It is fitting that in last night’s episode of Mulaney, Lou Cannon worries about how he will be remembered in death, because the Grim Reaper now hangs over the rest of this show’s run. The first season of Mulaney has been cut from 16 episodes to 13, and it seems almost certain that this will be the lone season of the show. It’s a shame, because it’s been quite good thus far, but the audience never grew, and now those watching are pretty much just counting down the episodes, hoping for a miracle. (Seinfeld wasn’t well-received when it first aired either…)
Lou Cannon’s fears may have highlighted Mulaney’s bleak future, but it really isn’t a major part of the episode. It’s just there on the side, a chance for Martin Short to get fake electrocuted, and try to put on skinny jeans that don’t fit. It’s funny, and it provides a nice button of a set piece to the episode, but “Sweet Jane” is mostly concerned with another classic 90’s sitcom, Friends.
In a move that may or may not engender the series to more fans, John is compared to Ross (the least interesting of all the friends), as his dating life is explored in classic sitcom fashion. Also, Motif, who has never seen Friends, watches the entirety of the show for a nice runner, in perhaps the funniest element of the episode. This isn’t a good thing, because the bulk of the runtime is devoted to John, and his new lady friend, and Jane. Then again, anything that involves Nasim Pedrad can’t be all bad, as she has clearly taken to her character on the show, faster than anybody else.
In short, Jane never likes John’s lady friends, so she doesn’t like this one, and Mulaney tries to get them to bond. In the end, Jane is right about his girlfriend, who is gone forever now, and she and John grow a bit closer. It is an emotional beat that feels somewhat strange within the rest of the run of Mulaney. Sure, the button involves Jane saying that John is her backup plan—but this was probably the first sincere conversation about emotions on the show. It’s just not what Mulaney does best.
Mulaney is a quipster going through life and finding himself in sitcom hassles, while Jane has clearly been established as a sort of misanthrope and schemer. They both excel in these roles, so maybe the show should steer clear of any other real talk. Of course, most of the series has been shot already. And since there is no real future for this show, any advice is sort of irrelevant at this point.
There are also a couple of good jokes involving Andre, and some extended time spent with Oscar and his two lesbian friends, including Penny Marshall. Marshall used to star in a sitcom, but she seems to have left her timing in the past, and she sort of pulls that scene down. Not even Mulaney’s goofy sweater could save it.
“Sweet Jane” may not be of the same quality of the Lou Reed song for which it’s named, but it’s another good, funny, original episode of television. Mulaney has not hit a sour note yet, as every episode has been enjoyable. Alas, it would seem that it’s all for naught. No sitcoms are going to be making references to Mulaney in the future.
Chris Morgan is an Internet gadabout who writes on a variety of topics and in a variety of mediums. If he had to select one thing to promote, however, it would be his ’90s blog/podcast, Existential Parachute Pants. (You can also follow him on Twitter.)