I spent countless hours in my younger days wandering the aisles of Blockbuster. I miss those days. The very act of choosing a movie was something to do. That’s why I find it slightly unsettling the streaming site that helped put the video rental chain out of business will now have its own show about that company. It’s like someone stealing all your clothes and then renting them back to you. But if you’re going to have the gall to do that, you might as well do it in style. Or, in this case, with an awesome cast. And the new trailer for Netflix’s Blockbuster definitely has that.
Look, if you’re young, I get it. You don’t understand why any of us would be nostalgic for putting on clothes and going to a store only to potentially find out the movie you want is unavailable. (Not to mention the scourge of late fees.) But I promise, that was way better than scrolling through infinite streaming options at home. And if this show captures even a little bit of why, it’ll be a fun watch. The trailer for Blockbuster certainly has us anticipating more.
The premise and the show’s stars should also make for a good time. Here’s Blockbuster‘s official synopsis from Netflix:
Timmy Yoon (Randall Park) is an analog dreamer in a 5G world. He’s spent his entire adult life dedicated to his first love, movies — a passion that’s kept him at his first and only job, managing his hometown Blockbuster Video.
Then Timmy is alarmed to learn that his store is officially the last Blockbuster in America. He now has no choice but to take action to stay open and keep his friends employed. Timmy and his staff quickly come to realize that being home to the last Blockbuster might actually be exactly what their community needs to rekindle the human connections they lost to the digital age. It also unexpectedly reunites him with his long-time crush Eliza (Melissa Fumero), who’s recently come back to work for him. Will this battle to preserve the past be the push Timmy needs to step into the present? His employees can only hope so.
Hard to go wrong with Park and Fumero as your leads. But when you add in J.B. Smoove, it might actually be impossible.
Of course, the irony is that if you want to see Blockbuster, you’ll have to stay home and watch it on Netflix. The ten-episode first season comes to the streaming site on November 3. But I might wander around my house for an hour before watching. That way, it feels more authentic.