“I’m so obsessed with my own life and problems,” says Pete Davidson, echoing just about everyone’s state of mind in his new TV series, Bupkis. “Well, your life is fascinating,” responds John Mulaney. “I mean, I don’t know what it’s like to live it, but god*amn, do we love watching it. It’s a good time.”
That brief interaction (which includes other spoken gems like “it was a dark, harrowing elevator shaft of despair”) summarizes a great deal of Bupkis, a new half-hour comedy series coming to Peacock. Each episode deals with Davidson’s problems (ranging from the utterly grotesque to the exceedingly banal), which become even weirder by being ensconced in the fabric of fame, and become interesting by definition because it’s him. Myriad guest stars appear, because that’s what Davidson’s life is like. It’s surreal to be a celebrity.
But Bupkis isn’t lurid like a gossip rag, and doesn’t delve deep into the trending topics of Davidson’s girlfriends and career. Instead, it presents him as a fairly unhealthy man on the cusp of 30 who will do ketamine and walk off the job one day, and ponder having children and becoming a father the next. He’s looking for what matters in his life, and beyond all the drugs and fame, the only thing which seems to is family. As such, Bupkis is an occasionally touching and heartfelt comedy that’s nonetheless ribald and dirty, and should be appealing to Davidson’s fans and newcomers alike.
Joe Pesci and the Great Cast of Bupkis
The series begins with perhaps its raunchiest and funniest episode, but also one which masterfully displays the oscillation between dirty jokes and tender emotion. Davidson and co-writers Judah Miller and Dave Sirus often hit the sweet spot between sex jokes and honest emotion, though it’s mostly thanks to a phenomenal supporting cast.
Edie Falco is perfect as Davidson’s doting mother, who is so filled with worry over her son that she placates him and acquiesces to almost anything to make sure he’s happy and nearby. Bobby Cannavale plays Davidson’s uncle in all his complicated glory, with a mixture of melancholic nostalgia and humor, and Brad Garrett is hilarious as a friend of the family.
Related: Exclusive: Bupkis Showrunner Judah Miller on Pete Davidson’s Wild New Peacock Series
Ultimately, it’s the great Joe Pesci as Davidson’s grandfather who is most sublime, elevating good scenes to greatness whenever he appears. Physically downtrodden and approaching frailty, Pesci’s character is nonetheless one of the strongest, most confident, and funniest in the entire show. Bupkis is essentially initiated by Davidson’s discovery that his grandfather is ill, prompting him to be closer to his family and spend more time with them, while also recollecting his younger days and how his family rallied to support him after his father died. Pesci is brilliant, and his blessing seals the deal on Bupkis.
Impressions of Pete Davidson’s Real Relationships
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The series’ style is uncompromising and sometimes reckless; the word that the creators of the show often returned to when writing is was “relentless.” It breaks many rules of television, hopping around time and omitting key narrative details, containing events that would be major plot points but glossing over them with a surreal disregard. In a sense, Bupkis is more impressionistic than relentless. It doesn’t rush, but rather takes its time each episode to paint a different face on Davidson’s life until the whole thing becomes a kind of Cubist comedy.
Like life, things happen in Bupkis without resolution or explanation, and the series can often feel hallucinatory (or “random,” to use a word with worse connotations). This doesn’t mean that it isn’t grounded in Davidson’s psyche, though. Mommy and daddy issues are explored, career choices and friends are questioned, drugs and addiction are addressed, and the persistent theme of family returns regularly. It’s a tapestry of honesty details which come together to form a funny, strange whole.
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Like all comedies, it’s hit-and-miss in places, but the batting average is strong in Bupkis. That’s because the comedy often comes directly from Davidson’s real, honest relationships with other characters.
Bupkis Guest Stars and Davidson’s Performance
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The aforementioned guest stars of Bupkis are delightful and deliver some pleasant surprises without feeling self-indulgent. Charlie Day, Kenan Thompson, a scene-stealing Simon Rex, a profane Ray Romano, Charlamagne Tha God, a cool Colson Baker (Machine Gun Kelly), Steve Buscemi, Al Gore, a sad Paul Walter Hauser, Sunita Mani, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Jon Stewart, and many more familiar faces appear for brief, funny moments.
Davidson continues to reveal himself as a very good actor, at least at playing himself. There’s real emotional depth to a lot of his performance, something we also saw to great effect in Big Time Adolescence and The King of Staten Island (where he also worked with Sirus and Miller). There’s real vulnerability in many scenes, not to mention his charming comedic timing and a comically Freudian relationship with Falco’s mother character.
While Davidson may grace the covers of tabloids and be a popular Google search term, Bupkis is more unique, interesting, and revealing than anything the paparazzi could capture. It’s a portrait of a talented and successful man with problems, and his struggle to find normalcy and meaning while navigating them. Again, it may be difficult for Davidson, but by turning it into art, it’s a delight for us. “I just want a normal life,” Davidson tells Mulaney. “I don’t think it’s made for you,” replies Mulaney. “People don’t want it from you.”
All eight episodes of Bupkis will premiere on Peacock on Thursday, May 4, 2023.
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