Raising the ‘FUBAR’
Schwarzenegger back in business on Netflix
As anyone who has any knowledge of military slang will already know, “FUBAR” is an acronym that is not entirely safe for print. It is frequently used when referring to a situation that has gone so far off the rails that it would be hard to fix, and the term is now being co-opted for a new action-comedy series on Netflix.
Starring former bodybuilder, California governor and “True Lies” (1994) actor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the leading role, “FUBAR” is an eight-episode series about a government agent on the verge of retirement. Just as he is about to leave his highintensity career behind, however, one last job pops up and the agency once again requires his particular brand of skill to resolve the threat. But what seems like a relatively cut-and-dry mission soon turns into a family affair that the operative wasn’t nearly prepared for.
“FUBAR” premieres Thursday, May 25, on Netflix.
No stranger to roles accompanied by explosions, brute force choreography and lots of gun power, “FUBAR” marks the Governator’s first leading role in a live-action TV series. While he has starred in more than 70 productions since 1970 (just three years after his Mr. Universe win), just 10 of these were for television, the majority also being one- or two-episode roles or cameos. In fact, Schwarzenegger’s only long-standing role in a TV series to date is as the voice of Arnold Armstrong/Captain Courage in all 28 episodes of “Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten,” a kids’ show on Kartoon Channel.
In “FUBAR” he plays Luke Brunner, a highly skilled CIA agent who is looking forward to mending some old wounds with his wife, relaxing with a coffee and getting reacquainted with his family in retirement.Well aware that he has dropped the ball on being a family man during the course of his highstress career, Luke wants nothing more than to make amends and live a “normal” lifestyle going forward.
In addition to patching things up with his overlooked wife,Tally (Fabiana Udenio, “Jane the Virgin”), in his newfound time, Luke also hopes to get to know his daughter, Emma (Monica Barbaro, “Top Gun: Maverick,” 2022), better. Now that she’s 28 and living on her own, Luke begins to realize he knows very little about his once-little girl. Just how little he truly knows becomes painfully clear when Luke gets pulled into one last case before signing off the clock for good.
Told that the CIA still needs his help because they are about to lose an operative known by the code name Panda, Luke is roped in to fly to a remote location and secure both Panda and some weapons of mass destruction before returning home to fulfil his quiet destiny. All of this may sound like a simple mission for the experienced agent, but soon he discovers information that nearly ruins him: Emma is a CIA agent, too.
Both equally surprised to see the other working their own case, Luke and Emma must now join forces to complete the mission at hand, which seems to be escalating dangerously with each passing minute.As it sinks in that their whole relationship up to this point has essentially been based on lies, both father and daughter come to learn about their differences, similarities and unique attributes they can each contribute to the other’s life and work.
Filming for “FUBAR” began April 2022 in Antwerp, Belgium, and in Toronto, and wrapped in September of the same year. Created by Queens, N.Y., native Nick Santora, who has written for such actionpacked hits as “The Sopranos,” “Law & Order,” “Scorpion,” “Reacher” and more, “FUBAR” clearly plays to the writer/producer’s professional strengths.