John Mulaney's Netflix talk show "Everybody's Live with John Mulaney" is very John Mulaney. It's also a talk show which is to say not every bit works, and not every guest pops. However, the comedian has done some wonderfully-esoteric sketches and set pieces. It's no surprise that he is a vocal fan of Conan O'Brien's old "Late Night" show. His most-recent comedic conception is both simple and absurd: What if "Seinfeld" was Phish?
"Seinfeld" is, of course, the defining sitcom of the 1990s. Phish is, in turn, the defining jam band, even if you can name zero songs by them unless you are a fan, and they have no casual fans. We'll be honest and note that our working knowledge of Phish's music comes from the one time they had a cameo on "The Simpsons" in the episode where Homer starts smoking medical marijuana.
Mulaney, with the encouragement of his sidekick, character actor Richard Kind, looks through his on-set telescope. Through said telescope he sees four members of Phish as the "Seinfeld" characters. Bad wigs and bald caps abound. However, even this is not sufficiently specific for Mulaney and company.
There are like three different "games" to the comedy of a sketch that is only a couple minutes long. It isn't terribly indebted to Phish, or even "Seinfeld," but it is deeply indebted to the comedic sensibilities of John Mulaney. Now, if he can just get the guys left from the Grateful Dead as the cast of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." We'll accept John Mayer but only if he plays Rhoda.
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