Plot: John Mulaney (Saturday Night Live) is a struggling writer looking for a solid, stable form of employment. Aren’t we all? To calm his nerves he heads off to con a doctor into giving him Xanax. With him are roommates Motif (Seaton Smith) who is also an aspiring comedian, and Jane (Nasim Pedrad, SNL) who just broke up with a boyfriend. Later, Mulaney interviews and is immediately hired for a job by crackpot comedian/game show host Lou Cannon (Martin Short).
One might think an Emmy Award-winning writer could write and perform in his own show. Based off this premiere, I have some serious doubts.
On SNL Mulaney and Pedrad both delivered great bits of comic relief, but this 30-minute program felt like one long, drawn out joke with a rotating cast of clichéd characters. Motif is a goofball with a bad idea, and by the episode’s end becomes the punchline we were not supposed to see coming. Pedrad recycles the crazy-vengeful-just-dumped ex-girlfriend mantra throughout the entire episode, and loses any chance of humor with the second mention of it.
Resorting to lying to a doctor about urination scores Mulaney an impromptu prostate exam, and if the setup for that was not predictable as the result of a brick to the face, the “callback” to the joke mid-way will have you scrambling for the remote control.
Thankfully, Martin Short is funny and famed actor Elliot Gould shows up as an eccentric neighbor. Both deliver a slight break from the forced humor, but ultimately contribute no salvation to the pilot episode. We also meet Andre (Zack Perlman, The Inbetweeners) — an annoying, pot-dealing nuisance who manages to intrude and serve as a useless tool. If this were Seinfeld, he would be Newman. This is not some amazing revelation, this is as obvious as the clichéd brick to the skull.
Worst of all is John Mulaney. He performs some stand-up at the beginning and middle of the show. Great, funny, short. However he uses the same voice and delivery during the episode, sounding more like a high-pitched Ben Stiller but lacking delivery. Mulaney acts much like the cardboard cut-out of Lou Cannon he carries around. He is stiff and while his character lacks confidence at his job, he talks to his friends in the same manner, and each time I wait for him to turn to the camera and wink.
The comedy is predictable and would work better as a shortened SNL segment. Despite Smith being funny and Gould fitting right at home with his bizarre moment-of-zen shpiel, the jokes fell flat and feel the show could benefit without a laugh track.
Wait, it was taped live? Well, THAT doesn’t help if you have to prompt the crowd.
Rating: 4 out of 10
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Michael Dworkis is a man of vast talent and industry. A former writer and corporate assistant of World Wrestling Entertainment, “MSD” is the Wrestling Columnist for Pop-Break, as well as contributing columns related to comics, movies, pop-culture, and of course, anything Transformers. He recently completed and obtained his Masters degree in Mental Health in Counseling, and recently became licensed to practice as an LAC by the National Board of Certified Counselors. If you need either a therapist or your wrestling fix, come to this man. Michael also is a graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in Journalism and Mass Media, and previously managed an internet retail company. He blames Bill for having so much wrestling on the site and pleads with his superiors to create a feature on his very own Transformer Collection and to subdue Michael Bay for a serious talk. Michael is still searching for a Japanese Grand Maximus or any Japanese Generation 1 exclusives. See more of Michael at MichaelDworkis.com and follow on Twitter @Omegax80.
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