Why Netflix Changed the Name of One of Its Big New Shows: John Mulaney Explains ‘Everybody’s Live’ Title Tweak

Everybody is not in LA for John Mulaney’s new Netflix talk show.

The comic’s latest project premiered on Netflix on March 12 after a trial run that aired over a six-week period last year as part of the Netflix Is a Joke festival. During his opening monologue for the show, Mulaney revealed why Netflix opted to change the name of the talk show from Everybody’s in LA to Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney.

“We did this show in May, did you know that? We were very excited about it, it was a good time,” Mulaney recalled. “Netflix did a focus group about the title Everybody’s in LA, and it turns out that people around the country don’t like LA. After the fires, I said, ‘Maybe they would like us more now,’ so we tested it again, and it turns out, no.”

While that first iteration of the format largely focused on Los Angeles, the new show broadens topics to appeal to a wider audience, swapping jokes about coyotes and helicopters to focus on the theme of lending people money during its first episode. That debut episode featured guests including Michael Keaton, Fred Armisen, Jessica Roy, and Joan Baez, as well as an appearance by Tracy Morgan as a character called “King Latifah.”

Still, Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney seems to preserve much of what was there in Everybody’s in LA, down to the return of Richard Kind as the announcer and Saymo the rolling delivery robot.

The changes to the show seem to be working, because Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney currently holds a 100% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Writing for Consequence, Liz Shannon Miller said, “by creating a space that doesn’t ignore the world outside, but still allows for honest joy, Everybody’s Live feels like a really special opportunity to take big swings with Netflix’s money.”

Meanwhile, Decider gave it a “stream it” consensus, writing, “Mulaney tells fans who may notice ‘subtle differences’ in the set from 2024 to now to go for a walk and metaphorically touch grass. But thank goodness for any differences he’s bringing to the format!”

Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney is set to run for 12 weeks on Netflix, with the second episode, set to drop Wednesday, featuring a guest lineup that includes Nick Kroll, Ben Stiller, Abbott Elementary star and creator Quinta Brunson, travel journalist Anne Kalosh, Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, and Pixies and the Breeders’ Kim Deal.