Stand-up comedian and former Saturday Night Live writer John Mulaney created the show and starred as a fictionalized version of himself.

John often receives advice from his elderly Jewish neighbor Oscar (Elliott Gould), and visits from his odd and annoying friend Andre (Zack Pearlman), a small-time drug dealer.

John's life changes when he's hired as a writer for Lou Cannon (Martin Short), an eccentric, legendary comedian and game show host.

[4] Mulaney re-tooled the pilot again,[5] and then pitched it to Fox, who picked the show up with a cautious six-episode commitment.

[7] A trailer was released on May 12, 2014, along with an announcement that the show would air Sunday nights at 9:30 p.m.,[8] replacing the Seth MacFarlane sitcom, American Dad!, which moved to TBS.

"[25] Ultimately, the show was universally panned by critics, with most reviews drawing unflattering comparisons to Seinfeld.

"[26] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 38 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

[27] James Poniewozik with TIME magazine said the show "seems like something a dutiful student might have produced for his final project in his 'Tropes and Themes in the 1990s Sitcom' class.