A Saturday Night Live era came to an end in May 2022 when longtime members of the cast — Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, and Pete Davidson — departed the legendary sketch comedy show after years of saying “Live from New York…” And while the futures of his fellow former castmates were left up in the air, Davidson already had a pair of movies and a Peacock original series in the works before he left the show that made him a star nearly a decade earlier. That show, Bupkis, will be here sooner or later, giving the self-deprecating comedian yet another opportunity to poke at his career, his tabloid-centric love life, and himself.
If this is the first you’re hearing about Bupkis, don’t worry, because we’re about to break down everything we know about the upcoming half-hour comedy series, including its basic premise, cast (including Edie Falco), and who is involved behind-the-scenes.
Bupkis Will Tell A Fictionalized Version Of Pete Davidson’s Life
Pete Davidson is no stranger to turning parts of his life into Saturday Night Live skits (like this May 2019 “Weekend Update” appearance and the April 2020 “Stuck in the House” music video) as well as movies, which was the case for the 2020 semi-autobiographical dramedy, The King of Staten Island. With that being said, it came as no surprise when NBCUniversal announced that Davidson would soon lead Bupkis, a half-hour comedy Peacock series depicting a fictionalized version of the comedian’s life:
Bupkis, a half-hour live action comedy, is a heightened, fictionalized version of Pete Davidson’s real life. The series will combine grounded storytelling with absurd elements from the unfiltered and completely original worldview for which Pete is well known.
The way the description reads, it sounds like Bupkis will be very much in line with Larry David’s HBO comedy series, Curb Your Enthusiasm, which has exaggerated the Seinfeld co-creator's life with one awkward and combative interaction after another.
The Bupkis Cast Includes Pete Davidson, Edie Falco, And Joe Pesci
In The King of Staten Island, Marisa Tomei took on the role of Davidson’s on-screen mom, but when Bupkis premieres at some point in the near future, it will be four-time Emmy Award winner Edie Falco who plays the comedian’s mother. Falco’s involvement in the series was revealed during NBCUniversal’s upfront presentation back in May 2022.
Also appearing alongside Davidson on Bupkis will be Joe Pesci, who, according to Variety, will be playing the comedian’s grandfather. This will be the Academy Award-winning actor’s first major TV role since playing Rocky Nelson on the 1985 detective show, Half Nelson. At this time, neither character’s name has been revealed by Peacock.
The Peacock Comedy Series Will Also Feature Guest Stars Like Charlie Day, Kenan Thompson, And Ray Romano
In addition to Pete Davidson, Edie Falco, and Joe Pesci, who all appear as leads on the upcoming Peacock series, Bupkis will also feature some massive guest stars. In October 2022, Variety reported that Charlie Day, Ray Romano, Kenan Thompson, Chase Sui Wonders, and Brad Garrett would all be appearing on the show in some capacity throughout its first season.
Davidson and Thompson famously appeared alongside each other for eight seasons on Saturday Night Live, and this will mark the first time the former co-stars have worked with one another since the former’s departure from the sketch comedy show. This will also mark the second time Davidson has worked with Wonders, as they previously played a couple in the 2022 A24 movie, Bodies Bodies Bodies.
This casting will also lead the reunions for Romano and Pesci, who worked together on Martin Scorsese's 2019 Netflix crime epic, The Irishman, and it will also see Romano work with Garrett again after appearing as brothers on the long-running sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond.
Pete Davidson Wrote Bupkis With Dave Sirus And Showrunner Judah Miller
With Bupkis being partially based on the comedian’s life, it’s not that surprising that he would want to write the series with some writers and producers who know a lot about him or have worked with him in the past. When the show was first announced by NBCUniversal back in May, it was revealed that Davidson wrote the series with Dave Sirus and Judah Miller, who will also serve as the showrunner.
Sirus, a long-time friend of Davidson’s, previously worked with him on Saturday Night Live, where he served as a writer for several years, as well as on The King of Staten Island, with both earning co-writing credits. Although he hadn’t worked with Davidson in the past, Miller has a great deal of experience on the small screen, including shows like Crashing, King of the Hill, American Dad!, and The Tracy Morgan Show, to name only a few.
Production On Bupkis Got Underway In October 2022
A release date has not yet been announced for Bupkis, but the forthcoming Peacock comedy series is already in production, as revealed in a first look image shared by Variety in October 2022. The image, which shows Pete Davidson and Joe Pesci’s characters sitting in a marina with boats behind them, was the meat of the update that came out just a few days before the big casting announcement was made.
Not long after production started, however, Davidson allegedly had an on-set meltdown and reportedly caused damage to the set, per The Sun newspaper. According to the outlet, the alleged incident occurred on October 27, 2022, and involved the former Saturday Night Live star throwing several objects inside and outside his trailer. No details were released on what caused the reported incident, but Davidson was allegedly “taking a break” from production a couple of days later, according to The Sun in a follow-up story.
Saturday Night Live’s Lorne Michaels Is Executive Producing The Half-Hour Comedy Series
Lorne Michaels has a long history of producing projects featuring Saturday Night Live talent, both during and after their time on the show. We’ve seen with it movies like Tommy Boy, Hot Rod, and Mean Girls, as well as shows like 30 Rock, Portlandia, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and we’ll soon see it again with Bupkis. When the show was initially announced, it was revealed that Michaels would serve as an executive producer on the upcoming Peacock show.
Other executive producers helping get Bupkis off the ground include Pete Davidson, showrunner Judah Miller, Andrew Singer, and Erin David. Michaels’ Broadway Video is the production company behind the series.
There are still a few things we don’t yet know about Bupkis, including its premiere date (it won't be on the 2022 fall TV schedule), episode count, and structure of the series. While we wait for more information, now is a good time to check out some of the best shows on Peacock, especially for those looking for a good laugh.
