Mulaney

:

Season 1
  • Network: FOX
  • Series Premiere Date: Oct 5, 2014
Metascore
38

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 27
  3. Negative: 12 out of 27
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Critic Reviews

  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Kyle Anderson
    Sep 26, 2014
    58
    The premiere is weak.... But by its third episode, the show is confident enough to make you think it might, as Seinfeld did, survive its rocky start. [3 Oct 2014, p.67]
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  2. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    Sep 15, 2014
    58
    Strain to be the next 'Seinfeld' much? But this one has a strong cast, and punchy one-liners.
  3. PopMatters
    Reviewed by: Marisa LaScala
    Oct 6, 2014
    50
    The plots of the first episodes have none of the labyrinthine structure of classic Seinfeld episodes; they feel more like vehicles for prewritten bits. They’re funny, but they don’t sound like regular people talking. This artificial sensibility is exacerbated by various performances.
  5. Philadelphia Daily News
    Reviewed by: Ellen Gray
    Oct 3, 2014
    50
    [The premiere] finds Mulaney surrounded by quirk, some of it good--Martin Short as his boss, Nasim Pedrad as one of his roommates--and some of it just annoying.
  6. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Sara Stewart
    Oct 3, 2014
    50
    The bad news: The first episode is a mess. The good news: It gets (somewhat) better
  7. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Diane Werts
    Oct 3, 2014
    50
    So the show seems either a subversive deconstruction of the laugh-track sitcom blueprint or a stupefying misfire built around the blandest star ever.
  8. Hitfix
    Reviewed by: Alan Sepinwall
    Oct 2, 2014
    42
    Though Mulaney the stand-up has a clear point of view, Mulaney the sitcom does not. It's a show about nothing, with nothing to say about that.
  9. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Hank Stuever
    Sep 19, 2014
    42
    Although there are a few snarky laughs in the pilot, they can’t compete with the uncomfortable feeling that Mulaney, bless his heart, isn’t ready for prime time.
  10. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    Oct 6, 2014
    40
    We don’t dislike the characters. We just don’t feel compelled to watch them, because they often don’t feel much more real than the animated characters they’re replacing on Fox Sunday night.
  11. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Margaret Lyons
    Oct 3, 2014
    40
    Mulaney's ensemble just isn't powerful enough, and rather than jazz up so-so material, they somehow drain the energy from possibly funny moments.
  12. Slate
    Reviewed by: Willa Paskin
    Oct 3, 2014
    40
    Mulaney, a bland new Fox sitcom from former-SNL writer and stand-up comedian John Mulaney, has a laugh track. This is, by far, the most interesting thing about it.
  13. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    Oct 2, 2014
    40
    Mulaney feels dated, a throwback to '90s sitcoms that's out of place in Fox prime time in 2014. Maybe it would feel more at home on TV Land.
  14. Time
    Reviewed by: James Poniewozik
    Oct 2, 2014
    40
    It’s in John Mulaney’s standup bits, thus far much funnier and authentic-feeling than anything in the scripted parts of Mulaney, that you get a hint of what that might be.

Awards & Rankings

74
#74 Most Discussed TV Season of 2014

User Reviews

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User Score
3.9

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 53 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 53
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 53
  3. Negative: 27 out of 53
  1. alex2542
    Oct 6, 2014
    1
    Grading the pilot alone, because I couldn't finish it. I gave it a chance because I thought New in Town was a hilarious stand up set. Not onlyGrading the pilot alone, because I couldn't finish it. I gave it a chance because I thought New in Town was a hilarious stand up set. Not only is the humor so humorless, Mulaney fits in about 5 or 6 jokes from the New in Town set into the show and struggles to make it as funny in a sitcom setting as it was in the standup. I see no potential here. The best part was his opening standup joke. Everything after that was just putrid.… Full Review »
  2. Jonestastic
    Oct 18, 2014
    0
    Merriam-Webster Defines Comedy as entertainment that is amusing. Sadly this show is not amusing whatsoever. Anyone who can rate this showMerriam-Webster Defines Comedy as entertainment that is amusing. Sadly this show is not amusing whatsoever. Anyone who can rate this show above a 0 Is only doing the world a disservice. The jokes, or at least the times we heard punch lines were not funny nor anything at anytime leading up to it. The Seinfeld structure is hard to make fail, but somehow he does it. With actors that do not know how to make the scene feel organic the show is just painful to watch transpire. To make matters worse the show is constantly name dropping in the worst way. Making your mind run in circles. You would think that a standup comedian would be funny like his job depended on it. Maybe loosen up and act a little it may help the show. Whoever pays for this show to be on should be fired. The pilot had to air before the show went on television. If you have a commercial that gets zero laughs why put out the show. You put the best parts of the show in the commercial. The characters are not real people they only rely on stereotypes and not even funny ones. I made it through the first two episodes. To say the least I wished for the sweet release of death when they finally ended. My life will never be the same. John Mulaney is the worst comedian ever to compare him to Jerry Seinfeld is blasphemy. Whoever does this is a trader to humanity and should be thrown in jail. This show needs to be burned at the stake. I thought maybe Nasim Pedrad would redeem the show but it was just to far gone to save anything. So don't compare it to Friends don't compare it to Seinfeld. Just leave those shows alone when you want to share your sick sadistic mind with the world saying this show was anything but awful.… Full Review »
  3. FrenchToast
    Oct 14, 2014
    4
    Not a good show. Not one bit. I chuckled here and there but the acting is absolutely awful. Surprisingly, Mulaney isn't even the worst actorNot a good show. Not one bit. I chuckled here and there but the acting is absolutely awful. Surprisingly, Mulaney isn't even the worst actor on the show. The other people sound like they're in a play. The plot of episodes isn't clever at all. Bad. Very bad.… Full Review »
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