Steve Levitan’s new comedy follows the troubled revival of an old sitcom.
US streamer Hulu has released a trailer for the new comedy from Steve Levitan – his first show since the end of the all-conquering Modern Family.
Reboot is set to follow TV executives as they reboot an old sitcom from the 2000s called “Step Right Up”, bringing back its dysfunctional cast.
Paul Reiser (Stranger Things, The Boys) is playing Step Right Up’s hacky original creator who’s forced to adjust to modern working methods. Reiser, of course, is no stranger to the sitcom world thanks to his 80s/90s roles in My Two Dads and Mad About You.
Reboot also stars Keegan-Michael Key, Johnny Knoxville, Judy Greer and Calum Worthy as Step Right Up’s original stars. Rounding out the cast, Rachel Bloom plays the sitcom writer keen to bring a fresh take on the old show, while Krista Marie Yu is an out-of-her-depth network exec who’s “new to comedy”.
With the vogue for reviving anything with a recognisable brand name these days, Reboot looks like a lot of fun. We’re always suckers for these show-within-a-show comedies too, such as Episodes or Netflix’s Love.
Reboot – inspired by real-life revivals
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly back in July, Levitan cited some of his real-life inspirations for the show:
“I remember when the whole Roseanne debacle happened. That show blew up, and I thought to myself, well, that’s the show I want to see. I want to see what’s going on behind the scenes there.”
“I also thought about Full House because of the way that they went on a streamer and that did so well that the streamer brought it back as Fuller House. So that was a little bit of it. I didn’t do this on purpose, but there are even shades of My Two Dads in this, which ironically Paul Reiser was in.”
Levitan serves as an executive producer on Reboot alongside Danielle Stock and Jeff Morton. The show is produced by Steve Levitan Productions and Twentieth Television.
Reboot lands on Hulu in the US on September 20th. While there’s no confirmation, we’re hoping it will come to the UK via Disney+. We’ll keep you posted.