Hulu's Reboot is probably the ultimate meta moment for Hollywood, and it appears as though the modern practice of rebooting everything is now being lampooned by those who are usually the butt of the joke. With shows like Fuller House, The Conners, and any number of other revivals in the works at all times, it was only a matter of time before somebody made a show about the concept itself.
That's what's happening with Reboot. No, not ReBoot like the cult classic CGI science fiction series. Note the lack of erratic capitalizations. This Reboot is an original series from Hulu (and Disney Plus outside of the US) about a fictional sitcom getting its own modern update with the original cast, and it looks like it will include all the drama that one would expect. Featuring a star-studded cast, Reboot looks like it's signaling that Hollywood is ready to make fun of itself. Does that mean the joke is dead? Not necessarily.
Hulu just released a trailer for Reboot that offers interested viewers a pretty comprehensive look at what they can expect. A promising writer pitches her idea to bring back a classic sitcom called Step Right Up, leaving a room full of executives speechless. The catch is that she plans on having the entire original cast reprise their roles, and many of them don't particularly seem to be ideal candidates for a triumphant return. One has accumulated a criminal history while others appear to have dabbled in various unsuccessful attempts at furthering their own acting careers. So far, it's probably hitting pretty close to home for a lot of viewers.
Even though it's quite clearly a comedy, Reboot seems ready to stir up drama with old flames reuniting and some poorly-aged social views from the original show's creator. But it's really the cast that sells it well. Reboot features big names like Keegan-Michael Key, Judy Greer, Johnny Knoxville, and Paul Reiser along with Rachel Bloom, Calum Worthy, and Krista Marie Yu among a slew of other obviously talented performers. Their skills come through in the trailer, hinting that this show will very likely offer some quality cringe comedy that fans of shows like The Office should flock to in droves.
Telling a meta-story about fading stars trying to recapture the glory days is nothing new in Hollywood. In fact, it can even lead to some truly excellent creations, like Michael Keaton's 2014 film Birdman. But there's still a lot to be explored in this particular genre of using shows and movies to put a lens up to common practices in the industry. AMC's Kevin Can F**k Himself is an interesting example of that, where it uses the classic sitcom formula as a jumping-off point for some truly poignant psychological drama.
As for Reboot, it appears to be taking a more surface-level approach to the whole thing, where the comedy comes directly from the awkwardness of reliving an idealized past. That's not necessarily a bad thing, of course. Given the genuine laughs in the trailer and the cast of heavy-hitters, it looks like this show might just have something.
Reboot premieres on September 20th, 2022, on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus internationally.
Source: Hulu/YouTube