In David Letterman‘s second or third life as a talk-show host, he’s delivered more sincere sit-down conversations with high-profile comedians, celebrities and political activists for four seasons now on Netflix. Letterman also has gone on the road for a couple of specials, first in 2019 venturing to Mumbai to meet up with and talk to Shah Rukh Kan; then in 2022 to Ukraine to speak with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy; and now to Chicago to wax nostalgic with comedian John Mulaney. Will this prove witty or insightful? How about both!
The Gist: For this bonus episode, Letterman spends almost as much time with Mulaney outside of the live studio audience they’d assembled for their sit-down interview in Chicago as they do in the more traditional talk-show format.
We see Letterman walking Mulaney back through the halls of his alma mater, Saint Ignatius College Prep, standing onstage at the prep school’s theater to reflect on how far Mulaney has come since his upstart teen years, and fielding questions from current St. Ignatius students. Letterman also travels to Biloxi, Miss., to watch Mulaney’s new hour-in-progress on tour over the winter, and sits down for a dinner conversation with Mulaney and his father.
What Comedy Specials Will It Remind You Of?: There are the previous My Next Guest… episodes and specials, but if you’re somehow not familiar with those, then think of something like the old Inside The Actors Studio sessions on Bravo, except it’s less formulaic with more profound insights into both the interviewee and the interviewer
Memorable Jokes: Although Letterman introduces Mulaney as perhaps the funniest stand-up comedian of the moment, this clip demonstrates how Mulaney himself is quick to concede that as a former writer for Saturday Night Live, he knew that he couldn’t deliver his sketches quite like the cast members he was writing for at the time.
Our Take: But you’re not watching this special or Letterman’s series for the jokes. You’re streaming this hoping to learn something about Letterman’s guest, whether it’s his comedic process or his life offstage. And with Mulaney there’s certainly a lot to wonder about in the wake of his intervention, divorce, and subsequently becoming a father of a boy with actress Olivia Munn.
Separated from the constraints and pressures of broadcast TV, Letterman doesn’t dig too deep for the hot gossip, but instead asks sincerely probing questions about how Mulaney has navigated the past few years of his life.
And they share some keen insights about the state of comedy now that cut through so much of the rubbish that has clogged up online discussions in recent years.
For instance, 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 replies: “I don’t know about any other time.”
“Oh I, without question,” Letterman counters.
“I love comedy from so many different eras,” Mulaney says, “that I’m more speaking to that than saying this isn’t. This is an incredible time. The comics you can go see in one week on tour right now is legendary.”
Later, when Letterman and Mulaney sit down with prep-school students, one of the kids asks Mulaney: “How do you, like, come up with jokes that are funny but don’t get you cancelled?” To which Mulaney replies: “Oh, that’s a good question. I don’t actually think about the second part. I don’t mean that I…I have a barometer, I think, for what would be offensive or objectionable, but that’s sort of a thing discussed by journalists a lot. You know, I know a lot of people who get flak for things they’ve done, but they continue to have big careers. So it’s just negative feedback, and that’s a lot of life.”
So true, and so refreshing to hear a famous comedian say this out loud.
It’s also truly special to hear Letterman get Mulaney to open even more about his drug addictions and rehab experiences by relaying his own story of quitting alcohol because Letterman was so scared of losing his NBC Late Night gig. Letterman even helps lead an applause break just for getting Mulaney to say “I’m an alcoholic and a drug addict.” And then confronts Mulaney’s father about the excruciating emotions of not knowing if your kid is going to succumb to addiction. The camera pans to zoom in on Mulaney’s face. It’s the kind of touching moment you’re not going to get from other comedian-to-comedian talk shows.
Safe to presume Mulaney’s dad is a lot more OK with him becoming “best case scenario” the next Steve Martin.
Our Call: STREAM IT. At one point, Mulaney says John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch was his favorite project to do, but implied that Netflix would prefer he stick to the stand-up. This special with Letterman only makes comedy fans even more eager to see Mulaney’s upcoming variety specials this week during the Netflix is a Joke Fest as well as whatever Letterman does next!
Sean L. McCarthy works the comedy beat. He also podcasts half-hour episodes with comedians revealing origin stories: The Comic’s Comic Presents Last Things First.
