Things aren’t looking great for Mulaney. The new comedy headlining Saturday Night Live alumni John Mulaney was originally slated to have 16 episodes, but after a disappointing series premiere, Fox halted filming past Episode 13.
The multi-camera Mulaney had an unusual 16-episode order as Fox originally picked up 6 episodes last October and then ordered additional 10 in May when the net opted not not to pick up any of its comedy pilots to series. While no 2014 Fox comedy pilots went to series, the network has four straight-to-series half-hour shows for this season, Mulaney as well as live-action Last Man on Earth and Weird Loners and animated Bordertown.
Mulaney also stars fellow SNL alum Nasim Pedrad, comedian Seaton Smith, and comedy legends Elliott Gould and Martin Short.
From what I can tell, the problem with Mulaney has less to do with the cast or writers and more to do with the advertising. According to Fox, Mulaney is about a young comedian, played by John Mulaney, hired by an egotistical comedy legend, played by Martin Short, to be his new writer. Mulaney struggles to find balance with his supposed dream job and his personal life, and he wonders if he really wants a career in comedy.
Unfortunately, I don’t get any of that from the advertising. The ads for Mulaney, especially the print ads, are so bland and unmemorable that I am not surprised that people forgot it was on TV. All of these ads feature the cast staring off into space. How could I guess that behind this generic ad is a comedy with a promising premise?
Source: Deadline
