This is, I guess, what network TV is dependable for: giving a great opportunity to your favorite current comedian and zapping him to a sitcom format from 1994. But maybe we want it that way? Maybe we want it that way.
“Mulaney” is the breakout series for standup star and Emmy-winning “SNL” scribe John Mulaney, who is clearly ready to coin some “yada, yada, yada”-level everyman catchphrases. Judging by the first trailer from the Fox upfronts, “Mulaney” certainly feels like a younger, smilier, slightly more impish “Seinfeld,” but I admit I'm curious how much ground is able to be explored on a set that looks pretty identical to “The Single Guy.” Will Nasim Pedrad get to be hilarious? Here she is merely pleasant, I'd say. Will Martin Short do more than be Martin Short? Because I saw him on “Damages” and he is a legitimate and even scary-as-hell actor. I'm enchanted by the idea of a throwback comedy series about a young standup comedian, but I have the feeling this show will need at least half a season to find its footing as a fresh, singular series in primetime.