The Pauly Show - Episode One

It’s easy to see why Paul F Taylor has been forced to mock-shoot his own TV show. As far as Episode One goes, The Pauly Show’s references are esoteric, its secondary characters underdeveloped, and Taylor’s own comic schtick is repetitive; no executive would touch this. As Fringe shows go, these same problems hold true. 

TV aesthete Taylor takes Seinfeld, The Cosby Show, and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air as chief sources for a scrappy staged sitcom about the life of unemployed comedian, Pauly. By the Londoner's own admission these references are frequently missed or mispronounced by Fringe audiences. This should be unhelpful as they’re heavily involved in The Pauly Show but Taylor persuading punters to awkwardly act the recurring characters out themselves–a CGI dog, a moustachioed pal and The Cosby Show's Doctor Huxtable get the biggest laughs.

It’s a pity, then, that the show cuts so frequently to Pauly performing Seinfeld-esque standup. These self-consciously glib routines are amusing, but Taylor’s narration of Pauly’s day-to-day activities in the meat of the sitcom barely differentiates from them. The majority of his material is overladen with puns, hammy one-liners, and nods to lesser known American shows.

Thankfully, The Pauly Show’s cheap production values reveals Taylor’s real comedy expertise; the fumbled live gag. In his first solo Fringe show, Taylor really goes for meta jokes, canned laughter, props and scripted banter, but the real pleasure comes from watching these disintegrate. Taylor clearly loves sitcoms but, if this patchy hour is anything to go by, he’s unlikely to have his own anytime soon.