‘Reboot’ is a light, bingeable new Disney+ show that pokes a little fun at the entertainment industry

Watching a new Hulu show about a show having a “reboot” by Hulu sounded like Seinfeld meets Inception (not really, but come on!). I was down!

The show follows the reboot of a family sitcom from the early 2000’s, where the original dysfunctional cast – played by Keegan-Michael Kay, Johnny Knoxville, Judy Greer and Calum Worthy – must come together, deal with their own internalized issues, and play catch up to a world that has dramatically changed around them.

This show is a fun-ride, and honestly a welcomed addition to the comedy genre.

High-five for a fantastic story

We live in an era where everything is getting a sequel, prequel or rebooted all together. It’s almost like we’ve hit the saturation point for creativity, but that’s a whole other discussion.

Enter in Steven Levitan’s fully-loaded satire on this very trend, capturing the behind-the-scenes chaos that sadly is all too familiar to many of us thanks to the world of social media and gossip journalism.

The story of Reboot is simple and easy to follow. Introductions to the key cast are made quickly so we can all then go down into the rabbit hole of “reboot world”.

The show is like a black hole for anything and everything happening in the entertainment industry today. The streaming vs network television debate, who the primary target audiences are, ageism on the big screen, representation of people from different sexual groups, representation of people of colour, acting vs reality TV, talent vs popularity, old vs new generation thinking, etc. It’s like someone made a checklist of everything discussed or wrong with the industry, and dumped it into the script.

And you know what, it works!

Levitan has created a show that uses both subtle and not-so-subtle jabs at everything wrong with television productions today, and weaves it into an easily flowing production. You actually enjoy the banter, while getting some very important salient points to think about.

I also appreciated the shows candid approach to generation divides, using two characters to really push the discussions and breakdown mentally created walls around what is the right approach to storytelling. Its all funny, but it is all profound as well. It pulls on your heartstrings sometimes, and then leaves you on a chuckle. That’s what makes this production so special.

Wonderful, engaging cast

Keegan-Michael Kay, Johnny Knoxville, Judy Greer and Calum Worthy are the perfect quad-group to play the fictional sitcom actors. They each bring something totally different to the table, while demonstrating excellent chemistry. There is nothing better than being able to watch a show that doesn’t give you a headache because you had to think too much. Even in comedy, the references can go above your head. The shows does a wonderful job of actually keeping the references within the framework of the show, its past life and social lingo of today, which makes the banter even more enjoyable.

Rachel Bloom and Paul Reiser could be playing ping-pong, and they’d still be in sync. Their characters, Hannah and Gordon respectively, are absolutely hilarious to watch. Their dialogue is on point, and the delivery of their lines is flawless. While I won’t give much context about what their banter is about (cause you need to watch the show for that!), they hands-down have some of my favourite performances in this show.

There are many other superstars in this production, all of whom play some solid characters. Krista Maire Yu plays this wonderful character Elaine Kim, a perfect example of the kind of network television head you want to have but don’t. Alyah Chanelle Scott is a wonderful catalyst as Timberly, responsible for sparking the reflections around some of the important discussion points addressed above. There are tons of other supporting cast members who, even in the minor roles that we see them in, actually add tons of colour to this already colourful production.

The team has done a wonderful job with casting, and it shows in the end result.

I could write about this show all day long.

Honestly, no matter how much I write, this show is all about the experience. At roughly half-hour an episode, its an easy breezy watch that will actually lighten and brighten up your day.

Its a return of the old, chilled-out sitcom atmosphere with a humble inclusion about the things that matter to audiences today. Levitan has done a wonderful job with the show, and I hope this gets green-lit for a Season 2 pronto!

Reboot streams September 20 exclusive on Disney+ (Hulu in the United States)

Cover Photo: Reed (Keegan-Michael Key), Clay (Johnny Knoxville), Bree (Judy Greer) and Zack (Calum Worthy) in Reboot | Photo: Michael Desmond/ HULU – © 2022 Hulu