So I caught the first two episodes of Mulaney, mainly because his standup special on Netflix (John Mulaney: New in Town, if you’re interested) is quite funny. So I wanted to like this show.
But good lord, it’s bad. Mulaney has this thousand-yard stare thing that he does when he’s delivering half his lines, and everyone has pretty stilted dialogue. Martin Short falls directly into the “aging comedian trying waaaay too hard” niche.
This show feels like it’s trying to be a new generation’s Seinfeld, complete with bits of standup before each episode, but it doesn’t deliver at all. Disappointing. I hope it doesn’t kill his career before it’s even really gotten started.
I’m a fan of Mulaney’s standup - if you haven’t heard it, try to find his description of “the best meal I ever had.” It’s hysterical.
But this show, good lord. It’s like someone said “let’s remake Seinfeld, only unfunny.” I gave the pilot a break because much of the humor was taken directly from his standup routines that I was already familiar with. But the second episode was no better. And I found myself constantly distracted by how far apart his eyes are, since he seems to be staring off-screen so often.
The only good thing about the show is Naseem Pedrad. She looks perfectly comfortable and delivers her clunky lines as naturally as possible.
The rest of the cast is terrible. Martin Short overpowers every scene he is in with his schtick. And I am truly embarrassed for Elliot Gould - somebody must have thought “aging gay Jewish hippie” was funny all by itself, and forgot to actually have his character say or do anything clever.
I hope the show dies quickly so Mulaney can get back to being funny on stage where he belongs.
Yeah, it looks pretty awful. I thought his standup special was good, at least the second half (I found the first half to be pretty standard and forgettable), so it’s a bit disappointing.
We watched “The Flash” last night and I am mystified as to how people with enough of a budget to rent cameras, lights, build sets and buy costumes could not hire a full cast of real actors.
I’ve been hearing ads for this show on Pandora for a couple of weeks, which includes a guy claiming “he’s the funniest man alive!!1!1”, followed by what you’d expect would be some of the funnier audio clips from the show. But they weren’t funny. At all. If that’s the best they can pull from the show to get me to watch it, I’ll never make it through a single episode.
Yeah, it’s terrible and I wanted to like it. It’s kinda like that Will Arnett show with Beau Bridges. . . forget what it’s called. . . anyway, it sucks almost as badly. I think I’ll keep watching until they cancel just to see if it gets better.
And the black guy’s named Motif? :smack: God I hate that.
Worst.Sitcom.Ever. And it’s had a lot of competition.
It’s unfortunate, Mr. Mulaney is really good at stand-up, but he cannot carry a sitcom. He just can’t. A comic that could might be able to do something with the terrible writing and uninteresting characters that populate this utter disaster of a show, but Mulaney just doesn’t have it. In fact every cringe-worthy moment is exacerbated and thus highlighted by his multi-blink reactions and headlighted-deer demeanor. He’s obviously not comfortable in this format, it’s like he’s being forced to do this against his will.
The most recent episode I’ve seen featured the birth of an air conditioner. If you think that’s just not at all funny, you’d be quite right. Knowing that the ‘gag’ was coming for a good three to four minutes before we had to sit through it really only made it that much worse.
Not even Elliot Gould and Martin Short can redeem this thing. Awful is an understatement.
I tried, I really tried. But as soon as I hear a laugh track/audience laughter/whatever it uses, I just can’t. I am cringing waiting for the next eruption and can’t concentrate on the show.
Gotta agree, and Mulaney is just about my favorite stand-up comic (top honor goes to Wanda Sykes).
Here’s the audio on youtube, but not the video– it’s just a picture of Mulaney. I think he has a stand-up piece streaming on Netflix right now, but I don’t think it includes the Salt & Pepper Diner bit. It is hysterical.
I don’t know how they got Elliot Gould to agree to do this, unless he’s just getting an obscene amount of money for working 1/2 day every week.
I forgot to watch the second episode and I guess that’s an indication.
I have seen John Mulaney’s special on Netflix, and seen him on a few different Comedy Central things. I enjoy his stand up. So many of the “jokes” in episode 1 were distilled from standup I’ve already seen. That was disappointing, but I was willing to imagine that he’d sold the show based on his standup so that was to be expected. I just forgot to watch the second episode, and this thread is not making me sorry.
I’ve liked Martin Short long enough to be glad to see him. I’ll give it another chance, but honestly I’m not too hopeful.
I had high(ish) hopes for Steve Byrne’s sitcom, Sullivan & Son but found it barely watchable, and was astonished moments ago to learn that three seasons have aired. Perhaps Mulaney will have a similarly long run without my watching it. I do want him to stay gainfully employed.
Regarding his best meal, long before Mulaney could possibly have executed that my friend Erik pulled the same move in our local dinner with a Police song, though thirty years later I’m drawing a blank on which one…I want to say Roxanne.
Oh, I have to disagree. She was shrill and completely over the top in the pilot. Granted, she was delivering some truly awful dialogue and most of her scenes were with Mulaney, whose line readings were painfully stilted. She did seem to tone it down quite a bit in the second episode.
I’m another fan of Mulaney’s standup but this show is just abysmal. Martin Short was great on SCTV and SNL but his comedy is way too broad for a sitcom (he was the weakest link in the otherwise perfect “Arrested Development.”) I’m not sure why Elliott Gould is even a character. orangeapples description of the air conditioner “birth” was funnier than anything in either episode of the show.
I love John Mulaney’s standup, but this show was just awful. Naseem Petrad was wonderful, the only times I found myself enjoying the show were when she was on.
Fortunately, I have over 200 things on my Netflix list, and over 300 books on my “To Read” list. It will not be hard to fill the gap in my entertainment schedule.
It just makes me a little sad because I do think John Mulaney himself is funny and talented.
Honestly, I don’t know how it stacks up against other current sitcoms. I think there are more of them on than I’m even aware of, and I’ll never see most of them.