In the last decade, studios have leaned more and more into nostalgia, with the likes of sequels to long dormant franchises to reboots of beloved media to put a modern or reimagined spin on them. Hulu has decided to tap into this, having announced that the streaming service has ordered a brand new sitcom called Reboot. The series comes from Modern Family creator Steve Levitan.
The upcoming sitcom will focus on drama surrounding the cast of a fictional early 2000’s sitcom, “Step Right Up” that is being rebooted. As old faces come together and reunite for the show along with some new faces, they must confront the unresolved issues between them as well as face the trials and tribulations that occur when creating a show. Hulu ordered a pilot for the show back in August 2021 and has officially announced that they will be moving forward with the series’ first season. The series is set to star Keegan-Michael Key as Reed Sterling, a Yale school of drama graduate that was part of the original sitcom who holds resentment towards it for ruining his career; Johnny Knoxville as Clay Barber, a dark comedian whose only real acting gig was “Step Right Up,” and Judy Greer as Bree Marie Larson, who is described as “small-town pageant girl who always dreamed of being an actress and a princess and both somehow came true.” Greer replaces Leslie Bibb, who played the role of Larson in the pilot.
Hulu’s Head of Scripted Content, Jordan Helman said in a statement:
“Steve’s incredible track record speaks for itself. Modern Family was brilliant and massively appealing, making millions upon millions of viewers laugh week-after-week and quickly becoming a global sensation. We’re honored that Hulu will be home to Steve’s return to television with Reboot and given our slate of successful comedies such as Only Murders in the Building, Pen15, Ramy and more, we know our viewers will devour this hilariously meta satire.”
Along with Greer, Key, and Knoxville, the rest of the cast will include Rachel Bloom as sitcom writer with a “fresh take,” Hannah; Calum Worthy as Zack, the hyphenate movie star/hip-hop artist; and Krista Marie Yu as a tech exec turned television creative executive, Elaine. Levitan will serve as writer, executive producer and showrunner of the show Reboot, not the show being rebooted in the show.
Levitan said in a statement, “After working thirty years in TV comedy, this is both my love letter to sitcoms and, if I’m being honest, much-needed therapy.” John Enbom, Danielle Stokdyk and Jeff Morton also serve as executive producers. Reboot is produced by 20th Television for Hulu. 20th Television President Karey Burke said,
“Steve Levitan is a comedy genius and his idea for Reboot is as hilarious as it is timely. We’re thrilled that our friends at Hulu love this sly, wildly funny look at the television comedy business as much as we do. And the spectacular cast Steve’s assembled speaks to both the quality of the writing and the appeal of this platform as a home for smart, high quality television. Everyone jumped at the chance to come on board.”
The series does not have a release window as of now with the show still in early production.
via Collider