Bob Saget Began Directing the New Documentary on His Comic Hero Martin Mull in 2018. Both Men Died Before It Was Finished
Bob Saget Began Directing the New Documentary on His Comic Hero Martin Mull in 2018. Both Men Died Before It Was Finished
Lizzie HymanMon, October 12, 2026 at 9:56 PM UTC
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Bob Saget in 2021 (left) and Martin Mull in 2018.Credit: Phillip Faraone/Getty; Frazer Harrison/Getty‘Who Is Martin Mull?’ is now available to stream on Netflix -
A new documentary about comedian Martin Mull, originally directed by Bob Saget, has premiered years after the deaths of both men
“It was one of the best shows I’d ever seen, and you inspired me,” Saget tells Mull in the film, recalling seeing one of his performances at 17 during an interview filmed for the documentary, which began production in 2018
Who Is Martin Mull? is now streaming on Netflix
A new Netflix documentary is premiering after the deaths of both its subject and its original director.
Who Is Martin Mull?, now available to stream, chronicles the life and career of the comedian, actor and painter Martin Mull, known for his work in films and television shows such as Clue, Roseanne and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Told through sit-down interviews and archival footage, the documentary was originally directed by Bob Saget and taken over by Neil Berkeley after Saget died in 2022.
The film began shooting in 2018, after Saget decided to make a documentary about one of his favorite comedians. Following Saget’s sudden death at age 65, the project was completed using the footage he had captured. Mull died in 2024 at age 80.
Bob Saget in ‘Who Is Martin Mull?’.Credit: Netflix
“I don’t know where to begin because, to me, you truly are a jack-of-all-trades,” Saget says near the beginning of the film during a sit-down interview with Mull. “Jerk-of-all-trades,” Mull responds, prompting Saget to laugh. “Well, I will say that you’re one of the first comedians I ever saw,” Saget continues. “I was 17, and you were at the main point in Philadelphia.”
As archival footage of Mull performing plays, Saget recalls the experience: “It was one of the best shows I’d ever seen, and you inspired me.… I had been writing comedy songs, but your comedy songs, to me, were so incredible. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I could never be that funny.”
Other notable comedians and actors, including Steve Martin, also appear in the documentary to share their thoughts about Mull. “Martin’s act was completely different from any other comedian,” Martin, 81, says of Mull, whom he first met in New York City in the late 1960s, when both were starting out. The two later became roommates and touring partners.
Steve Martin (left) and Martin Mull in ‘Who Is Martin Mull?’Credit: Netflix
Through Mull’s whirlwind career as an actor, painter and comedian, Saget’s admiration for him never wavered. “Things certainly have changed. It’s such a body of work, and you can feel the same soul coming through into all of it,” Saget says during his final sit-down interview with Mull for the documentary. “I adore you. In a true, genuine way. Thank you for your talent and your time.”
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Mull’s final response to Saget is simple: “Bless you.”
Four years after filming began, Saget died. In a later interview recorded for the documentary before his own death, Mull reflects on losing Saget and contemplates his own mortality. “When Bob passed away, it was just astounding. And I realize I’m getting in that age bracket now where your friend list goes down and your grief list goes up,” Mull says.
Martin Mull in ‘Who Is Martin Mull?’Credit: Netflix
He adds, “In fact, I was thinking last night, I’m not a terribly social person. I was thinking when I die I’ll have to be cremated ’cause I don’t know if I have six friends that could carry the casket.”
Two other comedy legends who played pivotal roles in Mull’s career and participated in the documentary also died before its release. Norman Lear, who created Fernwood 2 Night, the 1977 faux talk show that helped boost Mull to national stardom, died in 2023 at age 101. Mull’s Fernwood 2 Night co-host Fred Willard, who shares sweet interview moments on the couch with Mull in the film, died in 2020 at age 86.
In June 2024, Mull’s daughter, Maggie Mull, announced her father’s death in an Instagram post, writing that he had died after “a valiant fight against a long illness.” She added, “He was never not funny. My dad will be deeply missed by his wife and daughter, by his friends and coworkers, by fellow artists and comedians and musicians, and — the sign of a truly exceptional person — by many, many dogs. I loved him tremendously.”
Who Is Martin Mull? is now streaming on Netflix.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
