eric limer of "gizmodo" called "john hodgman: ragnarok" "no "arrested development" season 4, but awesome little gets like this are what stand to make netflix a real powerhouse of cool, but slightly offbeat content." "ign"s joey esposito listed "john hodgman: ragnarok" among "10 great netflix original stand-up comedy specials" remarking that it is the "epitome of hodgman’s offbeat character and a nice blend of observational humor and far more out-there laughs." chris higgins of "mental floss" called "john hodgman: ragnarok" "both smart and funny, and come on -- it's hodgman." "the oklahoman" said they found "john hodgman: ragnarok" "more one-man show (with assists from friends such as scott adsit of "30 rock") than traditional standup," and "fits within the venn diagram sweet spot between "this american life", mcsweeney's and "the daily show with jon stewart"." "the oklahoman" also notes that having the special on a streaming video service "makes total sense" since john hodgman "has a specialized appeal and he devotes equal time to both highbrow and lowbrow material, which might make him a hard sell in arenas where subtlety is a rare commodity."