[6] In the introduction, Burnham awakes in a hotel room wearing clown makeup and walks to the theatre as a robotic voice addresses the audience, commenting on how the world is not funny.

Following this, Burnham moves to his keyboard and performs a satirical song about the problems of being a straight white male, and then delivers a comedic monologue on the subject of race, in which he tricks the audience into shouting the word nigger.

After criticising the lip-syncing segment of The Tonight Show, Burnham performs a mime about seeing a penis in a restroom and then a song about love, where he advocates for people lowering their expectations when looking for a partner.

Burnham then delivers a song inspired by the way Kanye West ended his performances for The Yeezus Tour, by ranting comedically about small annoyances such as the width of Pringle cans and overfilled burritos until slowly transitioning into singing about his conflicted relationship with his audience and his stage anxiety.

This ends the stage show, but a closing segment features Burnham in the guest house of his own home, talking to the viewer with a song where he addresses the rhetorical question "Are you happy?".

[12] Following the release of Make Happy on Netflix in June 2016, Burnham stated that it may be the last stand-up show he performs in the foreseeable future, as he planned to focus more on writing.

[13] Newman of Forbes gave Make Happy an overwhelmingly positive review, describing it as "easily the best comedy special [Netflix] has ever produced", praising Burnham's "whipsaw swaps between fun and thoughtfulness" and "honed and self-deprecating" stage presence.

[6] Caballero of Impact gives the Netflix special a very positive review, saying that Burnham "showcases the satirical, arrogant yet self-deprecating humor that characterizes him", creating a work which is "deeply personal", and ends the show with "a question ["Are you happy?"]

[11] Bennett of Chortle calls Burnham "intensively creative", with an ability to "surprise with a crafty turn of phrase", and believes the show to be an "hour of happiness".

[7] McCarthy of Decider says that Burnham displays a "shrewd knowledge of those funnymen and women who have hit the stages before him, as well as a propensity for deconstructing the very nature of entertainment, and the relationship between performer and audience, between star and fans".