The best comedy teams feature opposites -- think Chris Farley’s combustible bluster paired with David Spade’s subtle snark or Richard Pryor’s jittery cool coupled with Gene Wilder’s buttoned-down anxiety. So let us pitch this: How about a comedy team featuring the foul-mouthed, take-no-prisoners Melissa McCarthy with the uncomfortably polite John Mulaney?
Heck, while we’re at it, let’s pull a story right out of real life. What if Mulaney plays an uneasy marketing exec just released from Adderall rehab, only to be paired with McCarthy moonlighting as a sobriety coach? We’ll let your imaginations write the rest -- it’s pretty much that easy, yes?
The pairing could jumpstart both careers. Mulaney’s stand-up tour is selling out everywhere, but he’s never been able to parlay his stage success into something that works onscreen. (Anyone remember the Seinfeldian Mulaney?) As for McCarthy, she’s leaned into critically panned properties like God’s Favorite Idiot with partner Ben Falcone. We’re sure Falcone is a nice guy, but it’s time McCarthy got back to working with a different comedy counterpart.