First look: FOX’s only new sitcom for Fall 2014, “Mulaney” (plus descriptions of three other comedies for midseason in 2015)

FOX is not going to let animation dominate Sunday nights any longer in 2014. Sure, there will be three looney toons on the night this fall — Bob’s Burgers, The Simpsons and Family Guy.

But they’ll be separated by the reigning Golden Globe winner in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, as well as by the lone pilot to get a fall order this year by FOX — John Mulaney’s Mulaney.

That said, as part of Monday’s Upfronts presentation to advertisers, the network had plenty of new cast photos and information to share, not just about Mulaney, but also about three new sitcoms presumably held for midseason in the first months of 2015. Or so they claim. We’ve seen this play out poorly for other picked-up pilots in recent memory.

Deadline claims two other comedy pilots remain under consideration by FOX: Cabot College and Sober Companion. The latter sitcom actually has posters already trumpeting it, which were displayed along with the other new series at today’s Upfronts presentation by FOX. Funny, that!

MULANEY (9:30 p.m. Sundays, Eastern/Pacific)

Previously, I posted the full official network show description, cast and credits for Mulaney. Today, FOX unveiled the official first promotional trailer for Mulaney.

As you can see, the trailer includes scenes of John Mulaney performing stand-up, a la Seinfeld. But this guy, in this generation, isn’t just doing it for show, or for the show. You also see that he’s doing his stand-up routines on the set of his sitcom, to the sitcom’s live studio audience. Whereas co-star Seaton Smith also is shown performing stand-up, but within the confines of the show. Other co-stars: Martin Short, Nasim Pedrad, Elliott Gould and Zack Pearlman. Roll the clip!

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (premiere date/time to be scheduled)

Starring Will Forte.

Now with video!

Official network show description: “From writer/producer Will Forte (“Nebraska,” “Saturday Night Live”) and directors/producers Chris Miller and Phil Lord (“The Lego Movie,” “21 Jump Street”), THE LAST MAN ON EARTH is a new single-camera comedy about the life and adventures of the last man on earth. The year is 2022, and after an unlikely event, only one man is left on earth: PHIL MILLER (Forte), who used to be just an average guy who loved his family and hated his job at the bank. Now, in his RV, Phil searches the country for other survivors. He has traveled to every city, every town and every outpost in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and has found no one, which leads him to the painful realization that he is almost certainly the last living being on the face of the earth. Sure, there are some positives that come with being the last person on earth. You can go live in the White House if you want. You can park in handicapped spots without an ounce of guilt. You can decorate your home with priceless works of art. You wanna wear a pair of tighty-whiteys and nothing else every single day of the year? Not a problem. THE LAST MAN ON EARTH is a comedy about a man trying to make lemonade out of the most soul-crushing lemon there is. But if anyone can do it, Phil Miller can. He’s not about to give up now. He is sad and so, so very lonely. But he’ll get through this. Because there’s a small kernel of hope that somewhere out there is another survivor. And maybe one day, they’ll run into each other. That would be a good day. And if that survivor happened to be a woman? Well, then that would be a great day.”

CREDITS
From 20th Century Fox Television
CREATOR/WRITER: Will Forte
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Will Forte, Chris Miller, Phil Lord, Seth Cohen
DIRECTORS: Phil Lord, Chris Miller

WEIRD LONERS (premiere date/time to be scheduled)

Starring Becki Newton, Zachary Kingston, Meera Khumbhani, Nate Torrence

Official network show description: “WEIRD LONERS is a new single-camera comedy about four relationship-phobic, quasi-underdog 30-somethings who are unexpectedly thrust into one another’s lives, forming unlikely bonds in a Queens, NY, townhouse. CARYN GOLDFARB (Becki Newton, “Ugly Betty”) is a cute, but high-strung dental hygienist whose romantic life, unfortunately, is dictated by the love-crazed, ultra-romantic 13-year-old barricaded inside the control room of her brain. Each time a handsome new man crosses her field of vision, infatuation and extreme over-eagerness take over, and she inevitably winds up back at square one – single and not getting any younger. Wall Street player – that is, until he romances his boss’ fiancée and gets unceremoniously canned – STOSH LEWANDOSKI (Zachary Knighton, “Happy Endings”) is handsome, charming and whip-smart. He’s a serial seducer who has never been able to maintain an intimate relationship with a woman for very long – a couple of hours, usually. When Stosh’s shenanigans result in him losing his corporate condo, he winds up moving in with his cousin, ERIC LEWANDOSKI (Nate Torrence, “Hello, Ladies”), a sweet, odd man-child. Thus far, Eric’s adult life has consisted of living at home with elderly parents and working as a toll collector on the Queensboro Bridge. After both of his parents pass away, he finds himself cast adrift in the world for the first time. On a Stosh-mandated mission to redecorate their dated apartment, Eric strikes up a friendship with ZARA SANDHU (newcomer Meera Khumbhani), while buying one of her paintings on the street. Drop-dead gorgeous, mysterious and ethereal, Zara is a lifelong heartbreaker who’s only capable of living one way – “in the moment.” Men and women fall in love with her on a regular basis, and she often reciprocates their feelings with great passion, until… she doesn’t. As fate would have it, Eric lives next door to Caryn, who finds herself unable to resist one of Stosh’s particularly ill-timed advances, putting the kibosh on her pending engagement to a kind, but boring, father of two. The split leaves her single, again, and in need of a roommate, prompting Zara to move in, and bringing together these four people who, each for their own distinct reasons, are solo singles when most of their peers are well along the path of marriage and family. Perhaps they are “weird loners,” as Stosh points out, or maybe they are just real people with messy, imperfect lives whose new friendships with each other already are changing their individual trajectories for the better.”

CREDITS
From 20th Century Fox Television
CREATOR/WRITER: Michael J. Weithorn
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Michael J. Weithorn, Jake Kasdan, Melvin Mar
DIRECTOR: Jake Kasdan

BORDERTOWN (premiere date/time to be scheduled)

VOiCE CAST: Alex Borstein as Janice Buckwald, Missi Pyle as Gert Buckwald, Judah Friedlander as Sanford Buckwald, Nicholas Gonzalez as Ernesto Gonzalez and J.C, Efren Ramirez as Ruiz

Official network show description: “BORDERTOWN (working title) is a new animated comedy about two families living in a Southwest desert town on the U.S. – Mexico border that takes a satirical look at the cultural shifts occurring in America, where the U.S. Census forecasts that by 2017, Caucasians will be a minority. Set against this increasingly diverse backdrop, the series explores family, politics and everything in between with a cross-cultural wink. BORDERTOWN (wt) centers on two clans: the Buckwalds and the Gonzalezes. BUD BUCKWALD is a married father of three and a Border Patrol agent who is just a tad behind the times and feels slightly threatened by the cultural changes transforming his neighborhood. He lives next door to ERNESTO GONZALEZ (Nicholas Gonzalez, SLEEPY HOLLOW), an ambitious immigrant and family man, who has been in the country less than 10 years, but is already doing better than Bud – which, it turns out, is a bit of an issue for the less-industrious native. Bud is married to JANICE BUCKWALD (Alex Borstein, FAMILY GUY), both the wisest and most oblivious member of the family. The Buckwald kids include BECKY (Borstein) a socially awkward, big-boned geek; SANFORD (Judah Friedlander, “30 Rock”), a loser who thinks he’s a player; and GERT (Missi Pyle, “The Exes,” “Galaxy Quest”), a beauty pageant-obsessed five-year-old with a pet pig. Meanwhile, living the American Dream next door are the Gonzalezes, including MARIA, Ernesto’s wife; their son, RUIZ (Efren Ramirez, “Napoleon Dynamite”); and their 21-year-old nephew, J.C. (Nicholas Gonzalez), a recent college graduate. As Bud and Ernesto’s paths begin to cross, their two families soon become bound by romance, conflict and, perhaps most importantly, friendship – a word that means the same, no matter what side of the border you’re from.”

CREDITS
From 20th Century Fox Television
CREATOR/WRITER: Mark Hentemann
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Seth MacFarlane, Mark Hentemann,
CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Alex Carter, Dan Vebber
SUPERVISING PRODUCER: Valentina L. Garza