John Mulaney offers first glimpse of FOX’s “Mulaney” on Late Night with Seth Meyers

Blink and you missed it!

It doesn’t have a premiere date on FOX yet, but Mulaney, the starring sitcom vehicle for stand-up comedian John Mulaney, debuted the first clip from its first six episodes on Thursday night’s Late Night with Seth Meyers on NBC. Meyers introduced Mulaney with a clip from the first episode, in which “John Mulaney” first meets his new TV boss, Lou, played by Martin Short.

“Do I have a meeting with a Jay Mulaylay?” Lou asked his secretary/assistant, Donna, over the speakerphone.
“Yes, he’s the comedian that’s on the Internet,” she replies.
“Ohhh. That one. Twelve hundred views. Very impressive. And you write all those little mean things below?” he asks Mulaney.
“No. Those are my fans.”

It comes at the 28-minute mark of Late Night’s full episode, presented via Hulu:

Since Mulaney doesn’t have an air date yet, though, he’s more than happy to talk to his previous TV boss, Seth Meyers, about their time working together on Saturday Night Live. In this first part of their chat, Mulaney and Meyers reminisce at length about winning an Emmy Award for writing a song for Justin Timberlake, and somehow manage to go several minutes without ever mentioning the name of that Emmy-winning song. Does it not say “Dick in a Box” on their Emmy Award?!? It does not say that, because they won for Timberlake’s other Emmy win for an SNL song, from a later hosting appearance monologue. A song about not singing. Which makes their not mentioning the name very much in the theme of things. Anyhow.

Mulaney also wrote and rewrote the club hype jokes that famously made Bill Hader crack up time and time again whenever he appeared as “Stefon” bits on the SNL Weekend Update desk. So Mulaney and Meyers share more than a little bit of Stefon pride and love. As Mulaney explained last night to Meyers: “I am the co-creator, but you are the wife.”

Roll the clip!

In part two of their interview chat, Mulaney talks about wedding planning with his fiancee, and how it’s better to leave the planning to her.

https://www.hulu.com/watch/617780

But let’s hear more about Mulaney, please!!

Well, here’s a tidbit, a morsel to chew on. While the premise of Mulaney is very much in the vein of TV’s 30 Rock meets the movie My Favorite Year — with Mulaney as a fictionalized version of himself  working for a colorful TV comedy star, the structure might include something straight out of Seinfeld. Or Louie. Take your pick.

The official show description says “Mulaney follows the life of comedian John Mulaney through his naïve, and sometimes pointless, journey to “be a good person”. With no real compass in life, Mulaney takes advice from his game-show host boss & mentor Lou (Martin Short), his roommates Jane and Motif, and his tough elderly gay neighbor (Elliott Gould). The cast also features Nasim Pedrad, Seaton Smith and Zack Pearlman.” After taping the first six episodes for FOX out in Studio City, Calif., they came back to add 30 minutes of stand-up performance from Mulaney for the cameras.

mulaney-standup-fox

So when do we get to see all of it? Or some of it? Please, FOX, tell us! Unless you’re going to give it a full order for the fall. In which case, we can wait another month for the Fall Upfronts. Thanks in advance!

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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4 thoughts on “John Mulaney offers first glimpse of FOX’s “Mulaney” on Late Night with Seth Meyers

  1. The song they won the Emmy for was for the song Justin Timberlake sang in his monologue when he hosted that year.

    1. Right. SNL and Timberlake won Emmys for original song TWICE! Thanks for catching that.

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