Blockbuster (TV series)

Last updated
Blockbuster
Genre Workplace comedy
Created by Vanessa Ramos
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Bridger Winegar
  • Robert Petrovic
  • Payman Benz
Production locations Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
CinematographyRick Page
Camera setupSingle camera
Running time26-28 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network Netflix
ReleaseNovember 3, 2022 (2022-11-03)

Blockbuster is an American workplace comedy television series created by Vanessa Ramos, who also serves as showrunner and is executive producer. Based upon the Blockbuster brand, the series stars Randall Park as Timmy, the manager in a fictionalized version of the last Blockbuster Video store, set in Grandville, Michigan. The series premiered on Netflix on November 3, 2022. In December 2022, the series was canceled after one season. [1]

Contents

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

Randall Park, cropped, New York City (October 2016) (29977100934).jpg
Randall Park (Timmy)

With the announcement of the series in November 2021, Randall Park joined the cast as a character named Timmy, who is described as a dreamer and a lover of movies, per Deadline Hollywood. [2] [3] In February 2022, Melissa Fumero was cast as a character named Eliza who is described as a mother whose marriage to her high school sweetheart is on thin ice, per Hollywood Reporter . [6] In March 2022, Tyler Alvarez, Madeleine Arthur, and Olga Merediz were announced as series regulars playing Carlos, Hannah and Connie, respectively. Additionally, J. B. Smoove was cast as Timmy's best friend Percy and Kamaia Fairburn was cast as Percy's daughter, with both appearing as recurring guest stars. [7] In May 2022, it was reported that Ashley Alexander and Robyn Bradley will appear in guest-starring roles as Mila and Miranda, respectively. [8]

Filming

Production on the first season began on February 28, 2022. Filming began taking place in Vancouver, Canada, in April 2022, with filming expected to conclude on May 2. [2] [3] [12] However, Fumero confirmed that the series had "almost" wrapped production on May 2 with an Instagram story. [8] [15] Filming for the first season concluded on May 4, 2022. [16]

Release

The sole season of Blockbuster was released onto Netflix on November 3, 2022, and consisted of 10 episodes. A trailer was released on October 7, 2022. [17]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 23% approval rating with an average rating of 4.7/10, based on 48 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Blockbuster tries to leverage nostalgia for the defunct brand, but this contrived workplace comedy is fatally unfunny—be kind, rewind, and chuck it into the return bin." [18] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 45 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [19]

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References

  1. Otterson, Joe (Dec 16, 2022). "'Blockbuster' Canceled After One Season at Netflix". Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved Dec 17, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Andreeva, Nellie (November 18, 2021). "Netflix Gets Last Laugh With Blockbuster Video Store Comedy Series Starring Randall Park". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Moore, Kasey (January 5, 2022). "Everything We Know So Far About Netflix's 'Blockbuster' Series". What’s On Netflix. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Cordero, Rosy (August 26, 2022). "'Blockbuster': Randall Park and Melissa Fumero-Led Series Reveals Premiere Date; First-Look Photos". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Lenker, Maureen Lee (October 7, 2022). "Welcome to the last Blockbuster in America in first Blockbuster trailer". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Goldberg, Lesley (February 17, 2022). "Melissa Fumero to Star Opposite Randall Park in Netflix's 'Blockbuster' Series". Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Otterson, Joe (March 3, 2022). "Netflix's 'Blockbuster' Comedy Series Adds Five To Cast". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Moore, Kasey (May 5, 2022). "Netflix 'Blockbuster' Comedy Series: Everything We Know So Far". What’s On Netflix. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  9. Goldberg, Lesley (November 17, 2021). "'Blockbuster' Comedy Starring Randall Park a Go at Netflix". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  10. Levine, Daniel S. (March 14, 2021). "'The Last Blockbuster': Netflix Users Hilariously Point out Cruel Irony of Documentary". popculture.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  11. Andreeva, Nellie (February 10, 2022). "'Blockbuster': Payman Benz To Direct, Co-Executive Produce Netflix Video Store Comedy". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  12. 1 2 Burlingame, Russ (March 4, 2022). "Production Has Started on Blockbuster Video Sitcom From Netflix". ComicBook.com . Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  13. Petski, Denise (May 5, 2022). "'Blockbuster': First-Look At Randall Park & Melissa Fumero In Netflix Video Store Comedy — Photo". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  14. Andreeva, Nellie (December 16, 2022). "'Blockbuster' Canceled By Netflix After One Season". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
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  16. thatvanessaramos (May 4, 2022). "Goodbye first showrunner office. That's a wrap on Blockbuster season one and my heart is so full of love for everyone who was a part of it. (Lucy had to be recast due to an incident at catering)". Instagram . Archived from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
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  19. "Blockbuster: Season 1". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release dateProd.
code
1"Pilot"Payman BenzVanessa RamosNovember 3, 2022 (2022-11-03)101
After receiving notice from his boss that corporate is going under, Timmy Yoon prepares his store as the last Blockbuster store in the world. With the help of Eliza and Percy, Timmy puts together a block party for the strip mall the store is located in. After a balloon explodes via a firework mistake, the store receives online attention when Carlos, a store employee, video tapes the incident. Meanwhile, Percy and Carlos convince Timmy to confess his feelings to Eliza, on whom he has had a crush on since high school.
2"Blockbuster Daddy"Payman BenzLeila StrachanNovember 3, 2022 (2022-11-03)102
Timmy learns that he has to fire someone to keep the store afloat and asks help from Percy. Eliza worries she's not being a good mom after hearing her daughters' new rock album. Carlos tries to set up a special shelf in remembrance of the late local celebrity Hollywood Harold. Timmy and Percy interview the employees to find out the person who doesn't need the job. Timmy decides to fire Hannah but when he struggles with the firing, Kayla, who did not like working at the store, quits. But then Percy secretly tells Timmy that he will pay Kayla's salary so that he can hang out with his daughter more.