Spencer Thomas | editor-in-chief

If any comedian has earned the right to run wild on Netflix’s budget, it’s John Mulaney. His new show, “Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney” does that, live on Wednesday evenings.

The show, which is now four episodes into its 12-episode run, is actually a continuation of 2024’s “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA.”

With an announcer, celebrity guests, musical acts and a live studio audience, you may come in expecting a typical late night talk show, like those hosted by fellow “Saturday Night Live” vets Seth Myers and Jimmy Fallon, but it’s not that at all.

It’s weird, unique and funny. It feels like its mostly for his own enjoyment, but viewers will enjoy the ride.

You don’t need to watch the episodes in order or have seen the previous season. Despite being live, the episodes are completely evergreen, which is unsurprising given Netflix’s streaming model.

Fans of Mulaney’s past work will appreciate what is a look into the mind of one of this century’s comedy greats. It’s evident he has most of the creative control, similar to his other variety shows, such as “Sack Lunch Bunch.” There’s often shades of the media he frequently cites as his creative and comedic influences.

“Netflix has given me an hour to introduce my fans to the baby boomer culture that has made me the unsettled weirdo I am today,” he says.

Shows open with a brief monologue and some riffing with his frequent collaborator, Richard Kind. There are occasionally skits, such as a hilarious bit where he keeps witnessing murders through the studio telescope, but the bulk of the shows are devoted to the guest panel.

Like “Everybody’s in LA,” he picks menial topics and brings in guests to discuss them. So far, topics have included “lending people money,” “cruises” and “funeral planning.”

One guest is an expert in the field, and the other is a celebrity comic, like Fred Armisen and Michael Kea-ton. They talk for a little bit, and its fun conversation, more natural than what you see elsewhere on late-night. Then take live call-ins from viewers, which are almost all unfunny.

Professional improvisers and funnymen do their best, but the dynamics are just weird. The stories callers tell can be entertaining, but it’s not the sort of thing you expect to see with Mulaney’s name attached to it.

To enjoy this show, understand that it isn’t late night or stand-up. It’s similar to “morning zoo” talk radio programs that try to be entertaining as much as funny. Its advantage is the host. It’s funny stuff that he came up with that wouldn’t necessarily fit into his normal creative outlets, like stand-up and sketch comedy.

Viewers appreciate his whims and gags, especially if they already enjoy his comedy.

If you don’t, you probably won’t like “Everybody’s Live.” It’s so unique. There’s really nothing else like it, especially led by such a prominent name. It’s also the true variety of it, more than you see in any other show.

There’s no equivalent to this in any other industry. Comedy is the only thing that lends itself to so many different formats in an hour-long show, and Mulaney takes full advantage of that.

The show can be best summed up with the way Mulaney always ends these live calls: By asking the people what kind of car they drive. It clearly only interests him, and there’s rarely any bits or jokes that come from that interaction.

You just kind of sit there with your eyes raised, waiting for this strange interaction to end, like watching the guy in front of you flirt with the bartender.

However, that zany curiosity pays off too, in ridiculous bits that earn their laughs through pure ridiculousness. At the end of the first episode, he runs a panel of actors who played Willy Loman on stage in “Death of a Salesman.”

If you haven’t seen the play, you will be completely lost. If you have, you’ll be laughing in genuine amazement as somebody scratches a comedic itch you didn’t know you had.

Is it going to change the landscape of comedy or talk shows? Definitely not. But it’s fun, and worth the time it takes to watch, especially compared to other slop that Netflix puts out. It puts creativity in the hands of somebody who earned it.