Netflix has offered a first look at its Blockbuster sitcom. The streaming service provided fans with the first trailer for the series, which will take place at the last remaining Blockbuster video store.
Blockbuster was a famous video rental store franchise that was founded in 1985 and the company is a source of nostalgia for many. However, the arrival of streaming helped close the company. Ironically, it was his failure to buy Netflix that turned out to be the final nail in the company’s coffin. By 2018, the once-national chain had only one Blockbuster store left, with its last store located in Bend, Oregon. Netflix finally announced that it was working on a workplace comedy, titled Blockbusterbased on this latest Blockbuster store.
Netflix released the trailer for Blockbusterwith a Tweet from the streamer that read, “Welcome to the last Blockbuster on Earth. From the writers of brooklyn nine nine Y Hypermarket and the creator of Happy endings Blockbuster arrives, a new comedy starring Randall Park and Melissa Fumero. Premiere November 3,” the tweet read. The series will star Park as Timmy Yoon, the manager of the latest Blockbuster store, alongside a cast that includes Fumero, Tyler Alvarez, Madeleine Arthur and Olga Merediz.
the Blockbuster The trailer reveals that the film will be a major thematic element and humor point for the series. Álvarez, who plays Carlos Herrera, seems particularly important. His dream is to be a filmmaker, and he reasons that he has to work in a video store “like Quentin Tarantino” to achieve that goal. The emotional beats of the story also seem to be Timmy struggling to keep the store afloat even as the other Blockbusters go under, and his apparent crush on his co-worker Eliza (Fumero).
It is the ultimate irony, and a bit meta, that Netflix is making this comedy. Netflix has tons of new movies, shows, and originals joining its ranks, while Blockbuster is mostly a nostalgic throwback. In addition to Blockbuster failing to buy Netflix for $50 million (far less than it’s worth now), founder Reed Hastings partially credits Blockbuster with founding Netflix. The story goes that part of the reason Hastings created Netflix was because he was tired of paying Blockbuster’s notorious surcharges for his movies (an amount Hastings said was about $40).
With hits like Strange things, squid game, and many others to its credit, Netflix is safe for sure (although there are rumors about its fate). Blockbuster’s latest location seems to be more of a curiosity, a mecca for those who want to enjoy the nostalgia of days gone by. But at least the legacy of Blockbuster will live on in this new series.
Blockbuster premieres November 3, 2022 on Netflix.
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