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Mulaney

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This article is about the television series. For the actor who starred in the series, see John Mulaney.
Not to be confused with Mulanay.

Mulaney
GenreSitcom
Created byJohn Mulaney
Directed byAndy Ackerman
Starring
ComposerChris Allen Lee
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producersLorne Michaels
John Mulaney
Andy Ackerman
Andy Singer
Dave Becky
David Miner
Jon Pollack
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkFox
ReleaseOctober 5, 2014 (2014-10-05) –
February 15, 2015 (2015-02-15)

Mulaney is an American sitcom that aired on Fox from October 5, 2014, to February 15, 2015. Stand-up comedian and former Saturday Night Live writer John Mulaney created the show and starred as a fictionalized version of himself. At the beginning of each episode, and sometimes throughout, Mulaney would perform stand-up comedy to the studio audience. The show suffered from low ratings and poor critical reviews, and was cancelled in February 2015.[1]

Premise

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John Mulaney is a comedian living in New York City with his roommates—Jane (Nasim Pedrad), a personal trainer with emotional issues, and Motif (Seaton Smith), a fellow stand-up comedian. John often receives advice from his elderly Jewish neighbor Oscar (Elliott Gould), and visits from his odd and annoying friend Andre (Zack Pearlman), a small-time drug dealer. John's life changes when he's hired as a writer for Lou Cannon (Martin Short), an eccentric, legendary comedian and game show host.

Cast and characters

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Main

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Recurring

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Guest stars

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Production

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The show was originally developed at NBC, under the title Mulaney Don't Drink. As Mulaney said later, “It was based on the time in my life when I got sober at 23 and had two roommates and was just trying to figure out: What does a good person do? ... There was really something lost when I, on the advice of others higher up, took that out."[3] A straighter version of the pilot was made, but was not picked up by NBC.[4]

Mulaney re-tooled the pilot again,[5] and then pitched it to Fox, who picked the show up with a cautious six-episode commitment.[6] Fox later ordered an additional ten episodes.[7] A trailer was released on May 12, 2014, along with an announcement that the show would air Sunday nights at 9:30 p.m.,[8] replacing the Seth MacFarlane sitcom, American Dad!, which moved to TBS. The series premiered October 5, 2014.

On October 18, 2014, the day before the third episode was supposed to air, Fox announced it was cutting three episodes from its order. This resulted in the production of Mulaney being shut down, as the thirteenth episode had already been filmed and production of the fourteenth was about to begin.[9] Less than a month later, Fox moved Mulaney into the 7:30 PM timeslot where Bob's Burgers had been airing.[10] The season ended on February 15, 2015, and Fox announced Mulaney's cancellation shortly thereafter.[11]

Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		US viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"
"Mo'laney, Mo'Problems"		Andy AckermanJohn MulaneyOctober 5, 2014 (2014-10-05)1012.30[12]
Stand-up comedian John Mulaney gets hired by comedian Lou Cannon as a writer on his show. Jane attempts to prove an ex-boyfriend she isn't crazy. Motif struggles to write a joke.
2"The Doula"Andy AckermanJohn MulaneyOctober 12, 2014 (2014-10-12)1072.19[13]
John starts dating a doula who helps him deal with his fear of childbirth. Meanwhile, Lou's outrageous on-screen behavior warrants John's attention.
Guest starring Fortune Feimster as Mary Jo and Maria Thayer as Amanda the Doula
3"Halloween"Andy AckermanDan MintzOctober 19, 2014 (2014-10-19)1102.25[14]
As a tribute to his recently deceased neighbor, John uses jokes from his deceased neighbor, Lapidus, in Lou's monologue to prove he's a good writer in order to get his contract renewed. Meanwhile, Jane tries to get Lapidus' cheap apartment.
Guest starring Fortune Feimster as Mary Jo and Dan Mintz as Mintz
4"Sweet Jane"Andy AckermanJohn MulaneyNovember 2, 2014 (2014-11-02)1021.63[15]
John wonders why Jane doesn't like any of his girlfriends. Lou fixates on his death.
5"In the Name of the Mother, and the Son, and the Holy Andre"Andy AckermanKarey DornettoNovember 9, 2014 (2014-11-09)1111.99[16]
John's parents visit, forcing him to lie about going to church. Jane begins a new pill and suffers side effects.
Guest starring James Handy as Father Ed, Nora Dunn as Patty Mulaney, and Pete Holmes as Father Trey
6"Patriot Acts"Andy AckermanJustin SpitzerNovember 23, 2014 (2014-11-23)1131.65[17]
Jane begins dating a Marine. When feeling the pressure that he hasn't contributed to the military, John auditions to be in a USO show.
Guest starring Fortune Feimster as Mary Jo
7"Motif & The City"Andy AckermanRachel AxlerNovember 30, 2014 (2014-11-30)1091.55[18]
When Motif learns John and Jane are not adding him to the apartment lease, he leans on his three girlfriends for support. Lou's audience plant demands a contract.
8"It's a Wonderful Home Alone"Andy AckermanDan LevyDecember 21, 2014 (2014-12-21)1120.99[19]
John finds himself home alone for Christmas when he lets his resentment of Home Alone impact the holiday. Lou learns his rival is planning a special that will compete with his. Andre is mistaken for a puppet.
Guest starring Nick Kroll as Jesse Tyler Munoz
9"Worlds Collide"Andy AckermanKarey DornettoJanuary 11, 2015 (2015-01-11)1041.32[20]
John quickly regrets mixing his home and work lives when Jane becomes Lou's new personal trainer. Meanwhile, Motif turns to Oscar for advice on his stand-up routine.
10"French Roast"Andy AckermanDan LevyJanuary 18, 2015 (2015-01-18)1033.38[21]
John becomes conflicted when he is invited to Lou's celebrity roast. Meanwhile, Jane takes lessons on how to be a lady from Oscar to impress a new date.
11"Power Moves"Andy AckermanDan Mintz & Marika SawyerJanuary 25, 2015 (2015-01-25)1051.03[21]
John takes Lou's advice about trying to control his roommates, but it turns into a fight with Motif. Meanwhile, Jane gets a new cat Omar and becomes frustrated when she can't get it to like her. Lou tries to get a movie role to showcase his dramatic side.
12"Ruby"Andy AckermanMarika SawyerFebruary 8, 2015 (2015-02-08)1081.23[22]
John dates a single mother and befriends her daughter, Ruby. However, John soon finds his new girlfriend annoying, but refuses to jeopardize his new friendship with Ruby.
Guest starring Bailee Madison as Ruby
13"Life is a Series of Different Apartments"Andy AckermanJohn MulaneyFebruary 15, 2015 (2015-02-15)1061.11[23]
When the apartment gets infested with bed bugs, John and the gang secretly go to Lou's place, where Oscar's "treats" and Lou's early return lead to problems. Meanwhile, Oscar and Lou fight over who is John's mentor.

Reception

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Mulaney said:

I look back on making the show really fondly. It's my noble failure. I tried, and I wanted to do it this way. Some people liked it—just not enough.[24]

Even before Mulaney aired, critics were wary of the direction of the show. After viewing the show's trailer, Eric Dodds with TIME magazine penned an article called, "8 Ways the Trailer for Mulaney Resembles Seinfeld," and said it could "trigger a little déjà vu."[5] In regard to its multi-camera format, Canadian magazine Maclean's asked, "why would a cool comic pick such an uncool format?"[25]

Ultimately, the show was universally panned by critics, with most reviews drawing unflattering comparisons to Seinfeld. On Rotten Tomatoes, the show has an approval rating of 17% based on 42 reviews, with an average rating of 4.27/10. The site's critical consensus states, "John Mulaney, we know Jerry Seinfeld. Seinfeld was funny. Mulaney, you're no Seinfeld."[26] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 38 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[27]

James Poniewozik with TIME magazine said the show "seems like something a dutiful student might have produced for his final project in his 'Tropes and Themes in the 1990s Sitcom' class."[28] Robert Bianco with USA Today called the sitcom a "misfire."[29] The show was named the fourth-worst show of 2014 by Entertainment Weekly.[30]

Mulaney fared poorly commercially as well, with the series premiere only getting 2.3 million viewers,[31] the weakest scores for any of the fall's series premieres.[32] The episode from December 21, 2014, became the lowest rated episode, with fewer than 1 million views; the January 18, 2015, episode, airing after the NFC Championship Game, became the highest-rated, with over 3 million viewers.[33]

References

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  1. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 17, 2015). "Dana Walden Talks 'New Girl' & 'The Mindy Project' Future, Fox's Scheduling Needs". Deadline. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  2. ^ episode "Life is a Series of Different Apartments"
  3. ^ Martinez, Kelly (June 2, 2023). "John Mulaney's 2014 Sitcom Was Originally Titled 'Mulaney Don't Drink' and Centered on Him Getting Sober at 23". People. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  4. ^ Jesse David Fox (May 10, 2013). "NBC Passes on John Mulaney's Pilot". Vulture.
  5. ^ a b Dodds, Eric (May 15, 2014), "8 Ways the Trailer for Mulaney Resembles Seinfeld". TIME. :1
  6. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 2, 2013). "Fox Gives Series Order To John Mulaney Comedy Produced By Lorne Michaels". Deadline.
  7. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (May 6, 2014). "Fox's John Mulaney Comedy Gets 10 Additional Episodes". The Hollywood Reporter.
  8. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 12, 2014). "Fox Fall Schedule 2014 — First Look". Deadline.
  9. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 18, 2014). "'Mulaney' Order Trimmed To 13 Episodes". Deadline.
  10. ^ Rockwell, Sledge (November 11, 2014). "Fox Decides To Switch 'Mulaney' And 'Bob's Burgers' On Sunday Nights". Uproxx.com. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  11. ^ "Mulaney: Cancelled by FOX, no season 2". Tvseriesfinale.com. February 28, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  12. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (October 7, 2014). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'Resurrection' & 'Revenge' Adjusted Up; 'Madam Secretary' Adjusted Down". Zap2it. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
  13. ^ Bibel, Sara (October 14, 2014). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon A Time', 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' & 'Resurrection' Adjusted Up; 'Madam Secretary' Adjusted Down". Zap2it. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  14. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (October 21, 2014). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Simpsons' & 'Madam Secretary' Adjusted Up; 'Mulaney' Adjusted Down". Zap2it. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  15. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (November 4, 2014). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Good Wife', 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine', 'Once Upon a Time' & '60 Minutes' Adjusted Up + Final Football Ratings". Zap2it. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  16. ^ "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Simpsons' & 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' Adjusted Up". Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  17. ^ Bibel, Sara (November 25, 2014). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Madam Secretary', 'The Simpsons', '60 Minutes' & 'America's Funniest Home Videos' Adjusted Down & Final Football Numbers". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 27, 2014. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  18. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (December 3, 2014). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'America's Funniest Home Videos', Resurrection' & 'Once Upon a Time' Adjusted Up". Zap2it. Archived from the original on December 15, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  19. ^ Bibel, Sara (December 23, 2014). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'CSI' & '60 Minutes' Adjusted Up; 'Mulaney' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  20. ^ "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Good Wife' Adjusted Up + Final Ratings for The Golden Globe Awards & NFL". TVbytheNumbers. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  21. ^ a b "Mulaney TV show on FOX: latest ratings (cancel or renew?)". tvseriesfinale.com. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  22. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (February 10, 2015). "Sunday Final Ratings: Grammy Awards Adjusted Down; No Adjustment for 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' or 'Bob's Burgers'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  23. ^ "TV Ratings: Saturday Night Live 40th, The Bachelor, Family Guy, CSI". Tvseriesfinale.com. February 16, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  24. ^ Pfeffer, Ryan (May 1, 2015). "WITH NO MORE DISTRACTIONS, JOHN MULANEY RETURNS TO STAND UP". New Times. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  25. ^ Weinman, Jaime J. (August 4, 2014), "'The New Seinfeld'". Maclean's. 127 (30/31):60-62
  26. ^ "Mulaney: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. October 5, 2014.
  27. ^ "Mulaney". Metacritic.
  28. ^ Poniewozik, James (October 3, 2014), "Review: Mulaney Does Its Homework Too Well." TIME.
  29. ^ Bianco, Robert (October 3, 2014), "Fox's ‘Mulaney' is a misfire of a sitcom". USA Today.
  30. ^ "5 Worst TV Shows of 2014". EW.com.
  31. ^ "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'Resurrection' & 'Revenge' Adjusted Up; 'Madam Secretary' Adjusted Down". TVbytheNumbers. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  32. ^ "'Mulaney' Ratings Weak in Premiere; 'Once Upon a Time' Ratings Strong". Variety. October 6, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  33. ^ "Mulaney TV show on FOX: latest ratings (cancel or renew?)". TV Series Finale. February 28, 2015.
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