John Mulaney is a funny guy. There's no doubt about it; just watch his comedy special "New in Town" on Netflix. His delivery is deadpan, which may turn off some people, but once you understand that his humor presents itself in subtle, sarcastic tones, it's easy to see why Mulaney wanted to have his own sitcom - an edgy, modernized version of Seinfeld. Yeah, the Seinfeld comparison was inevitable. I got it out of the way early.

The problem with Mulaney is that it got off on the wrong foot. The pilot was a disastrous mish mash of jokes from his stand-up routines, with the obligatory forced character introductions and sub par acting. The next few episodes weren't much better - characters were developed slightly but the chemistry was lacking. They weren't fleshed out enough and none of them were particularly likable; aside from Oscar, of course, played wonderfully by Elliot Gould as Mulaney's warmhearted openly gay hippie neighbor.

When Mulaney does shine, it shines bright. Nothing shows this better than the recent stretch of episodes - "Worlds Collide", "French Roast", and "Power Moves" - which are examples of when the show actually feels like a sitcom, and not just some struggling comedian being put in awkward situations and reacting to them. They have genuine character development, interactions you actually care about, and every character has found their purpose.

Jane, the tomboyish roommate that is easily annoyed and as sarcastic as she is crass. Oscar, the wise caregiver who provides an older generation's perspective to modern trivialities. Lou, the narcissistic boss who thrives on other people's suffering. Andre, the awkward pill-pusher who desperately wants to fit in. Motif, the oblivious mooching roommate who always has the best of intentions. And John, the struggling comedian working for a sociopath, having to deal with two polar opposite roommates and trying to find stability in the capitalist insanity that is New York.

Some character combinations work better than others. For example, Oscar and Jane had magical moments together on "French Roast". It was the ultimate conundrum for Jane: having to tone down her crude personality to impress a guy, and this was paired with Oscar's hilariously machismo sense of 1950s etiquette. Jane and Lou had their moments on "World Collide", both of them as self-absorbed as the other and leeching off each other's company with the other being none the wiser. John and Motif have a similar childish comic mentality which makes the confrontations involving all three roommates a constant recipe for hilarity.

Mulaney simply needs to find its groove. Now that John has gotten his rehashed stand-up jokes out of his system, he can start treating it like the sitcom it's supposed to be. The show is at its best when it's at its most subtle or most offensive, much like Mulaney's stand-up. Wise cracks like Oscar's "She was a dentist and one day said "enough!" and became a therapist," casually peppered into a conversation. Jane agreeing to work for Lou by stating "for $750 a day you can call me a dumb bitch." Lou and his demoralization of an employee, calling him a liar for saying his grandmother's in the hospital when she was actually dead. Jane catching John praying to himself and John's startled excuse that he "was just masturbating."

I don't want to get into the acting performances, but to put it simply, John is the weak link. His neutral delivery is fine for when he's helping set up a joke, or even for the occasional dry punchline. But there are moments where his robotic line reading is just uninteresting and not at all captivating. Thankfully, that doesn't happen often, because Nasim Pedrad (Jane) essentially steals the show. Her character is the most realized - she has the best lines, and she's basically a negative, repulsive personality, which ensures the funniest confrontations. Martin Short and Elliot Gould are fantastic with what they are given. Gould could use more screen time, and Short's segments on his game show could be cut altogether and it wouldn't be much of a loss. But their performances are game, and they manage to turn otherwise unfunny dialogue into hiccups of guilty laughter.

Once the writers take note of which jokes work and which don't, it will go a long way to helping Mulaney become the great sitcom it has the potential to be. That is, assuming it doesn't get canceled, which unfortunately is looking more and more plausible. Oh well, Fox has allowed worse shows on the air for longer- fingers crossed for Mulaney.

I'll start off by saying that I am huge John Mulaney fan. His stand up special New in Town is hilarious and one of my all time favorites. So when I heard he was getting his own show I was pretty excited. The thing that kills this show is the format. Multi camera shows with a studio audience/laugh track are old school. They are painful to watch in this day and age. The only way to get past this is for everything else to be so awesome that this sin can be forgiven. Unfortunately, it falls short here. Again though I blame the format. If you watch his stand up you can see that he is quick and has a certain flow to his humor. The multi camera strategy of say something funny, pause, cue laughter, and repeat feels very un-natural and does not mesh with his style.

I first became a fan of John Mulaney after watching some of his stand up routines and he's clever remarks on talk show interviews, so naturally i was excited to see a television series with John in the leading role. Mulaney was referred to as a modern Seinfeld prior to its air date this fall, so i believe it is unfair to critique the show on it's similarities, as How I Met Your Mother was a modern adaptation of FRIENDS and was an enormous success in its own merit.

Having said this, i have to admit i am disappointed with Mulaney. The stand up routine in the beginning is always the most enjoyable, natural and unforced scene of each episode; there is little on screen chemistry between cast members, however the dialogue often leaves me cringing and regretting my decision to give the show another chance.

The series trailer depicted a lot of 'Ba Dm Tsss' moments however as of yet, it is yet to deliver and has provided viewers with a lot of missed opportunities and just plain awkwardness.

So our lead here, Mulaney, is a an award winning writer and comedian, neat. The show has a another strong supporting established comedian, Martin Short, sounds even better right? But unfortunately these two pillars are missing the third essential one to hold up the show, and that is any actual qualities of a show. It has virtually no real story, a show about nothing eh? Sound familiar? Not so bad, there are tons of shows about nothing. How about the jokes? We'll on paper I'm sure they're great, out of these folk's mouths, they sound forced and are just horrible. But even that isn't a show killer. Bad jokes and terrible actors are abound on successful TV shows. What puts the death nail into this steaming pile of a show is Mulaney himself. The guy just can't act, not even a little. It's not bad acting, it's non-existent acting, like watching a mannequin who sort of sounds like 'Raymond' awkwardly read lines like a 3rd grader public speaking in front of his class for the first time. It's awkward and painful to watch him speak, worse than a fork on a chalk board painful. He obviously has no idea what he's doing, and whoever green light this, well warm up that resume cause your days are numbered. So go ahead and skip Mulaney, you're not missing anything.

Very poor acting, especially by Mulaney's part; specifically over acting, funny in some respects but I get the feeling that he is trying too hard to be Seinfeld. The only good aspect of this show is the acting done by Martin Short, great actor and great character. This show needs to change its acting skills in most respects except for Nasim Pedrad and Marin Short. Otherwise it is going to be canceled before it finishes airing its first season. A tip, don't have Mulaney do his comedy act at the start and in some bits of the episode, in his apartment, it reminds the viewer that it is a show, fictional. Viewers watch comedies to escape life through humour and they are suppose to seem realistic, not actually showing that they are not.

The Fanbase is trying to inflate the score of this show, I mean why does every negative review have so many thumbs down.

The show is wannabe Seinfeld, Everyone one of the jokes falls flat.

Granted TV show can have bad jokes, but the jokes are painfully delivered.

Think of how mark wahlberg and zooey deschanel delivered their lines in "The Happening" It's painfully awkward.

Unfortunately the worst acting comes from the show's lead character. I watched four episodes of this, and it didn't improve at all.

I've watched every pilot that FOX has put out in the last 4 years and I can't find anything redeemable about this show.

Even the standup that John Mulaney does in the beginning isn't funny and that is what his talent is in.

Maybe this show was too much for the public because its John Mulaney's project which I can respect but it's on primetime T.V. it needs mainstream approval and the numbers to back it up.

It had neither.

edit: John Mulaney fans are thumbing me down :(

Watched the show for the first time tonight. I read the other review prior to writing this and most were not kind. I don't know of John Mulaney's stand up and other projects, but John.....please stop the sitcom project. I, like many, had high hopes due to Short and Gould, but I turned away about 20 minutes in. I just couldn't continue to watch the continuous string of non funny scenes. Please Fox...cancel this show and concentrate on another. Not one laugh in 20 minutes and I'm now wondering about the credibility of Fox and future comedy efforts. I could go on, but think my point is made. Dude...sometimes things just don't work out.

A show that you just have to watch more of to get used to the style. Once you're used to it the episodes seem to get better and better and you notice it's a nice show that needs more time for chemistry and direction to evolve. It's not the funniest show out there but it is worth a watch if you like to reminisce about Seinfeld. A lot of the complaints seem to be the same complaints. A few adjustments here and few there and this show could be fixed. Unfortunately critics who don't like this style seem to want to bash it non stop as if they have a vendetta against it. If you don't like it don't watch it. If you were just put off by the style try a different episode. Needs more time that it most likely wont get.

John Mulaney has admitted that this show didn't work out the way he hoped.

However, he is funny enough that even his worst effort is better than a lot of syndicated sitcoms.

I gave it an 8. I'll be the first to admit that is extremely generous. I was disappointed when I watched it the first time, but I gave it a second shot after it got cancelled. High expectations are a huge reason (I think) that so many people hated this show.

I also gave it an 8 in the hopes that that will encourage someone to give John Mulaney a chance at redemption. I think he'd do a better Netflix, Amazon, or HBO one hour drama. I think maybe some combination of the NBC platform and the sitcom genre took this show down in quality.

Still, if you're a John Mulaney fan it is worth watching at least an episode to see if you like it. Don't be too put off by the low star rating.

Seems to me like your typical garbage show on fox but this actually has potential. I love John Mulaney's stand-up and like Seinfeld this show opens and closes with bits from his stand up. Sadly though they had to cut out or reword certain bits because it was "inappropriate" for cable which shocks me that the word rape is inappropriate for cable yet people can say Sh!t (been done in other shows not this one). Anyway the show at times acts out scenes from his more popular stand-up moments which is an interesting take on his stand-up. If you know the jokes then obviously the scenario will be predictable but never the less funny. If you don't know them then you might be confused a little.

My main concern with the show is the annoying female character who is crazy and continually stalks/harasses/obsesses over her ex while at the same time freaks out/understand why people think that she's crazy and also flaunts her sexuality to get what she wants (usually info on the ex bf). She needs to go as she is in no way funny and only serves as an annoying distraction from the show's plot. Kill her off, make her move, just delete her from existence, whatever; with her gone better humor can be inserted into the show. I understand the rule that you need to have a female character in the show (we all remember what the pilot episode of Seinfeld was like) but here's a tip fox, pick a character people will relate to, like, and find funny. Guys won't like her because she's annoying/crazy, women will find her to be a poor and possibly offensive representation of an ex girlfriend, and the crazy chicks that she does personify will hate her the most because she reminds them that people find them crazy. Replace her and the show will have a chance to keep a first season going.

I've watched John Mulaney's stand up and seen him on quite a few talks shows. I found his stand up quite funny, and he seems like a great guy, so I was interested in seeing what his show was like. During his stand up bit at the beginning of the first episode I was thinking to myself "This show is going to be great". Then the show began. I just can't their using a live audience. If you like shows with live audience you might be able to get into this.

I can't stand live audiences and can't believe that any comedy to come out since the early 2000s still uses them. I was really hoping this show was going to have a very real and down-to-earth feel to it like Louis. But instead I got a really cheesy cookie cutter sit-com that reminds me of 90% of the other sit-coms with laugh tracks.

The laugh track (or live audience) isn't the only problem I have though, the acting seems forced to me and the situations unrealistic. Anyone who's a fan of realistic comedy without Laugh tracks and cheesy little gimmicks, I recommend staying away from this show.

I don't want to give this a rating because it might just have to do with me not liking laugh tracks.

Everywhere I look, terrible critics love to play the "contrarian card" and defend this trash.

I watched three episodes. All terrible.

"his stand-up is better"

I watched it and it's not.

"well it has Nasim Pedrad!!!"

she is not funny either.

"It's in a bad timeslot!"

What? they gave this train wreck the bob's burger time-slot.

"Fox doesn't want to promote it, they hate John!!!"

Wut? Then why then why did they green-light this mess?

"It has too much competition!!"

hmmm you don't say, well it is on during Primetime! It's suppose to!

maybe they should air at 2am, so it only has to compete against Taiwanese prayer breakfast and paid programming.

"you don't get his sense of humor"

no, I don't. but this is his show on PRIMETIME T.V.!!!! it suppose to have broad appeal idiot!

"Well you..."

Stop, just stop, This show sucks and he is not funny. Stop making excuses for him.

What did he do for you? Shovel the snow on your driveway? Did he watch your kids? Did he pick your dry cleaning?

NO he didn't!

Get over John Mulaney, then get over yourselves!

It's no bad thing for your new sit-com to be compared to Seinfeld nor to openly admit that show provided much inspiration; it would be a little like Slash saying that with his first guitar he never strummed along to a Beatles song. But as far as any fair comparison between Mulaney and Seinfeld goes it starts at sit- but gets nowhere near the com.

I've tried hard to like it I really have but I can barely believe central conceit that the three main characters even share the same apartment which looks like a set devised simply for the three of them to pass through while exchanging gags while never sitting down.

This brings me to the actors. I just don't get John Mulaney at all, he's just so wooden. Nasim Pedrad and Seaton Smith are also severely lacking in acting chops and have a hard time selling a gag: when Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David hired Alexander,Dreyfuss and Richards that day their god was smiling upon them all. And so to the script which is pretty poor so have some sympathy with the cast.

The only thing that has kept me watching is to see the class of Martin Short and Elliot Gould. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Martin Short was given pretty much free rein for his segments.

How To Be a Gentleman was funnier than this and that wasn't re- commissioned.(Was it pulled after three shows?) Mulaney hasn't got a cat in hell's chance without bring in major writing talent.

Okay, Mulaney is not a good show. It isn't. Not by any stretch of the imagination. You know those semi-funny, semi-clever Nickelodeon and Disney live-action shows (like iCarly) that you watched as a pre- teen growing up in the late 2000s? This is basically a version of that, without all of the corny charm and with a few forced adult jokes to remind you that this is not the Disney Channel. The characters are blatant ripoffs of those from other, superior sitcoms like Seinfeld and Friends. The situation humor is forced at best, and the experience is cringe-worthy. "Then what is the saving grace you talked about in the summary?" you might be asking yourself. Well, the title and main character, Mulaney, is a stand-up comedian, and the stand up comedy scenes are actually pretty good. Not Monty Python, Robin Williams, or Bill Cosby good (yes, I do realize that Cosby IS a rapist and professional -censored- but he was a fine comedian), but pretty damn funny. They are what elevates the show from a 1 to a 3. However, they only take place in the beginning of each episode, and the end. Frankly, just go online and look up a playlist of the stand-up bits, and avoid the rest of the show. If you want good sitcoms, go watch reruns of Seinfeld and Friends instead. This is DeletedContent, signing out!

It's not only a Seinfeld ripoff, but it's really bad. Performances are terrible and the material is the same as his actual standup, but the delivery is just much worse, rather awful.

John Mulaney (John Mulaney) is a stand-up comedian who gets a break to write jokes for faded comedy legend Lou Cannon (Martin Short) as the host of a stupid game show. He lives with roommates Jane (Nasim Pedrad) and fellow comedian Motif (Seaton Smith). They have an annoying hanger-on in Andre (Zack Pearlman) who pines for Jane. Oscar (Elliott Gould) is their outlandish neighbor.

While Mulaney is likable, he is no Seinfeld and the close approximation does not help at all. The main difference comes from Martin Short. I find his character way over the top. It's not the worst show in the world. I just think the comparison to Seinfeld really sinks this show and it could never win in that fight anyways. Mulaney just doesn't have as much charisma as Seinfeld. The other problem is that the TV world may be moving on anyways. Seinfeld may not even be successful in today's landscape.

This is an exact Seinfeld copy. It really is. The plots are not so great and the acting is sub par. I didn't like John Mulaney's acting in the pilot, but I've gotten used to it and it's endearing. What keeps me coming back is this show makes me laugh. It's funny. When that goes then I go. Elliot Gould's character is unnecessary. Martin short wickedly weird and fun. This feels more like a show that would do well on TBS rather than on FOX. The only two good things about this show really are John Mulaney and the comedy, which is his comedy, so basically just one good thing, John Mulaney. The plots are thin, but they're not unbearable and this show is better than most sitcoms out there these days.

Lorne Michaels is best known for being the creator and, as of 2024, the current producer of NBC's long running sketch comedy series, "Saturday Night Live." This is Mr. Michaels' first appearance on this list of the 400 Most Notable Shows Set in New York City, as he served as executive producer for the series in question... "Mulaney."

The year was 2014. "Seinfeld" had stopped creating new episodes some sixteen years before. That's enough time to recreate that series for a new generation of viewers, right?

Now, I don't mean to say that "Mulaney" was simply plagiarizing "Seinfeld" for their own fun and profit at all, except in one way: In every way possible!

Each episode of the show began with John Mulaney (played by John Mulaney) doing a stand up comedy routine for an audience (John Mulaney is a comic, just like the real John Mulaney), which sets up the plot for that week's episode. Does this sound at all familiar?

Wait till I tell you the rest. Mulaney is surrounded by wacky friends and neighbors that involve themselves in his life, whether he wants them to, or not. His housemates Jane (Nasim Pedrad) who was a college buddy and a perpetually heartbroken fitness trainer, and Motif (Seaton Smith) a fellow stand up, act as sounding boards, comic inspiration, continued support and/or conflict generators.

Additionally, his neighbor Oscar, played by Elliot Gould, offered wizened wisdom or wisecracks, whichever was needed at the moment. Andre, (Zack Pearlman) John's frenemy and frequent visitor, made a living by comically selling drugs, but let's keep that on the D. L.

And last but definitely not least is Martin Short in the role of Lou Cannon, a long time show biz trooper and a current game show host: think Regis Philbin meets Richard Dawson, only much more obnoxious. Cannon hires John to write material for him, so when he shoots off his mouth, something funny will come out.

The differences in the plots of "Mulaney" and "Seinfeld" can be chalked up to the differences in the jobs John and Jerry had before they did their respective sitcoms. Mulaney was a writer on "Saturday Night Live" but rarely appeared on camera during his tenure with the show. That explains the character of Mulaney being a writer of jokes for a different personality.

And there was some element about how Mulaney was trying to be a better person who struggled with that attempt because of the people in his sphere, but that thread often got lost in the attempts to make the show funnier.

The SNL connection was everywhere - Both Martin Short and Nasim Pedrad were regular players on that show before they joined this cast. Elliot Gould was one of the first "5 Time Hosts" of SNL. And of course, Lorne behind the scenes.

New York played a part because of the comedy club scene, the talk shows and game shows that are filmed here and the basic fact that you could run into someone odd or comical or really annoying as soon as you open your front door.

"Mulaney" may not have reached that rarified level of success, because, just like 383's "Platypus Man," they didn't have that extra element... they didn't have a Larry David to turn the Stone Soup of "Seinfeld" into a delicious and hilarious concoction. John Mulaney even described the show's premise as "a show without a premise." Oh, so, a SHOW ABOUT NOTHING, John??

It's also notable that this series was first developed at NBC. But then after tweaking it a couple of times, they passed on it, making The Peacock the ultimate arbiter in what's funny... and what is not.

Not sure if the people who posted reviews saw the same show that I did. Great writing, great cast and really funny. So much better that the crap that passes as current TV sitcoms.

Show is OK. As my title states. 2 Broke Girls has a 7 star rating. That show is terrible. 2BG makes Mulaney look like Seinfeld (which is what Mulaney is trying to be, including the stand up routine before each episode). I may be rating high at 6 but I think realistic. 2BGs is 2 at best. I don't like the Elliot Gould character, tries to hard. Mulaney is no actor. Martin Short is a genius talent. Hollywood had never found a way to utilize his talent. Again, 2 Broke Girls is terrible. Mulaney is OK. Jokes are OK (better than 2BG jokes about abortions). Main girl looks like girl from Anger Management. Why do I need 10 lines? Seems I said all I need to, but 10 lines you want 10 lines you get. I will type until I get 10 lines. There. ..I think I did it. One more time for the road. ..2 Broke Girls is garbage. Mulaney is Shakespeare in comparison.