Mulaney, the rejected comedy pilot written by and starring John Mulaney, has been saved. NBC developed and passed on the Lorne Michaels-produced series earlier this year, but now Fox has picked it up and given it a six-episode series order.
A couple of changes have been made since NBC passed on the show. First, the pilot script was rewritten at Fox’s request. Second— and unfortunately—both Elliott Gould and Nasim Pedrad are no longer attached. Pedrad was going to leave SNL if the show was picked up by NBC, but it now looks unlikely that she’ll be able to get out of her contract there in time. Gould was to play Mulaney’s gay neighbor, but he’s apparently (and understandably) already made other commitments.
On a more upbeat note, both Mulaney and Martin Short are still on board. Mulaney will write, executive produce, and play a New York-based writer who works for a game show host played by Short.