Bupkis Review: Pete Davidson’s Peacock Series Gets Real, But Comes Up Short
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The post Bupkis Review: Pete Davidson’s Peacock Series Gets Real, But Comes Up Short appeared first on Consequence.
The Pitch: After the success of the Judd Apatow-directed The King of Staten Island, Pete Davidson is once again dipping into the well of his own life for a new Peacock comedy series, Bupkis. Where The King of Staten Island found Davidson in a late adolescence transition point — and still processing the loss of his father — Bupkis shows Davidson as a slightly older, potentially wiser gentleman.
But wisdom doesn’t come easy to Pete Davidson. Bupkis assumedly takes place in present day following Davidson’s SNL stint and focuses on his family, career, and reputation: He dwells in the Staten Island basement of his mother, Amy (Edie Falco), surrounds himself with a posse of enabling friends, and frequently ends up in tabloids. When Pete’s grandfather Joe (Joe Pesci) divulges his cancer diagnosis, however, Davidson vows to spend more time with him, clean up his act, and focus his energy on his family: Amy, his sister Casey (Oona Roche), his uncle Tommy (Bobby Cannavale), and family friend Roy (Brad Garrett).
Pete’s family are a close-knit, caring bunch, and they spend a great deal of time worrying about his escapades — Amy specifically. Bupkis, then, follows Davidson in a variety of day-to-day circumstances that serve as larger themes in his life: his chaotic public image, his fractured relationships, and his inability to change. Throughout the show, Pete slowly finds an awareness of his own demons and habits, and almost confronts them. But alas, recovery is a long, grueling process.
A Star-Studded Life: While Bupkis tends to oscillate between comedy and drama, the highest points arrive with a slew of very funny, very famous guest stars. The fact that Pete Davidson has committed to styling this show after his own life means that he must include not just the world he comes from, but the world he currently finds himself in.
While many of these guest stars play themselves — John Mulaney, Ray Romano, Machine Gun Kelly, Sebastian Stan, J.J. Abrams, Al Gore, and John Stewart, to name a few — several guest stars make wild, character-driven appearances. Fellow SNL alum Keenan Thompson plays a wise-cracking referee (and barista?), The King of Staten Island‘s Steve Buscemi plays a priest in a flashback to Uncle Tommy’s wedding, and Charlie Day plays Davidson’s unorthodox therapist.
Each of Bupkis‘ eight episodes feature these stars in droves, and they help build out the tension between Davidson’s home life and the wild world of showbiz. Many serve as bizarre comedic foils to Davidson — Simon Rex plays an absolutely ridiculous Florida jeweler named Ice Pop, who describes literally everything as “crispy.” They can be earnest, too; Later on in the show, Pete meets with his close friend John Mulaney to discuss returning to rehab, and the two share a lighthearted moment of acknowledgment towards Mulaney’s very public rehab stint in 2021.
Bupkis (Peacock)
A Warm Welcome: Much of the show follows Pete Davidson’s silly adventures and celebrity escapades, but all the while, his Staten Island family is given a great deal of focus. Edie Falco is an incredibly capable, reliable performer, and her portrayal of Amy becomes the heartbeat of the show. She’s often the only one actually grounding Pete Davidson, and plays the role of a worrying mother with incredible tact and patience.
Joe Pesci, meanwhile, appears in Bupkis for his first television role in 37 years: Perhaps unsurprisingly, his reserved demeanor mirrors that of his many film roles, and though his character isn’t as effectively realized as Falco’s, his presence is certainly welcome. But the inclusion of Davidson’s mother and grandfather also helps to provide more stakes to his reckless behavior. The closer we feel to Amy, the more painful it is to reckon with her son’s self-destructive habits — and with Joe’s death looming, Pete doesn’t have long to pull himself together.
These familial reminders all point to larger questions that Pete Davidson is asking himself. He actively wonders how he can change his public perception, how to show the world that he’s not a bad guy and that he actually cares. He, of course, struggles with commitment and responsibility in his relationships, but he wonders how much longer he can remain in his ways before he ends up alone (or dead). But at the center is the hardest question of all: Why does he keep fucking everything up?
The Verdict: Bupkis is a natural jumping off point for a post-SNL Pete Davidson, especially considering that his comedic persona has revolved so heavily around his background and personal issues. After The King of Staten Island, it’s fair for Davidson to keep turning inward and reckon with the issues of not just his past, but his present. And in doing so, he acknowledges a lot of important patterns in his life — acknowledging is one victory, but change is perhaps Davidson’s toughest battle.
Bupkis (Peacock)
These themes only end up coming into focus in the latter half of the season, and if you watch the first episode — or even just the first 5 minutes — it’s incredibly easy to doubt the longevity and effectiveness of this show. Bupkis‘ largest issue is that it just isn’t funny enough. Several jokes in the show do not feel born of this era, and are instead more aligned with the frat pack screwball comedies of the 2000s. Several jokes aren’t inherently flawed, but their deliveries are half-hearted. And several jokes are big swings and misses, like Episode 1’s crass opening joke and Davidson’s bizarre hallucinations of Ray Romano.
Many aspects of Bupkis feel thrown together, “un-workshopped,” so to speak. Pete’s friends are random and underwritten — perhaps purposely to show that they don’t have his best interest at heart — but the same treatment should not be given to the character of Nikki (Chase Sui Wonders), who ends up serving as a token love interest instead of a fully developed person. Each episode features a different title sequence that suggests the episode will follow a particular artistic style, but once again, Davidson and the show’s creators are lacking in the “full commitment” department.
Of course, this is as great of a challenge for Pete as fighting his own demons. Davidson may be doing the work to understand himself and become a better person, but if he wants to lead this show with big ideas and a great deal of heart, he has to commit the same amount of energy to making better television.
If there’s a win for him to takeaway, it lies in Episode 6, “ISO,” where Pete skips out on Christmas to replace an actor in a Brad Pitt-starring war film shooting in Canada. It’s in this episode where Pete Davidson’s boredom, apathy, existential dread, and consuming loneliness becomes unavoidably real. It’s the appropriately-sized microscope on his self-destructive tendencies, the nihilistic pain he cannot seem to understand and confront. It’s likely not intended to be the “saddest” episode of Bupkis. And yet, as he wraps up filming and emerges from his drug-induced stupor, completely unaware of what day or time it is, you can’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for him.
If Pete Davidson can hone his own recklessness — both personally and comedically — then Bupkis can indeed survive. But the weaknesses of Bupkis also suggests that Davidson can no longer provide the bare minimum. There’s too much at stake. Growing up is hard, isn’t it?
Where to Watch: Bupkis hits Peacock on Thursday, May 4th.
Trailer:
Bupkis Review: Pete Davidson’s Peacock Series Gets Real, But Comes Up Short
Paolo Ragusa
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