For anyone who tuned in to the number of live-streamed events coming from the Netflix Is A Joke Fest in Los Angeles over the last few weeks, there were quite a few sights to behold. But let’s be honest, nothing proved to be as close to “masterpiece” status as John Mulaney’s fever dream incarnation of a late-night talk show.
Between May 2 and 12, there was quite an array of laughs for everyone’s tastes brought to the masses from Tinseltown in real time, from Katt Williams following in the footsteps of Chris Rock and unraveling his latest stand-up special, Woke Foke with no delay, to Kevin Hart receiving The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and the highly-publicized (and scrutinized) roast of Tom Brady. Although the star power of those events surely brought about a lot of clicks and views, arguably the most precious gem came in the form of Mulaney’s Everybody’s In L.A. — a multimedia mishmash of our favorite parts of late-night talk shows joined together with comedic shorts, music, and the stand-up superstar’s frustratingly expansive comedic and creative vision, among a number of other intriguing elements that made the six-episode run between May 3 and 10 such attractive and exciting television.
At the surface, the premise was simple: Mulaney, flexing his full-on hosting muscle for the first time since Saturday Night Live and The Sack Lunch Bunch days, held court over a specific Los Angeles-centric topic during each episode, welcoming both comedians and experts in each topic’s respective field to the stage to embark on a discussion. But with the live nature of the show, what it evolved into was something in the Venn diagram between a Conan O’Brien interview and a David Byrne art project.
Powered every night by a lengthy dais composed of some of comedy’s biggest names like Sarah Silverman, David Letterman, Jon Stewart, Jerry Seinfeld, Mike Birbiglia, Bill Hader, Patton Oswalt, Nate Bargatze, Tom Segura, Luenell, George Wallace and a myriad of others, Mulaney captained a pirate ship of insanity as he broached conversations that were both humorous and informative at the hands of the experts who joined in on what Nikki Glaser so accurately described as “an inside joke that only” Mulaney was in on.
There was also the seemingly long lost art of a running joke with Saymo, a delivery robot who curated a number of snack and drink deliveries to the guests much to their surprise throughout the series, as well as the recurring segment where Mulaney took live phone calls on the air from Los Angeles residents to discuss the night’s topic at hand (and ultimately to ask each caller what car they drove before abruptly hanging up on them), and an abundance of quirky and awkward sketch comedy (like “Lil’ George Carlin,” Will Ferrell, and Andy Samberg getting in on the fun from the crowd) that lived on through a number of live moments, and pre-recorded shorts — which may or may not have included a visit from Oh, Hello stars George St. Geegland and Gil Faizon.
Every episode felt like a movie, and not just because of the 75+ minute runtimes, but also due to the absolute roller coaster of discussions, asides, and at times, the delightfully fumbled tension that formed between guests in real time. But for the few stops and hiccups that happened along the way, Mulaney’s natural ability to command a stage, albeit in a different setting, kept the show moving smoothly with segments relayed seamlessly into the next without making things seem forced or pre-planned. It truly was a valiant effort in resuscitating the sparkle of a once cherished institution, from the search for native Coyotes to the stirring and heartfelt speech about the diversity and beauty of L.A. delivered by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea to close out the final episode, that sparkle was bright, and it felt special.
For a generation that has sorely missed out on the magic of what late-night television used to be, and what it represented beyond the show itself, Mulaney offered up a week-long refreshing taste of what it could still be, if only one of the most rightly celebrated and decorated comedy writers and performers of our time was manning the controls – and hanging up on phone calls at the perfect time.