Mulaney

By: Robert Murphy

There is nothing wrong with comedians getting their own sitcoms and trying to make a show where they can display their craft, in fact, it's probably a great sign of your skills if you do end up with a TV show when you're a comedian. But, if The Jeff Dunham Show has taught me anything it's that not all great comedians should have a show of their own each week. Mulaney stars comedian John Mulaney who plays himself, a struggling up in coming comedian that is trying to make it big in New York City but hasn't quite taken off yet. He lives in an apartment with his two friends, Motif (Seaton Smith) who is a comedian as well and Jane (Nasim Pedrad) who is an off centered firecracker character that spends most of her time looking for a good man in a bad city. In an effort to get his career moving, John ends up getting a job as a comedy writer for Lou Cannon (Martin Short) who is a famous comedian himself and is now hosting a made up game show. It all seems like a perfectly fine setup but it is one that tanks right from the get go. 

When your show gives off a familiar feel to it, i.e. Seinfeld, the absolute worst thing you can do for your show is broadcast that fact and Mulaney does this around the 2nd or 3rd episode. One of John's jilted lovers exclaims that he is nothing but a Jerry Seinfeld ripoff and this puts the first nail in the coffin for viewers because if you hadn't noticed the connection before, it is now all you can think about. The similarities are very obvious and that was probably the point of the show, to be just as meta as Seinfeld was with it's jokes about making a show within a show, Mulaney obviously taking that one step further. John opens up each show doing his stand up which by itself is actually pretty good and can be seen as a saving grace but once the curtains open it never translates over into the show. For a sitcom comedy you would think the goal would be to make you laugh and you never get more than a chuckle for the thirteen episode series. You would think that veteran Martin Short or even Elliot Gould who plays Oscar, the effeminate neighbor, would spice things up but neither of them do much good. 

The other factor working against a show like Mulaney is the flatness and otherwise bland presentation it puts forth each episode. The show never really takes itself seriously in anyway and this should be a good thing especially for a comedy but there is a difference between not taking it seriously and just not caring and I think the show steps into that territory. It didn't care that it has the same format that Seinfeld did, it doesn't care that it isn't funny or that deep lull moments occur in each episode with bland dialogue and laugh less jokes, it just wants to be put on screen so everyone can cash their checks and go home. I really felt like they were just throwing things at the wall and seeing if it would turn out being funny.

Great examples of this include the episode, "It's a Wonderful Home Alone" where John faces an old painful memory of his days as a child actor and how he was up for the role of Kevin in Home Alone only to be out shined by Macaulay Culkin. The episode rips much of it's story by spoofing It's a Wonderful Life and trying to make you laugh at John acting like a baby most of the episode and his friends, well, not really caring. A fake Macaulay Culkin finally appears at the very end of the episode with his back to the camera too in a last hail marry effort of laughter. Then, there are episodes like "Patriot Acts" where John feels bad about not doing his military service and tries to perform at a USO show only to flop over and over again in the recruiters office and makes some bad jokes. 

I am at lose when it comes to Mulaney, most 90% of the episodes I spent with an unchanging expression on my face as nothing really feels funny. Moments where I did laugh I immediately felt bad about because I knew it was forced and what had made me laugh was at best chuckle worthy. In a way, I almost feel like actors Martin Short and Elliot Gould were added to the cast to remind you that they're funny so the show must be funny but that itself is the equivalent of spraying air freshener over a turd instead of throwing it away. That may be a bit harsh of a metaphor but truly I cannot see viewers getting much enjoyment from Mulaney and you were better off watching Family Guy or Bob's Burgers every Sunday night instead.

Good:

- John Mulaney's brief stand up at the beginning of the episodes

Bad:

- Episodes are not funny

- Seems like there was no care or effort put forth in the writing

- Despite cast members like John Mulaney and Martin Short who have proven their comedy worth, the show still feels flat and lifeless 

Scully Rating: 2.0 out of 10