Bupkis Review

I’ll be the first to admit that I really don’t understand the appeal of Pete Davidson, the former SNL star who has found himself the fascination of the tabloids, gossip sites, and the world at large (through little of his own doing) over the past several years. I’ve found him to be fine in his various non-SNL projects, but I just don’t get the appeal. So, I was less than enthused to check out his new Peacock comedy series Bupkis and did so more out of a question as to just why two acting greats – that would be Edie Falco and Joe Pesci, playing Pete’s mother and grandfather, respectively – were doing in the series. But, much to my surprise, after a rocky premiere episode, I found myself falling for Davidson’s charms and enjoying all that Bupkis had to offer.

As the title suggests, the series is not looking to change the world (each episode opens with the definition of bupkis appearing on a title card while a disclaimer is read). Rather, it offers a heightened look at Davidson’s life, charting how he handles (or fails to properly handle) fame, how his family interacts (which is the strongest element of the series), and just what makes him tick. There are silly moments, gross-out moments, and shockingly deep, heartfelt moments throughout the first season. Do some gags veer a bit too far off at times? Sure, but they continue to amuse even when they do, highlighting just how crazy some of the stories swirling around Davidson can be – and just how ridiculous it is that people believe them hook, line, and sinker. But what really works – and what offers the best look into the actual life of Davidson – are the moments of emotional honesty wrapped up in the comedy. It’s then that the series really sings.

I suspect even the most casual Davidson watcher is aware that he lost his father, a firefighter, during 9/11, and that it has informed much of who he has become as an adult. When the series tackles this formational trauma, it does so with humor and enough nuance to make the episode one of the best of the season. The introduction of guest stars, including Bobby Cannavale as Davidson’s uncle who has a large influence on him – for good and for ill, also helps to craft a more complex comedy than one might have anticipated. We see Chase Sui Wonders as a former girlfriend (Davidson and Wonders are reportedly dating in real life), Brad Garrett as a friend of his grandfather, Jane Curtain as his grandmother, and host of celebrities playing heightened versions of themselves throughout the season. It all meshes together to provide an interesting, if not wholly accurate – remember, this is all bupkis, after all – portrait of Davidson. Part based in reality, part based in tabloid tales, but wholly interesting to see.

And, when you take into account that Davidson had a hand in writing each of the season’s eight episodes (along with Judah Miller, Dave Sirus, Dan Bulla, and Jason Orley), you start to see an interesting picture emerge. Davidson has some solid writing chops and he’s also a much stronger performer than one might assume. He deftly navigates the low and high-brow comedy of the series but is incredibly impactful when asked to take on the more dramatic elements of this story. There’s a quiet sadness inherent in his performance that works wonders, even with the writing turns to the more silly (there’s a great riff on The Fast and the Furious that uses Davidson’s ability to its extreme later in the season). While I’m not sure this series will turn Davidson haters into fans, it will absolutely allow those who are agnostic to the comedian to see a different, more complex side to him. After all, he managed to get Joe Pesci to do a TV series. That’s a pretty impressive feat in and of itself.

There’s a lot to like in Bupkis, with its sharp writing, its interesting performances, and its deeper look at what made Pete Davidson into the man he is today – or at least what Davidson wants us to take into account from his past and present. More than that, though, it’s a series that finds a sweet spot of humor and heart, allowing us to deepen our understanding of this version of Pete, perhaps understand the real Pete a bit more, and spend some time laughing along the way.

Bupkis premieres on May 4 on Peacock. All eight episodes of the first season were provided for review.