Why Everything You’ve Heard So Far About ‘Mulaney’ Is Wrong

Mulaney has built up an Atlantic Ocean sized reservoir of goodwill over the last decade from the comedy community and fans alike. Whether spouting off one-liners on Best Week Ever, eating too much tuna on Kroll Show, writing all of Stefon’s material on SNL or turning out one of the best stand-up specials of the last 10 years (the aforementioned New In Town), Mulaney is the very definition of a proven commodity. There is no evidence to think that he won’t have this show seriously humming by the time it hits its 13th episode and, as we mentioned above, the show is already improving at “finding its voice” each week.

John Mulaney, on his own, is about as likable as they come, but when you pair him with the likes of Martin Short (any way you slice it, a living comedic legend), Nasim Pedrad (the SNL star who is really blossoming from a talented sketch performer into a charismatic comedic actress), Elliott Gould (Gould!) and Seaton Smith (an edgy up-and-comer), that’s a lot of talent for him to interact with. Give Mulaney (and executive producer Lorne Michaels) kudos for being smart enough to surround himself with a group of actors who he vibes quite well with, a group whose various strengths work to cover up some of Mulaney’s shortcomings as an actor. (If that’s a problem for you, we’re guessing you didn’t like Seinfeld, either.) Martin Short, in particular, is a delight to watch; he infuses his one or two scenes a show with just the right amount of manic gusto (which compliments Mulaney’s patented form of laid-back neuroticism quite well).

Mulaney’s bonafides as a writer are not under debate. So when you combine his talents with the fact that he hired rising stars Dan Mintz (who voices Tina on Bob’s Burgers and has written for Nathan For You) and Julie Klausner (Billy On The Street, Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins) to his writing staff and there’s a roomful of writers that are just brimming with potential. Already, the show’s writers have proven their propensity for being able to work meta moments —during the show’s second episode, Lou Cannon (Martin Short) poses the question “What’s with all the changes to the show?”—into quote-unquote “traditional” sitcom set-ups and premises. Which leads us into…

We’re not going to waste any of your time defending the pilot (which we didn’t care that much for, either). However, the last two weeks have featured some strong material that plowed some new comedic ground. For instance, when was the last time you heard jokes about episiotomies and “bloody shows” on primetime network television? And this past weekend’s “Halloween” episode ended up with—we kid you not!—Mulaney digging up the grave of his elderly neighbor (whom Mulaney ignored while he was alive) so he could retrieve a notebook of stolen jokes from his coffin! That’s not the mark of a show that’s playing it safe, not at all.

Being compared to what is arguably the most critically and commercially successful sitcom of the last 25 years is both a blessing and a curse. The weight and burden of expectations like these would be enough to sink a lesser show, but we’re getting the sense that #TeamMulaney just might be up to the challenge. Like on Seinfeld, the characters on Mulaney are not either written nor acted in such a way that kowtows to some sort of likability quotient. Additionally, each of the five primary characters are compelling enough to appear in scenes standing on their own—Pedrad, for example, had a funny and weirdly sweet moment in Episode 3 where she broke out into song for about 90 seconds (see above)—or in combinations that do not necessarily include Mulaney himself. This bodes quite well for the show’s future, and was something that became a core strength of Seinfeld. We’re not saying Mulaney is anywhere near on the level of Seinfeld yet, but by the time the show is starting to fully hit its stride in (fingers crossed) Season 2, it definitely has the potential to be reckoned with.

So, yeah, all of what we wrote above basically boils down to this. It’s WAY too soon for anyone to write off Mulaney. So put away those knives and instead pick up your remotes, and find a way to definitely watch the “Halloween” episode of Mulaney (available now on Hulu and VOD), “The Doula” (if you have time), and set a reminder to watch next week’s episode. Don’t take my word for it, take Ice-T’s!