Hulu’s star-studded show “Reboot” is a cute meta comedy about rebooting an old sitcom.
Premiering Tuesday (Sept. 20), “Reboot” is helmed by Steven Levitan (“Modern Family”) and follows a dysfunctional cast of the early 2000s called “Step Up,” which must be connected to modern social media and culture; and grapple with their interpersonal problems as the edgy sitcom gets a new reboot.
Among the actors involved in this fiction are Reed Sterling (Keegan-Michael Key) who unfortunately followed the film after the show (but no one appreciated his insights unless he attended the Yale School of Drama); Bree Marie Larson (Judy Greer), who has a romantic past with Reed, followed a sitcom with a spin on a horror sci-fi show, then left Hollywood to marry the leader of a small Nordic country; Clay Barber (Johnny Knoxville), who did some comedy after “Step Up” got caught with each other for obscenity, and Zack (Calum Worthy), a former child show star who is now all grown up and feeling it. You have to prove this by running around the red carpet and telling your fellow cast members that even though they’re getting together for this show, “It’s different now, because they all slept.”
Rachel Bloom (“Crazy Ex Girlfriend”) co-stars as Anna, the writer behind this reboot who wants to make an extreme version where the sitcom characters “don’t do the right thing anymore,” and Paul Reiser co-stars as Gordon, the original “Step Right Up” creator who reboot wants to be more traditional. Of course, this leads to some awkward clashes between Gordon and Anna, who are taking different creative approaches to this reboot.
It shows that the meta temptation can sometimes get too inside baseball with showbiz references, but “Reboot” is clever and funny, for the most part. When Hannah first plans this reboot, the execs are surprised to hear that the dorky sitcom is “stepping up” in popularity, and are asked, “Are you sure you’re not just leaving dogs for humans?” Without missing a beat, another exec replies: “No, we need to track this down.” As execs assess whether reboots are even popular at the moment, here’s a laundry list of recent reboots (“Bel-Air,” “Gilmore Girls,” “Gossip Girls,” “Saved by the Bell”). I have long and effectively hammered on this target, which is a hot topic worth exploring.
On the one hand, Reed does not hold the original “Step Up” in high regard, but after reading the script for this reboot, he agrees to participate and tells people: “It’s much better this time. My character has a dark secret! ”
“Reboot” is a busy show, with people cracking beats. But it never feels too dark, or like someone in this gym is slipping between the cracks.
For anyone who’s ever watched a sitcom, “Reboot” is a clever and witty commentary on them – as well as a sharp parody on the TV industry, reboot culture, and all of the fun cooking into it, with a great cast, to boot. .
