Fans of 1960s comedy The Dick Van Dyke Show love the show's crack cast, highlighted by the hilarious Van Dyke, Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie comedy team, and their and their eccentrically charmingly egomaniac boss Alan Brady, played by comedic genius and forefather Carl Reiner. Fast forward 50 years later and we have some of SNL's best vets and current stars teaming up for a Lorne Michaels' produced series with a somewhat similar, updated premise and ensemble-driven appeal. Mulaney, starring stand-up comedian and Emmy-winning SNL writer John Mulaney as a comedian and TV writer for a high-maintenance game show host played by Martin Short. Instead of a cute Mary Tyler Moore-like spouse though, Mulaney has a more contemporary domestic set-up with roommates Jane (the brilliant and beautiful Nasim Pedrad) and Motif (Seaton Smith). Elliott Gould plays his neighbor.
Unfortunately for Mulaney, reviews out of the gate have been less than favorable. Perhaps viewed in context with Mulaney's affection for old-fashioned sitcoms, like the aforementioned Dick Van Dyke Show, the show might prove over the next few weeks to offer a more classical sitcom appeal, less like the mock-doc edgy humor of The Office and Parks and Recreation, et al., or it might just be a dud, period. We can only hope for the best with such a great cast. Tune in tonight on Fox to find out.
This article appears in Oct 2-8, 2014.