With "Everybody's Live," the stand-up comic sets his sights on an unknown future, while delightedly reclaiming the past.

Comedian John Mulaney is going live on Wednesday nights for 12 weeks on Netflix. NPR's TV critic says that in the first episode, Mulaney seemed to be enjoying the absurdity of the whole setup much more than any of the actual content he was presenting.

As a longtime Mulaney fan, I was vaguely concerned that the tony allure of a primetime slot would tempt him toward pat, predictable late-night jokes and sketch formats. As it turned out, however, I needn’t have worried.