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For the live events, Netflix picked stars with current buzz. Along with the Mulaney variety show, Katt Williams followed up his viral \u201cClub Shay Shay\u201d interview with a new hour, \u201cWoke Foke,\u201d on Saturday, and Kevin Hart, whom Williams singled out in his interview for criticism, tried to bring back the dormant genre of celebrity roast on Sunday with \u201cThe Greatest Roast of All Time,\u201d starring Tom Brady, widely considered the GOAT of quarterbacks. (After livestreaming, the shows can be watched on Netflix, sometimes in edited form.)<\/p>\n
As the last half-century of \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d has proved, there is an undeniable excitement to live comedy, an irreplaceable energy that can create a sense of event. But there are significant dangers, not the least of which is that you can\u2019t cut the boring or unfunny parts. Netflix built its comedy empire on elevating the standup special as an art form to rival film or TV. Highlighting live comedy represents a commercial move for Netflix, spotlighting events that promise unpredictability more than refinement, mess instead of polish.<\/p>\n
You saw both sides over the weekend.<\/p>\n
In a revealing new interview for \u201cMy Next Guest With David Letterman,\u201d released last week, Mulaney said that his favorite project ever was \u201cThe Sack Lunch Bunch,\u201d a variety show for kids. His love for the form is evident on this new show, an even more anything-goes production that feels a little bit like a rollicking cable-access show from the 1980s, but with famous people.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re only doing six episodes, so the show will never hit its groove,\u201d Mulaney said early in the premiere.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t just setting expectations. It\u2019s part of the charm. The start of every talk or variety show has problems, but it also tends to be when the most interesting and experimental work happens. And while Mulaney organized the first episode around coyotes, the show does not stick closely to a theme, and its structure here was very loose.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n