Boarding ‘Bupkis’: Falco joins Davidson comedy on Peacock
Boarding ‘Bupkis’: Edie Falco has won four Emmys and two Golden Globes for portraying moms in “The Sopranos” and “Nurse Jackie,” and she’ll soon get the chance to play “Mom” in the upcoming Peacock series “Bupkis.”
“Bupkis” is a half-hour, live-action comedy that is being touted as a “heightened,” fictionalized version of Pete Davidson’s (“Saturday Night Live”) life. This will be the comedian’s first TV starring vehicle, and Davidson is co-writing the series alongside his longtime friend/collaborator Dave Sirus and Judah Miller, both of whom worked on the comedian’s 2020 film “The King of Staten Island.” It’s worth noting that “SNL” boss Lorne Michaels is one of the show’s executive producers.
Storylines are said to be rooted in real life but with some absurd elements that reflect Davidson’s persona and unfiltered brand of comedy. Falco, who also has a role in the upcoming “Avatar” (2009) film sequels, will play Davidson’s on-screen mom. The future costars jointly announced the casting in person at the NBCUniversal Upfront presentation.
“I’m so excited to be playing your mother in this show, Pete,” said Falco, who went on to reference her “Sopranos” role. “Finally, I get to play an overwhelmed mother of two living in a world of corruption — except this time, it’s Staten Island.”
Her TV son made light of the constant media attention generated by his work and high-profile relationships, most recently with socialite and businesswoman Kim Kardashian: “I’m here so the media will finally start paying attention to me,” he deadpanned.
When “Bupkis” was being shopped around back in March, Peacock beat out the competition and quickly (by TV standards) handed it a straight-to-series order.
As for its star/writer/producer, Davidson is one of four core “SNL” players — the other three being Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney — who announced their departure from the sketch comedy institution during its Season 47 finale. Davidson, who first hinted he was considering leaving the show back in 2020, had been on leave from “SNL” for much of this past season while filming the upcoming horror thriller
“The Home.”
Leaving ‘Riverdale’: It’s hard to believe Archie, Betty and Jughead are at least 80 years old — granted, it helps that the Archie Comics characters were already teenagers when they made their comic book debut in December 1941. That said, the print characters have enjoyed a much longer run than their live-action TV counterparts.
CW recently embarked on an unprecedented cancellation spree, and many were shocked by the number of series that got the axe. Gone are “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” and “Batwoman,” along with “Naomi,” “Legacies,” “4400,”“Roswell,New Mexico,” “InThe Dark,”“Charmed”and “Dynasty.” And while “Riverdale” was renewed for a seventh season, the focus will be on giving the popular teen drama a proper ending, since there will be no Season 8.
“I am a big believer of giving series that have had a long run an appropriate sendoff,” CW chairman/CEO Mark Pedowitz explained during a media call. “We had a long conversation with Roberto [Aguirre-Sacasa, series producer] yesterday and he is thrilled with the decision. We are going to treat the show in the manner it deserves. It’s been an iconic pop culture star and we want to make sure that it goes out the right way.”
“Riverdale,” which debuted in 2017, stars K.J.Apa (“Songbird,” 2020) as Archie Andrews, Lili Reinhart (“Hustlers,” 2019) as Betty Cooper, Cole Sprouse (“Five Feet Apart,” 2019) as Jughead Jones and Camila Mendes (“Palm Springs,” 2020) as Veronica Lodge.
There’s no official word yet on how many episodes are in Season 7, but it will have a mid-season debut (similar to Seasons 1 and 5). Pedowitz also indicated that there were no plans for a shortened season.
Wise men of Chelm: “Borat” (2006) star Sacha Baron Cohen is developing a new animated special inspired by Jewish folklore, and he’s teaming up with “King of the Hill” creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels — as well as “Nathan for You” co-creator Michael Koman — to bring the stories to life.
Cohen will narrate “Chelm: The Smartest Place on Earth,” a familyoriented animated special that is destined to land on HBO Max and Cartoon Network. If you’ve never heard of Chelm, know that it is both a real city in Poland and the most famous imaginary place in Jewish folklore — a place inhabited by people who solve their problems in comically counterintuitive ways.
According to HBO Max, the animated special will present “a fresh take on the silly antics and exaggerated conflicts of the town, while also preserving the essence and heart of the classic folktales.”
“This pitch was so hilarious, we just knew the HBO Max audience needed to get a dose of this original brand of storytelling,” Amy Friedman, head of kids and family programming at Warner Bros., said.