Company in town this week, so I'm doing some abbreviated reviews this week:
Manhattan Love Story remains a televised abortion, only less funny.
Selfie likewise spent the week treading water, as the character work remains mostly good and the jokes remain mostly not. The supporting cast is shaping up nicely, but the show simply needs to be funnier if it wants to hold anyone's attention.
NVTV 15: Mulaney "The Doula" and Small Progress
I don't have a ton to say about Mulaney this week, but what I do have can be pretty readily boiled down into three points:
1) This episode was overall significantly better than the pilot, with Mulaney seeming much more comfortable on camera and the average joke quality going up.
2) Mulaney still isn't nearly as funny as it should be, and it's far too willing to sell out its own characters and universe for a cheap laugh (my sitcom pet peeve).
3) Mulaney is at its best when it's coming from a mean, cynical, and incisive place. If it ever decides to live there instead of just visiting a few times an episode, it will be an excellent show.
NvTV 5: "Manhattan Love Story" and How Much Of A Bad Idea Becoming a Reviewer Was
Well… that was unpleasant.
Did you laugh? I didn't laugh. I frowned a lot. Maybe I kinda smiled twice, but I wouldn't swear to it. In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, I'd bet against it.