With The Office coming to an end last week, Parks and Rec is the lone staple left on NBC’s’ comedy lineup. SNL writer John Mulaney put together a pilot that was by all accounts hilarious but for some reason NBC decided not to pick it up. I am very far from the inside with regard to NBC programming decisions but it seems like NBC just made a huge mistake.
Mulaney is hilarious and his pilot had some big names involved, including Elliot Gould, Martin Short and current SNL cast member Nasim Pedrad. The pilot was also produced by Lorne Michaels and had a cameo from Jimmy Fallon. NBC might have passed because they fear another critically acclaimed ratings failure (like 30 Rock) but passing on quality is a recipe for failure in my opinion.
Hopefully Mulaney gets a chance at another network or even at NBC when they become smart enough to invest in him. This is the guy that helped create Stefon and all of the crazy night clubs he frequents. He’s hilarious and he has a writing background, which is essential to any good sitcom. Mulaney has a pretty large fan base already and I’m sure he will be a household name on TV shortly – after which NBC will regret not locking him up when they had the chance.
Watching his stand up videos on YouTube led me to one of my favorite jokes from one of my other favorite comedians…
So clever and so true.