# Mulaney
**Mulaney** is an American multi-camera sitcom that aired on Fox from October 5, 2014, to February 15, 2015. Created by and starring comedian [John Mulaney](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-mulaney) as a fictionalized version of himself, it follows a New York stand-up comic who takes a job writing for a narcissistic game-show host, Lou Cannon, played by [Martin Short](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-short).[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/mulaney) The show ran for one season of 13 episodes and was canceled after poor ratings and largely negative reviews.[2](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/mulaney-cancelled-by-fox-no-season-two-35846/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Network and run | Fox, October 5, 2014 to February 15, 2015; one season, 13 episodes[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/mulaney) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2753110/) |
| Premise | A stand-up comic is hired as a writer by comedy legend and game-show host Lou Cannon, who proves a nightmare to work for[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/mulaney) |
| Main cast | John Mulaney, Martin Short (Lou Cannon), Nasim Pedrad (Jane), Seaton Smith (Motif), Zack Pearlman (Andre), Elliott Gould (Oscar)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/mulaney) |
| Development | Initially pitched as a pilot to NBC, which passed; Fox picked it up with Lorne Michaels among the executive producers[4](https://time.com/97440/mulaney-new-sitcom-seinfeld/) |
| Premiere ratings | 2.3 million viewers and a 1.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic, the lowest for any freshman debut that fall[5](https://www.tvline.com/gallery/fall-tv-winners-losers-2014-the-flash/) |
| Critical reception | 17% average Tomatometer from 42 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes; 4.1/10 on IMDb[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/mulaney) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2753110/) |
| Cancellation | Episode order cut from 16 to 13; production shut down after the 13th episode; the finale drew a 0.4 rating with 1.14 million viewers[5](https://www.tvline.com/gallery/fall-tv-winners-losers-2014-the-flash/) • [2](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/mulaney-cancelled-by-fox-no-season-two-35846/) |
## Premise and characters
The series centers on John Mulaney, a stand-up comic searching for his big break, whose life changes when Lou Cannon, a narcissistic comedy legend and host of a game show, hires him as a writer. The job is what John wanted, but Lou proves difficult to work for, and John juggles the stress of the position with guilt over neglecting his friends and roommates: Jane, a tightly wound personal trainer, and Motif, a powerhouse comic. Rounding out the cast are Andre, a trust-fund baby who shows up at the worst moments, and Oscar, John's neighbor, who serves as an oracle of sound advice.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/mulaney)
Each episode opened with a stand-up bit by Mulaney that informed the narrative to come, in the manner of *Seinfeld*.[6](https://avclub.com/taped-before-a-live-studio-audience-okay-case-file-4-1798283567) The show was shot before a live studio audience in the traditional multi-camera format.[7](https://time.com/3452872/mulaney-review-fox-john-mulaney/)
## Development
The show began as a pilot pitched to NBC, which passed on it despite [Lorne Michaels](https://www.edgepedia.org/lorne-michaels)' involvement as an executive producer and Mulaney's credentials as a former *Saturday Night Live* writer who co-created the character [Stefon](https://www.edgepedia.org/stefon) with [Bill Hader](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-hader). Mulaney tweaked the pilot and brought it to Fox, which picked it up and initially ordered 16 episodes of the multi-camera sitcom.[4](https://time.com/97440/mulaney-new-sitcom-seinfeld/) Fox's then entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly promoted the show as having "the makings of a Seinfeld for a new generation."[8](https://time.com/2954097/seinfeld-25th-anniversary/)
The executive producers included John Mulaney, Lorne Michaels, David Miner, Dave Becky, Andrew Singer, Jon Pollack, and Andy Ackerman, a director associated with *Seinfeld*.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/mulaney) • [9](https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/television/2014/10/02/mulaney-show-about-nothing-but-not-that-good/nIYTheedvWAxo9HPLsXwCO/story.html)
## Comparisons to Seinfeld
Critics found the resemblance to *Seinfeld* difficult to miss: a self-titled, New York-based multi-camera sitcom built around a stand-up comedian playing a version of himself, with stand-up clips opening each episode, an apartment shared with neurotic friends, and an eccentric older neighbor.[9](https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/television/2014/10/02/mulaney-show-about-nothing-but-not-that-good/nIYTheedvWAxo9HPLsXwCO/story.html) The Los Angeles Times noted that the show itself acknowledged the comparison with a line addressed to its star: "I defend you when people say you're a 'Seinfeld' rip-off."[10](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-mulaney-review-20141003-column.html) Time's review described the series as hitting every item on a syllabus of 1990s sitcom tropes, from the live studio audience to the four-person social group and the wacky showbiz boss, while lacking "an original voice, organic character relationships or near enough laughs."[7](https://time.com/3452872/mulaney-review-fox-john-mulaney/)
## Reception and cancellation
The premiere drew 2.3 million total viewers and a 1.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic, the lowest numbers for any freshman debut that fall, and the audience later fell as low as 1.6 million and a 0.7.[5](https://www.tvline.com/gallery/fall-tv-winners-losers-2014-the-flash/) In November 2014 Fox reduced the episode order from 16 to 13 and moved the show from its 9:30 p.m. Sunday slot to 7:30 p.m., swapping places with the animated *Bob's Burgers*.[5](https://www.tvline.com/gallery/fall-tv-winners-losers-2014-the-flash/) • [11](https://www.thewrap.com/foxs-mulaney-bumped-to-730-p-m-slot/) Production shut down after the 13th episode was completed.[11](https://www.thewrap.com/foxs-mulaney-bumped-to-730-p-m-slot/)
The series finale aired on February 15, 2015, drawing a 0.4 demo rating with 1.14 million viewers, and Fox confirmed there would be no second season.[2](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/mulaney-cancelled-by-fox-no-season-two-35846/) On Rotten Tomatoes the season holds a 17% average Tomatometer from 42 reviews, with a 40% average Popcornmeter score from more than 50 audience ratings; IMDb users rate it 4.1 out of 10.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/mulaney) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2753110/) Reviewers were frequently harsh: The Washington Post's critic gave the pilot a C- and later raised the grade to a C+, arguing the show felt overpopulated with characters and forced in its performance.[12](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/foxs-mulaney-when-a-bad-sitcom-happens-to-a-great-guy/2014/10/02/e262f98c-47f7-11e4-b72e-d60a9229cc10_story.html) [The A.V. Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-a-v-club) observed that the show played its deliberately old-fashioned sitcom conventions straight rather than as parody, at a time when the rhythms of the multi-camera format struck many viewers as dated.[6](https://avclub.com/taped-before-a-live-studio-audience-okay-case-file-4-1798283567)
## Aftermath
The failure of *Mulaney* did not end Mulaney's television career. He later hosted the six-night live Netflix talk show *John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in L.A.* in May 2024, timed to the Netflix Is a Joke Fest,[13](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/john_mulaney_presents_everybodys_in_la/s01) and its weekly successor *[Everybody's Live with John Mulaney](https://www.edgepedia.org/everybodys-live-with-john-mulaney)*, which premiered on Netflix in March 2025 and holds a 100% Tomatometer from 9 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.[14](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/everybodys_live_with_john_mulaney/s01) His 2023 stand-up special *Baby J* addressed, among other topics, the aftermath of a stay in rehab for cocaine and alcohol abuse, a public divorce, a new relationship with the actor [Olivia Munn](https://www.edgepedia.org/olivia-munn), and the birth of his son.[15](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2023/04/john-mulaney-baby-j-netflix-review/673861/)
## References
1. [Mulaney, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/mulaney)
2. [Mulaney: Cancelled by FOX, no season 2, TVSeriesFinale](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/mulaney-cancelled-by-fox-no-season-two-35846/)
3. [Mulaney (TV Series 2014–2015), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2753110/)
4. [8 Ways the Trailer for Mulaney Resembles Seinfeld, Time](https://time.com/97440/mulaney-new-sitcom-seinfeld/)
5. [Fall TV Winners And Losers 2014, As Graded By TVLine Readers](https://www.tvline.com/gallery/fall-tv-winners-losers-2014-the-flash/)
6. [Taped before a live studio audience, okay? case file #43: Mulaney, The A.V. Club](https://avclub.com/taped-before-a-live-studio-audience-okay-case-file-4-1798283567)
7. [Review: Mulaney Does Its Homework Too Well, Time](https://time.com/3452872/mulaney-review-fox-john-mulaney/)
8. [Seinfeld at 25: There's Still Nothing Else Like It, Time](https://time.com/2954097/seinfeld-25th-anniversary/)
9. ['Mulaney' a show about nothing — but not that good, The Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/television/2014/10/02/mulaney-show-about-nothing-but-not-that-good/nIYTheedvWAxo9HPLsXwCO/story.html)
10. [Review: 'Mulaney' feels more than a bit like 'Seinfeld', Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-mulaney-review-20141003-column.html)
11. [Fox's 'Mulaney' Bumped to 7:30 P.M. Slot, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/foxs-mulaney-bumped-to-730-p-m-slot/)
12. [Fox's 'Mulaney': When a bad sitcom happens to a great guy, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/foxs-mulaney-when-a-bad-sitcom-happens-to-a-great-guy/2014/10/02/e262f98c-47f7-11e4-b72e-d60a9229cc10_story.html)
13. [John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/john_mulaney_presents_everybodys_in_la/s01)
14. [Everybody's Live with John Mulaney: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/everybodys_live_with_john_mulaney/s01)
15. [No, Really, I'm Awful, The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2023/04/john-mulaney-baby-j-netflix-review/673861/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › American sitcoms and comedy series › 2010s and later network sitcoms*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license