John Mulaney’s limited-run Netflix talk show has been generating a lot of buzz this week, but for some fans of the show it’s been bittersweet, reminding them of another show—one that got away.
“We are only doing six episodes, so this show will never hit its groove,” Mulaney joked in the first episode of Everybody’s in L.A. last Friday. Groove or not, what Mulaney’s show has in spades is a vibe—one that reviewers, as cited by the host himself on the second episode, have called “loose,” “clunky,” and “impulsive” (in a good way).
It’s that vibe that’s reminded some viewers of The Chris Gethard Show, which began as a live show at NYC’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre before moving to public access TV in Manhattan. It then got a 20-episode run on Fusion, followed by a switch to truTV, where it ran for 26 more episodes before it was canceled.
“The Chris Gethard Show walked so Everybody’s in LA could run,” one X poster noted.
“John Mulaney recreated the Chris Gethard show but with a [higher] budget,” wrote another.
The two shows do share much of the same DNA. Like Mulaney’s show, Gethard’s featured old-school viewer calls centered around a chosen topic. Other similarities include each show’s lineup of comedian guests, and their embrace of absurd sidekicks who themselves are agents of chaos. (In Mulaney’s case, it’s Richard Kind and a food delivery robot; in Gethard’s, it was Murf Meyer and the Human Fish.)
Not unlike fans of both shows who’ve noted their similarities, Gethard himself appears to be taking joy in seeing this kind of comedy back on TV on such a large scale.
“I am greatly enjoying the new show @mulaney is doing on Netflix,” Gethard tweeted after Monday night’s show. “Chaotic and funny and interactive and unpredictable and good. I like live tv. And phone calls. And seeing celebrities slightly uncomfortable. I just like it.”
One imagines Mulaney would feel good hearing that from Gethard. Twitter user @BannedinJC may have put it best: “This endorsement is like shaking Sinatra’s hand on the casino floor.”
John Mulaney Presents Everybody’s in L.A. streaming live at 7 PM PT/10PM ET on Netflix through Friday. You can find old episodes of The Chris Gethard Show on YouTube, Prime Video, truTV’s site, and elsewhere on the web.
