Intro: Reboot Review
Where to Stream It? Hulu (3 episodes premiere September 20th)
Starring: Keegan-Michael Key, Judy Greer, Johnny Knoxville, Paul Reiser, Rachel Bloom, Calum Worthy and Krista Marie Yu
Created By: Steven Levitan
All eight Season One episodes were screened in advance for this review.
They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but I suppose you also shouldn’t judge a show by its pilot, either. When I finished the first episode of Reboot, Hulu’s new comedy series from Modern Family co-creator Steven Levitan, I thought the show had a certain charm but lacked an appeal that made me want to binge-watch the rest.
I’m so glad that this review gave me an excuse to see the rest, because by the time I made it to episode three I was laughing out loud. This show is funny as hell, features a stellar cast, and some brilliant meta humor about the television industry.
Step Right Up… Again!
Reboot follows Hannah (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s Rachel Bloom) who has the idea to pitch a reboot of an early 2000s sitcom to the bigwigs at Hulu. The show she wants to reboot (called Step Right Up) was a cheesy, feel-good series about a couple (Keegan-Michael Key and Judy Greer) who live with the wife’s ex-husband (Johnny Knoxville) and their kid (Calum Worthy).
Her pitch is to “f*ck with it” and create an edgier version. The executives like the idea and re-assemble the cast, who now are all dealing with varying forms of dysfunction.
A wrench is thrown into Hannah’s creative process when she finds out she must work together with Gordon (Paul Reiser), the show’s original creator. They offer differing generational perspectives on comedy and bring in separate groups of writers.
A Comedy for the Age of Streaming
Frequent references to Hulu on a show that’s on Hulu create some fun bits of self-referential humor. This never feels overindulgent and it’s used at just the right moments.
One of the funniest bits on the show involves a character reading a letter from The Walt Disney Company’s HR department.
There’s also plenty of satirical jabs at the changing media landscape. Characters point out how they’re much more free to cuss or reference adult material now that they’re on streaming instead of broadcast TV. The writers Gordon brings in clash with Hannah’s writers over the younger generation’s sensitivity to sexual discussions in the work place.
Rose Abdoo’s performance as Selma, the wise-cracking writer with a New York accent, is a particular stand-out. Selma is first introduced in the third episode, at which point the show finally hits its stride. That is also, perhaps not coincidentally, when the show is at its raunchiest.
Final Thoughts: Reboot Review
It may take a minute to warm up, but once it does Reboot is comedy gold. Even characters or plot lines that feel underdeveloped at first, seem much more compelling by the end of the season.
There are so many shows available to stream at any given moment. Let’s hope Reboot doesn’t get lost in the shuffle because it deserves more seasons, maybe some Emmys, and even someday, perhaps a Reboot of its own.
