John Mulaney’s talk show, “Everybody’s Live,” just ended on Netflix.
It was an mitigated disaster.
He made a joke about the murder of a healthcare executive and used the slur ‘wop’ for alleged killer Italian American Luigi Mangione. Mulaney claimed he’d done the killing and then “pinned it on a gorgeous young Wop.”
The show featured a random selection of celebrities — Michael Keaton, Joan Baez, Fred Armisen, and a female financial advice columnist. They were all of them more lost than a panel on the old Joe Franklin Show.
The theme for some reason was finances and lending money to friends, hence the columnist. It made no sense whatsoever, was forced, and the celebrities seems clueless.
To make matters worse, Tracy Morgan appeared — stoned out of his gourd– and made no sense at all.
Richard Kind, always a welcome sight, played the side kick.
They might as well have made an episode of “Fernwood Tonight.”
To waste 80 year old Baez on this crap should result in arrests. She was very gracious as she responded to pointless questioning. She managed to get in one statement: “We’re all here to be silly and have fun, and as long as we recognize the fact that our democracy is going up in flames. . .we’re being run by a bunch of really incompetent billionaires.”
Keaton, who told a pointless story about Jack Nicholson must be horrified. He can’t be blamed. He was trapped in an untenable situation.
There was also a sketch in which Mulaney interviewed a bunch of actors — including Christopher Lloyd — dressed as the character Willy Loman — who they’d played on stage once — from “Death of a Salesman.” Arthur Miller is rolling in his grave.
John Mulaney can be utterly brilliant. He is on “SNL” with his musicals, his monologues are gems. But here was just adrift. The show seemed like it was written by people who’d been up all night smoking dope. Kind read off birthdays and saluted late singer Al Jarreau as if he were alive. Then they made a lame joke about that. Poor Richard. He’s better than that.
I’ll put up a video asap– Mulaney actually said ‘wop’– which I can’t believe. He’s a smart, sensitive guy. What a disappointment. Whoever wrote the closed captions stopped, then typed in “debacle.”
