I didn’t know what to expect when I watched the first episode of John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in Los Angeles Friday night, but in the end I came away convinced that Netflix needs to give this man his own talk show. This bizarre, free-form live-streaming experience feels like the apotheosis of Mulaney’s comedic evolution. As guest Jerry Seinfeld said, “It’s the weirdest show I’ve ever been on in my life.”
Everybody’s in Los Angeles is a six-part comedy special debuting as part of Netflix’s Is a Joke Fest. The first episode premiered on Friday and the next five will debut Monday through Friday at 10 p.m. ET. Episodes will feature a mix of Mulaney’s live work, as well as pre-recorded interstitial sketches. They will each also have a theme – in this week’s case, “Coyotes.”
Aesthetically, the vibe here is that of a low-budget morning show — a living room set that, as Mulaney puts it, “looks like the kind of house where you’d spend half an hour trying to hook up the Sonos.” And thematically? Everything is fine.
Friday’s episode opened with a quote from Joan Didion’s ode to California, Where I came from: “Madness, it became convenient to believe quite early, came with the territory, of the order of earthquakes.” The opening credits feature shots of motorcycles, repairmen on power lines, a Minions a billboard and a coyote. Wang Chung’s “To Live and Die in LA” fittingly plays in the background.
Mulaney is back in his traditional costume for this show, and joined by an extremely sporty announcer, Richard Kind. “We’re only doing six episodes,” Mulaney joked, “so this show will never find its rhythm… Whatever happens, we’ll be done by May 10, which is great, because there’s nothing which I love more than being finished.”
As always, Mulaney’s performance is as precisely calibrated as possible. Just listening to the sounds of the words coming out of his mouth is enough to elicit a laugh, and best of all, they’re all funny. On several occasions, Mulaney alluded to his own celebrity persona: “Why even do this show? he wondered aloud. “I don’t know! But it gives me something to do, and structure is key for me” – but more than anything, he clarified Friday evening, it’s a series about idiosyncrasies from Los Angeles.
The approach here is ingeniously frenetic. We begin with a monologue from Mulaney, who helpfully informs us that “the city of Los Angeles was officially founded in 1842 as a place for improv students to go hiking.” There is a map for comic effect, as it describes the eccentricities of certain areas. “Beverly Hills is chic-Yeah,” he says. “It’s expensive, just like the clothes DJ Khaled wears, but they don’t fill you with desire.”
From there, we move from segment to segment, each building on the comedic energy of the last. First, there’s an interview with Jerry Seinfeld and Citizens for LA Wildlife advocate Tony Tucci, whose lower third informs us that he is “no relation to Stanley.” (As you might expect, this show has a lot of fun with its lower thirds.) While Mulaney interviewed Tucci directly, he and Seinfeld took turns playing with his answers. When he suggested that people might use airhorns to scare away coyotes, Seinfeld didn’t miss a beat before going through his pockets. “What did I do with my airhorn?” »
Throughout the episode, Mulaney invited viewers to call a number that appeared on screen early on and share coyote stories. This led to some truly shocking anecdotes, including one about a coyote home invasion that stunned the entire panel (Mulaney, Tucci and Seinfeld) into silence. Did you know that coyotes can apparently enter second floor apartments? I certainly didn’t! Only Mulaney found the presence of mind to ask the important question: “Elevator or no elevator?”
Friday’s episode had a few segments that deviated from the coyote theme. Perhaps the best was a multi-part house tour segment that featured HGTV’s Funniest. House Hunters moments to be ashamed.
Mulaney and fellow comedians Natasha Leggero, Chelsea Peretti, Stavros Halkias and Earthquake looked at a home in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles, valued at over $1 million, and as one might imagine, they prepared an absolute meal examining each piece. Key features included the can crusher in the laundry room, ceiling fan cords (three of which Mulaney accidentally broke from pulling too hard), and a bedroom that Leggero said was used as a set for “Amish porn.”
What more natural follow-up to that than an interview with Ray J? It was perhaps the weakest segment of the evening – the conversation was more meandering than funny – but the unpredictable energy was in keeping with the rest of the night. Perhaps telling: Ray J. also wore a pin emblazoned with six words: coyotes, palm trees, helicopters, ghosts, earthquakes and LA. Could this be a hint as to what future episodes might cover? You’ll have to tune in on Monday to find out!
And honestly, why not? Everybody’s in Los Angeles is by far the funniest thing I’ve seen on Netflix in years – and I would have said that even Before Will Ferrell showed up as a violent heckler in a pale pink blazer. Oh, and did I mention that St. Vincent came to perform his song “Flea”?
We already knew what Mulaney could do on stage, and John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Group showed the comedian’s weirder side. Everybody’s in Los Angeles This looks like another high-tech act that could pay off even better. Mulaney might like to be made, but if this special does well with audiences, it could easily work as a longer-term project. This viewer, at least, is very ready to learn more about palm trees, ghosts, and whatever else Mulaney wants to unpack.
Gn entert
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