John Mulaney Has A New Comedy Special Coming to Netflix This Christmas

By Kristy Puchko | TV | November 21, 2019 |

By Kristy Puchko | TV | November 21, 2019 |

It seems Netflix can’t get enough of John Mulaney. I mean, we get it. The former Saturday Night Live writer has been tearing it up with stand-up specials like New in Town and Kid Gorgeous. He’s been bringing neuroses and hilarity as one of the stars of the raunchy animated hit Big Mouth. He even dropped in for Netflix Is A Joke’s “Dressing Funny With Tan France.” And he’s hot. Like, not just popular. Like, Mulaney could get it.

Where was I? Oh, right. Netflix is back in the Mulaney business, offering a new and quirky comedy special this Christmas called John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch: A Musical Children’s Special From a Man with Neither Children Nor Musical Ability.

The promotional images for the extravagantly named special show Mulaney surrounded by children in a setting that looks like an urban garden, giving serious Sesame Street vibes. That’s no coincidence. /Film reports John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch “aims to recapture the magic of that bygone television era when children sang songs about their feelings with celebrity guests on funky outdoor sets.”

The format will be a bit funkier still, boasting “a collage of Broadway caliber showstoppers, comedy sketches for all ages, meditations on the unknown from children and adults, and a papier mache volcano.”

On his Instagram, Mulaney shared more details, including the great minds collaborating on this special and its very special celebrity guest stars.

View this post on Instagram

We are thrilled to announce… JOHN MULANEY & THE SACK LUNCH BUNCH “A Musical Children’s Special From a Man with Neither Children Nor Musical Ability” @netflixisajoke Dec 24 Starring me and 15 brilliant young performers. And guest starring @davidbyrneofficial @jakegyllenhaal from Zodiac @nlyonne @andre_deshields @shereenpimentel @annaleigh_ashford Richard Kind and more! There are songs and sketches and we interview young and old about existential quandaries. Written by Marika Sawyer & John Mulaney Directed by @mrrhysthomas Original Music by @elibolin

A post shared by John Mulaney (@johnmulaney) on Nov 20, 2019 at 9:20am PST

John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch, has its titular host reteaming with writer Marika Sawyer, a fellow SNL alum who also wrote for his short-lived 2014 sitcom Mulaney. From his Documentary Now! team, Mulaney has pulled director Rhys Thomas and composer Eli Bolin, as well as “Original Cast Album: Co-Op” scene-stealer Richard Kind. But that’s not all.

Also on board are Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, Russian Doll’s Natasha Lyonne, Tony Award winner Andre De Shields, and Broadway performers Shereen Pimentel, Annaleigh Ashford, and Jake Gyllenhaal. Considering the last two co-starred in a recent revival of the musical Sunday in the Park with George, we might hear some from it.

If you can’t wait for a taste of Gyllenhaal singing Stephen Sondheim, check out this Sunday in the Park with George promo video of him performing “Finishing the Hat.”

All this and 15 talented kiddos will join forces in John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch: A Musical Children’s Special From a Man with Neither Children Nor Musical Ability, coming to Netflix on December 24.