent'

Imagine a Roman coliseum where the lions wear baseball caps and the gladiators are armed with punchlines.

- RAJA SEN

That, dear reader, is the world of Kill Tony. Comedians picked out of a bucket get the stage for one minute: 60 seconds under the unblinking stare of Tony Hinchcliffe, a roastmaster with a tongue dipped in arsenic and Red Bull. With a revolving door of star guests and a house band funkier than a Delhi summer, Kill Tony isn't a mere podcast—it's part open mic, part gauntlet, part blood sport. It's where careers are born, egos are slain, and every silence is radioactive.

After 700 or so episodes on YouTube, Kill Tony has come to the big red streaming service. Kill Tony: Kill or Be Killed marks the Netflix debut for Hinchcliffe and his bros who roast each other while allowing abject newcomers a chance to shine—or stumble. If that sounds familiar, it's because even those who haven't heard of Kill Tony may have watched a version of his show.

The now defunct series India's Got Latent was fast becoming India's biggest online show, with over 20 million viewers an episode. In interviews, on X, and even during episodes of the show, its creator and host Samay Raina acknowledged Kill Tony as both blueprint and inspiration. The DNA is undeniable: a minute-long set, live audience, rotating panel, and a format that straddles humiliation and hilarity. The set-up, the stage dynamics, even the casual cruelty, are pure Kill Tony.