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John Mulaney's 'Everybody's in L.A.': A guide to the hyperlocal references

Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times on

Published in Entertainment News

LOS ANGELES — John Mulaney, a Chicago native and former New Yorker, is a recent transplant to Los Angeles. In his latest project with Netflix, "Everybody's in L.A.," the stand-up comedian explores the city he describes as a place that simultaneously "confuses and fascinates" him.

The show, which has a pseudo-late night format and features actor and comedian Richard Kind as the announcer, began May 3 as part of the Netflix Is a Joke Festival. It streams live at 10 p.m. Eastern and wraps Friday. Mulaney paused the show over the weekend to perform at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday in one of the festival's most anticipated shows.

The show calls on the aesthetics of a '70s living room for its set, the sketch humor of "Saturday Night Live" and the production chaos of Netflix's recent ventures into the live streaming space. Mulaney enlists comedians in town for the festival and L.A.-based experts to "try to figure out just what the hell is going on here."

With a number of topics specific to Southern California setting the tone and theme for each episode, some humor might be lost on the crowd of non-Angelenos tuning in. Here is an ongoing guide to some of the L.A. people, places and things discussed in each episode of "Everybody's in L.A."

Ongoing

Saymo delivery bot

 

Based on the many food delivery robots that roll through the streets of L.A., Mulaney and company created the Saymo, perhaps a play on the Waymo self-driving cars that are permeating the city. The robot has appeared in each episode, providing snacks and beverages — ginger ale in particular (Mulaney: "It's not just for sick") — to guests on the show. Jon Stewart, who mentioned frequently that he is not from L.A. ("The Daily Show" host is from New Jersey), jumped up as the bot approached the stage in the second episode and called it a "rolling toilet" after remarking that he had never seen a robot like that before.

Episode 3

Helicopters

Mulaney cracked several one-liners about the episode's aviation theme , calling a chopper circling an STD billboard "the official bird of Los Angeles." As he introduced the theme, he said: "They're everywhere in L.A., they hover and they give you a headache. No, I'm not talking about actors," before Kind interrupted with an emphatic "F— actors!" In addition to helicopter journalist Zoey Tur, Mulaney hosted comedian Nate Bargatze, who said his 2021 special filmed at Universal Studios was interrupted by a helicopter police chase. "That's just L.A.," Bargatze said before Mulaney interjected, "That's just what happens when you film at Universal City Walk." To cap off the discussion, Mulaney took live calls from at-home viewers, as he has done throughout the show's run, and one caller pointed out that Disney parks, including Disneyland in Anaheim, are no-fly zones, which Tur confirmed. Unfortunately for Bargatze, Universal is fair game.

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