In a perfect world, Judd Apatow's The King of Staten Island would be the definitive Pete Davidson biopic. Was Bupkis made out of dissatisfaction with that film? Or was it out of concern that not enough saw it given the prime pandemic release in 2020? Either way, Bupkis is a new Peacock sitcom that's another retelling of his life, except this time, he's already famous. Filled with legendary co-stars and some A-list cameos, the series is a bumpy ride with the same start-stop momentum of driving on the Verrazzano Bridge.
Bupkis review
Post-fame Pete Davidson is living his best life: Getting auditions for the Fast & Furious franchise (one of the many IPs under Universal's umbrella that they love to reference in this series), using his VR headset, and living in the basement of his gigantic house with his mom (played by Edie Falco).
However, Pete's world is drastically altered when he learns that his grandfather, played by Joe Pesci, is dying. He begins to look at life in a different light, sometimes struggling with his mortality, and he navigates relationships with friends, partners, and family in this heightened adaptation of his life.
Each episode brings a different scenario — ranging from that “cool” uncle who appears to have his stuff together but does not (the Uncle is played by Bobby Cannavale) to a therapist with interesting methods of finding breakthroughs. Some land better than others, such as the episode about Pete wanting a kid, but the issue with Bupkis is the inconsistency in tone.
In one episode, they're doing a riff on the Fast & Furious franchise, getting into trouble in Miami that results in an over-the-top car chase and ultimately ends with Pete kicking the “rat” of his inner circle out of the group. In other episodes, Pete is contemplating going to rehab or is finally beginning to understand his uncle as he's getting into adulthood.
It's not that a dramatic show can't be funny or vice versa, but The King of Staten Island, for example, balanced Pete being a bum and trying to sabotage his mother's relationship with Bill Burr's character. There was a real character arc that he went on, whereas each episode of Bupkis, much like Curb Your Enthusiasm, is a vignette with very little carrying over from episode to episode. In Bupkis, there is an overall theme about Pete growing up, but it's not really discussed enough at length to mean much until the finale's cliffhanger.
That said, the cast is relatively good. The fact that Joe Pesci — or, “the guy from Home Alone” as someone close to me touted him — actually did this show speaks volumes. Pesci doesn't act very often, and this is the first time he has taken on a main television role since 1985 in Half Nelson. He's incapable of being bad in a role, and Pesci brings out the signature snark that's seen in all of his roles.
I've found Pete Davidson himself to be very divisive — you either like his humor or you hate it. I think there's a certain charm about his humor, but moreover, I appreciated the fact that he can play the loser role so well. Big Time Adolescence and The King of Staten Island may have come out too close to each other, but it's a role he's quite good at.
Luckily, Bupkis expands a little bit on that, given that Davison plays his modern-day self and all, but it's generally the cameos that make the episodes and not the main man. He does give a great performance in the penultimate and final episodes, but that's when the series gets a little too self-serious.
There are so many guest stars/cameos in Bupkis that it'd be obnoxious to list them all. As noted, Cannavale really stands out given that his appearance had real weight to it and wasn't merely a name-drop. Brad Garrett and Ray Ramano of Everybody Loves Raymond both appear in different capacities and are both funny. I guess if you think about it, Bupkis is building on the foundation built by Everybody Loves Raymond; that series was more heartfelt, however. One last standout was Steve Buscemi purely for the fact that he played such a different role in The King of Staten Island.
Some of the cameos, though, were too easy. Kenan Thompson is great, but it's a prime example of NBC/Universal grabbing from their library in a cameo that's forced anyways. Whether it was Peacock or Pete himself that made that call, it would've been nice for him to have more of an appearance. Ditto for Eli Manning, who is a funny person to see but is given one simple line of dialogue (perhaps he didn't want to say anything too risqué given his reputation). Charlie Day is also in the series as Pete's therapist, but at this point, most of Day's roles feel like he's parodying himself, so no surprise that the same can be said of his role in Bupkis.
Should you stream Bupkis?
Fans of Pete Davidson will likely give it a shot, but it's a very uneven show. While it can be funny, there are also a lot of times when it's either too serious or not funny at all. It also feels the need to sometimes go too big, such as the opening scene, to grab attention rather than letting Davidson's style of comedy do the job. The recency of The King of Staten Island also does Bupkis no favors, as despite the fact that this is post-fame Davidson and not the bum version of him, watching a heightened version of a celebrity's life is only fun for so long. Here's hoping we wait at least a few more years before doing another film or series about his life (maybe this one will focus on his dating history).
Grade: C+
Bupkis will be released on May 4 on Peacock.
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