I’ve been really slacking on the Peacock shows while I still have the platform for a good deal, but I did finally get around to watching Pete Davidson’s show, Bupkis. Thankfully, his comedy gig got postponed, because I would not have had this show’s first season done in time.
It should be noted that Davidson plays himself. Like most things like this though, to a degree this is a fictionalized version of himself. Yes, as far as I can tell, there is a large portion that revolves around real-life events, like his father dying on 9/11, his sister being a doctor, him going to rehab a number of times. But in between, it’s the little details that make this show stand apart from his real life. If not, his mom is truly a saint. I will say though, there were moments in the show where things could have very will been real in Davidson’s life and I did not know where to draw the line in my head. I suppose that means it’s a good show if it’s got me questioning that much.
What also really intrigued me about this show was the heavy hitters he had assembled in the main cast, like Edie Falco as his mother and Joe Pesci as his grandfather, but there was also an abundant guest cast, usually different in each episode! To me, this means that Davidson, despite all of his shortcomings, is a good dude that really connects with a lot of people. My favorite guest cast members were Simon Rex as a straight up whack job, Paul Walter Hauser as a somewhat fictionalized version of himself, and Small Engine Repair’s John Pollono as a kind of intimidating rehab leader. I also really enjoy the brief appearance of Art the Clown even though I have never seen any of the Terrifier films.
The show itself focuses on Pete’s life as he’s fast approaching thirty and still trying to get a lot of his shit together. He’s a tornado of different things. From one perspective, he is still young and very much likes to party, but he also likes spending quiet evenings at home watching TV with his mom. Sure, he does a lot of drugs, but he is still really trying to find the one because starting a family is something he wants to do someday. And he’s loyal to his family and his friends, to a fault sometimes, but he really proves that he’s someone you want in your corner. I’d say that even though he may not show up for himself, he tries really hard to be there for others.
Overall, the show was enjoyable. There were moments that made me laugh, others that made me wildly uncomfortable, but ultimately I feel like I know Pete Davidson a little better than before. I think. Like I said, as the show went on, reality and fiction started to really blur for me. Even though the show didn’t rack up too many viewers (as he stated in the SNL season opener), Peacock still picked it up for another season and I am really interested to see what else gets covered.