It is hard to be a Maya Rudolph fan. Hollywood does not know what to do with her. She usually gets small roles in comedies starring SNL alum and supporting roles in independent films with other SNL alum with the occasional exception. I briefly got excited when she appeared in The Maya Rudolph Show, which aired on May 19, 2014, but it should have been called the Maya Rudolph Special because there was only a single episode, and it vaguely reminded me of The Girlie Show on 30 Rock before Tracy Jordan is added to the show-uneven, but full of potential.
Apparently the networks decided that The Maya Rudolph Show needed another underemployed SNL star, Martin Short, whom I love, but really? Thus Maya & Marty, a variety show that had more in common with SNL later aired skits, was born. I watched all 6 episodes faithfully, but I rarely laughed out loud despite cheering for the two. It was disappointing and dated rather than nostalgic and vintage, but I stayed because I kept hoping that Maya and Marty would find their footing and at least they were trying something. Maya and Marty aired in the summer so it was not like there was a plethora of competition. Let it stay in a corner and grow.
If I was really honest with myself, I did not enjoy watching Maya and Marty, but I watched it because I need more Maya Rudolph in my life. Can we please find a way to make that happen without basically putting a diluted SNL in primetime?