During David Letterman’s second or third life as a talk show host, he’s been delivering more candid conversations with high-profile comedians, celebrities, and political activists for four seasons now on Netflix. Letterman has also hit the road for a few specials, first in 2019, venturing to Mumbai to meet and speak with Shah Rukh Kan; then in 2022 to Ukraine to meet with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy; and now to Chicago to get nostalgic with comedian John Mulaney. Will it prove witty or insightful? And both!
The essential: For this bonus episode, Letterman spends almost as much time with Mulaney outside of the live studio audience they had assembled for their interview in Chicago as he does in the more traditional talk show format.
We see Letterman bring Mulaney back to the halls of his alma mater, Saint Ignatius College Prep, standing on stage in the prep school’s theater to reflect on Mulaney’s journey since his late teens and answering questions from current St. Ignatius. Letterman also travels to Biloxi, Mississippi to watch Mulaney’s current new hour on tour during the winter, and sits down for dinner with Mulaney and his father.
What comedy specials will this remind you of? There are precedents My next guest… episodes and specials, but if you’re not familiar with those, consider something like the old Inside the actors’ studio sessions on Bravo, except it’s less formal with more in-depth information about the interviewee and interviewer
Memorable jokes: Although Letterman presents Mulaney as perhaps the funniest stand-up comedian around, this clip shows how Mulaney himself is quick to admit that as a former writer for Saturday Night Livehe knew he couldn’t deliver his sketches like the actors he was writing for at the time.
Our opinion : But you don’t watch this special or the Letterman series for the jokes. You’re putting this out there in the hopes of learning something about Letterman’s guest, whether it’s his comedic process or his life behind the scenes. And with Mulaney, there are certainly many questions to be asked following his intervention, his divorce and the fact that he subsequently became the father of a boy with actress Olivia Munn.
Separated from the constraints and pressures of television, Letterman doesn’t dig too deep into gossip, but instead asks honest, probing questions about how Mulaney got through the final years of his life.
And they share in-depth insights into the current state of comedy, which cut through much of the bullshit that has cluttered online discussions in recent years.
For example, Letterman asks, “Do you share my impression that the state, the art of stand-up comedy, is better now than at any other time in the history of…?” »
To which Mulaney responds: “I don’t know about any other time. »
“Oh, definitely,” Letterman retorts.
“I love comedies from so many different eras,” Mulaney says, “that I talk about that more than saying it’s not. It’s an amazing time period. Comics you can go to to see in a week on tour right now are legendary.
Later, when Letterman and Mulaney sit down with some prep school kids, one of the kids asks Mulaney, “How can you come up with jokes that are funny but don’t get you canceled?” ” To which Mulaney responds, “Oh, that’s a good question. I don’t really think about the second part. I don’t want to say that I… I have a barometer, I think, for what would be offensive or objectionable, but it’s kind of something that journalists talk about a lot. You know, I know a lot of people who get criticized for what they’ve done, but they go on to have great careers. So it’s just negative feedback, and that’s a lot of life.
It’s so true and so refreshing to hear a famous comedian say that out loud.
It’s also really special to hear Letterman ask Mulaney to open up even more about his drug addictions and rehab experiences by telling his own story of quitting alcohol because Letterman was so afraid of losing his NBC. Late at night concert. Letterman even helps lead an applause break just for making Mulaney say “I’m an alcoholic and a drug addict.” And then confronts Mulaney’s father with the excruciating emotions of not knowing if your child will succumb to addiction. The camera pans to zoom in on Mulaney’s face. It’s the kind of emotional moment you won’t get on other comedian-on-comedian talk shows.
Presumably Mulaney’s father is much more okay with him becoming the “best case scenario” for the next Steve Martin.
Our call: Spread it. At one point, Mulaney says John Mulaney and the band Sack Lunch was his favorite project, but implied that Netflix would prefer he stick to stand-up. This special with Letterman only makes comedy fans even more excited to see Mulaney’s upcoming variety specials this week while Netflix is a joke fest as well as whatever Letterman does next!
Sean L. McCarthy works on the comedy beat. It also airs half-hour episodes with comedians revealing origin stories: The comic strip presents the latest things first.
New York Post
