Former
SNL scribe, Stefon co-creator, and congenially funny everyman John Mulaney’s eponymous sitcom debuts tonight on FOX. Mulaney’s
stand-up is a delight. He manages to be self-deprecating in a way that’s not overly dismissive of his intelligence and personality. His observations about the world and — more specifically —
Law & Order: SVU (a favorite subject of his) are spot on. And, his old-timey radio voice is even more delightful to the ears.
After years of enjoying Mulaney’s stand-up and work on
SNL, we were thrilled to learn he’d be taking his talents to a much larger audience on a sitcom. Unfortunately, the result is a puerile, overly self-effacing
Seinfeld clone that’s going to need some major retooling to remain on the air.
Luckily, building a sitcom based around a comedian’s act has been done before. This means there’s hope for
Mulaney. Shows based on a singular brand of shtick have been around since the dawn of TV, and some of them are enduringly fantastic. Here, we take a look at some comedians who spawned shows much more LOL than WTF.
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Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Premiered: 2006
Fey parlayed her experience as head writer on SNL into this hilarious satirical sitcom, which she created, wrote, starred in, and served as showrunner for. There ain’t no party like a Liz Lemon party ‘cause a Liz Lemon party is mandatory.
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Roseanne Barr, Roseanne
Premiered: 1988
Roseanne broke all kinds of molds — and for the better. It was one of the first sitcoms to picture a working-class family where both parents had jobs outside the home, and the matriarch was a strong leader whose character wasn’t judged on her appearance.
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Tracey Ullman, The Tracey Ullman Show
Premiered: 1987
In the late ‘80s, the English-born comedian and pop singer hosted a variety show that incorporated both live-action sketches and animation. The Tracey Ullman Show is also where The Simpsons got their start, when creator Matt Groening's animated characters acted as bumpers before and after commercials.
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Louis C.K., Louie
Premiered: 2010
Louie, louie, louie, lou-eye. Considered by many critics as one of the best comedian-centered sitcoms of all time (and one of the best comedies of all time in general), this FX show actually marks C.K.’s second attempt to dramatize his life for television. The first, Lucky Louie, was a traditional multi-camera setup filmed in front of a live studio audience. It aired on HBO in 2006.
C.K. has had much greater success serving as the writer, director, editor, and producer of his second self-titled show on FX.
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Bernie Mac, The Bernie Mac Show
Premiered: 2001
The premise of the series came from a set Mac performed in The Original Kings of Comedy. In the show, Bernie and his wife take in his sister’s three children after she goes to rehab, and much of the conflict and humor stems from their adjustment to parenting. The show is also notable for Mac’s frequent breaking of the fourth wall to speak directly to the audience.
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Ray Romano, Everybody Loves Raymond
Premiered: 1996
Ray Romano based his self-adulatory sitcom on his own family and experiences. After its amazing success (it even became huge in Russia), we’re guessing even the real-life Romanos love Ray just as much as the fictional Barones.
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Bret McKenzie & Jemaine Clement, Flight of the Conchords
Premiered: 2007
It’s business time. The delightful duo from New Zealand incorporated their whimsical songs into their HBO show, which chronicled a heightened version of the Conchords trying to make it in America.
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Drew Carey, The Drew Carey Show
Premiered: 1995
Starring as a fictionalized version of himself, Drew Carey’s everyman character and his regular joe group of friends made Cleveland rock for nine seasons.
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Bob Saget & Dave Coulier, Full House
Premiered: 1987
If you’ve ever seen Bob Saget doing stand-up, you know that his material is a far, far cry from the tame, doting dad he played on Full House. Dave Coulier, whose act mostly centered on impressions, played a little bit more to type as Joey Gladstone. He also played a comedian on the show — although he made the lion’s share of his living doing a silly woodchuck voice on a cartoon.
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Abbi Jacobson & Ilana Glazer, Broad City
Premiered: 2014
Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer started playing heightened versions of themselves in a web series of the same name, and it soon caught the eye of Amy Poehler and Comedy Central. The fantastic first season of Broad City showcases young twenty-somethings trying to find themselves in New York City, but not in the nauseating way you’ll see on Girls. Abbi and Ilana are the friends you want, but probably not the ones you need. But you know what? We’re young — let’s score some ganj and hit up a Weezy show.
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Ellen DeGeneres, Ellen
Premiered: 1994
Originally called These Friends of Mine, Ellen became a landmark television series when it featured one of the first main characters to come out as gay. In 1997, this was truly groundbreaking (yup, it took that long), and the show aired with a parental advisory before every episode after the one in which Ellen came out. Luckily, it’s mostly remembered for what it really was: an entertaining sitcom about a bookstore owner and her friends.
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Bill Cosby, The Cosby Show
Premiered: 1984
The sitcom that defined the ‘80s was loosely based on Cosby’s own family, and much of the pilot and first season’s subject matter came directly from his 1983 stand-up comedy film Bill Cosby: Himself. The wholesome Huxtables dominated TV ratings for five consecutive years, a feat only matched by All in the Family and American Idol.
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Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Premiered: 2009
Falsely billed as the female version of Michael Scott from The Office, Poehler’s Parks and Rec character got off to a rough start. Over time, however, Leslie Knope morphed into a powerful, passionate female role model who, yes, was also hilarious (both intentionally and unintentionally) on occasion. Poehler is involved in all aspects of the show — she’s written and directed episodes and serves as an executive producer.
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Jerry Seinfeld, Seinfeld
Premiered: 1989
The show about nothing that promised no learning or hugging featured a fictionalized version of the titular comedian. Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer were some of the longest-running, most beloved unlikeable sitcom characters. Even today, Twitter accounts still parody their exploits. And, some of our dads still relate every single thing in life to something that happened on Seinfeld. For a show about nothing, it sure has a lasting legacy.
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Chris Rock, Everybody Hates Chris
Premiered: 2008
The comedian depicts his own teenage years in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, in this coming-of-age sitcom that aired on UPN and then The CW from 2005 to 2009.
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Martin Lawrence, Martin
Premiered: 1992
Comedian Martin Lawrence starred as Martin Payne, a Detroit talk-show host who came off as ornery and smart-mouthed, but really just loved his friends, family members, and work. Daaaaaaamn, Gina!
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Brett Butler, Grace Under Fire
Premiered: 1993
Created by Chuck Lorre (he of The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men) around comedian Brett Butler, Grace Under Fire portrayed a newly divorced mother who was also a recovering alcoholic trying to make ends meet for herself and her three children.
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Garry Shandling, It's Garry Shandling's Show
Premiered: 1986
This show was meta before it was cool. Garry Shandling, who basically starred as himself, not only broke the fourth wall, but he spent almost as much time interacting with fellow cast members on the show (who were also aware they were on a TV show) as he did with the audience. In fact, the audience became almost another character, causing Shandling all sorts of trouble, doing memorable things like stealing money from his "apartment" (a.k.a. the set) and getting up and leaving out of anger.
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Richard Lewis, Anything But Love
Premiered: 1989
Richard Lewis and Jamie Lee Curtis were featured in this ABC sitcom, that aired from 1989 to 1992. This show was all about sexual tension in the workplace. The struggle is real.
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Dave Foley, NewsRadio
Premiered: 1995
On the air from ‘95 to ‘99, this NBC sitcom featured Dave Foley at a radio station in NYC. Though Foley was the main star, its success is also courtesy of a killer comedy cast made up of Phil Hartman, Stephen Root, Andy Dick, and Maura Tierney.
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Marc Maron, Maron
Premiered: 2013
Marc Maron came into comedic fame through his podcasts. Now, his humor lives on in the IFC sitcom in which Maron and his guests portray themselves.
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Paul Reiser, Mad About You
Premiered: 1992
Tell me why I love you like I do, Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt. Oh, wait. It’s because this show was awesome. Chronicling both the small and large obstacles a newlywed couple experiences, we weren’t the only ones who loved it — the show ran a full seven seasons.
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Tim Allen, Home Improvement
Premiered: 1991
Even though Jonathan Taylor Thomas inevitably stole all Tim Allen’s thunder, Home Improvement was a mainstay of the ‘90s. Audiences couldn’t get enough of Tim Allen's ineptitude at building or fixing anything, his questionable parenting, and that signature man-grunt.
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Mark Curry, Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper
Premiered: 1992
Mark Cooper is a former NBA player who became a substitute teacher. What more do you want from a sitcom? The premise is perfect for a mix of comedic moments and heartfelt lessons a la Full House. No wonder it fit in so well in the TGIF lineup of the ‘90s.
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