Hulu’s cancellation of its meta comedy Reboot after just one eight-episode season was baffling for many viewers, given the series' positive reception and knockout cast of comedy veterans. The show centered around a 2000s-era sitcom receiving a revival with its original cast, and it combined the laughs with self-deprecating and pointed commentary on how comedy has evolved over the past few decades. It wasn’t just fans who were surprised to see the excellent series from Steve Levitan get axed, either, and after Johnny Knoxville expressed his frustration with Hulu, his Reboot co-star Rachel Bloom had a message of her own.
Rachel Bloom’s Reboot character Hannah worked behind the scenes of the fictional sitcom Step Right Up, serving as the revival’s co-showrunner alongside the original series’ creator, Gordon (Paul Reiser), who was also her estranged father. Their scenes in the writers’ room were arguably some of the funniest and most introspective, and her disappointment at the series’ cancellation was palpable in an Instagram post that read:
I guess I should have a ‘classy’ response to @rebootonhulu being canceled by Hulu so I’ll say thank you so much to [Steve Levitan] for making this wonderful show, to [Judy Greer], [Keegan Michael Key], [Calum Worthy], [Johnny Knoxville], [and Krista Marie Yu] for being the best cast mates ever and for [Paul Reiser] letting me yell at him onscreen and being my rabbi offscreen. I hope this gets another life somewhere else. And if you watched it, THANK YOU. There, I hope you’re all proud of me for reining in my vitriol
Rachel Bloom seems to be really stretching to reach for that high road, and instead of sharing her “vitriol” over Reboot’s end, she chose to thank her castmates for the short time they had together.
Johnny Knoxville was not as worried about how his message came off, as he called out Hulu for the “unbelievable” decision to cancel a show that had great reviews, an ensemble cast to die for, and had been nominated for a Critics Choice Award for Best Comedy Series. He said that as they shop Reboot around for a new network that he hopes they find a home “with a studio who believes in and knows how to properly support a new show as it continues to grow.”
Just as the Jackass alum garnered reactions from fellow celebrities like John Stamos and Whitney Cummings, Rachel Bloom’s “classy” response also attracted support from her cohorts in Hollywood:
- Quinta Brunson: Absolute bummer
- Mandy Moore: Oh man- I LOVED this show. Hope it finds another home!!
- Questlove: Reboot Again
- Lance Bass: Such a great show! This will find another home for sure.
Johnny Knoxville also hit the comments section on Rachel Bloom’s post, saying:
Fuck em’, let it roll.🤸🏻♀️
It looks like the show still has a lot of support, so there’s hope yet that it will find another home to continue to build on its stories. While we wait to see if there will indeed be a future for Reboot, you can stream the first season with a Hulu subscription, and be sure to check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what other premieres are coming soon.
