'Mulaney' Review: It's Like 'Seinfeld'... But Not Funny

By
ETONLINE


Every TV fan knows that Fall is the most overwhelming season of the year. Why? One very simple reason: Too many shows and too little time. So we at ETonline are reviewing each and every one of the new fall TV shows to bring you our reviews on the good, the bad, the adorable and the just plain horrible.


Show:
Mulaney


When It Airs:
Sundays at 9:30 p.m. on Fox


The Biggest Stars: 
There's no shortage of Saturday Night Live alumni on the set of Fox's Mulaney. Stand-up comedian and former SNL writer John Mulaney stars in the series along with former SNL actors Martin Short and Nasim Pedrad. Plus, SNL's head honcho, Lorne Michaels, is an executive producer on the series and Ray Donovan's Elliott Gould (Gould is a member of the Five-Timers club, a society for celebrities who have hosted SNL five times or more.)

PHOTOS: Check Out Our Reviews on All the New Fall Shows!



Here's What You Need to Know:
Mulaney is centered on a 29-year old stand-up comic who's presented with his big break when he's hired as a writer for an egotistical comedy legend/game show host Lou Cannon (Short). While juggling the demands of his new job, Mulaney also receives advice from his roommates: Jane (Pedrad), Motif (Seaton Smith), his friend Andre (Zack Pearlman), and neighbor Oscar (Gould). If anyone else thinks this plot sounds eerily familiar, take comfort in the fact that you're not alone.

Mulaney is a multi-camera sitcom that completely fails in their attempts to create a modern comedy because essentially, it's Seinfeld 2.0. After sitting through not one, but two episodes, we found that many of the characters' lines are delivered with a robot-like cadence. Additionally, the awkward pauses as the actors wait for the studio audience laughter is the most uncomfortable thing you could ever imagine. In fact, let's go ahead and turn this into a game: Every time the audience laughs at a joke that you didn't think was funny — go ahead and take a sip of your drink. We guarantee you'll need to empty your bladder before you actually laugh along with anyone in that audience.


PICS: Print Out Our Fall TV Premiere Calendar!


If You Like…
The classic laugh-filled multi-cam sitcom style, and have somehow never seen a single episode of Seinfeld, then go ahead and give Mulaney a try.


Our Review in .GIF Form:


Bottom Line: 
The most frustrating part about Mulaney is that John Mulaney's stand-up comedy is side-splittingly hilarious he is totally charming in real life. However, the nearly identical format of Seinfeld, complete with copy-cat characters, leaves you with a bad case of déjà vu and -- if you played our aforementioned drinking game -- an even worse hangover .


Are you going to tune in to Mulaney? Sound off with your favorite fall picks in the comments below!

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