Saturday Night Live‘s Pete Davidson will write, star in, and executive produce a new series, Bupkis, which will be based on his life. Bupkis has received a straight-to-series order from Peacock, and will be co-executive produced by Davidson’s SNL boss, Lorne Michaels.
According to a press release distributed today by Peacock, the series will be a half-hour live action comedy that promises a “heightened, fictionalized version of Pete Davidson’s real life.” It also stated that the show was “acquired in a highly competitive situation.” The show will be co-written with Davidson’s long-time collaborator Dave Sirus, and well as Judah Miller, and is said to be reminiscent of Curb Your Enthusiasm. (Maybe in the “TV shows based on fictional-personas” multiverse, Davidson’s ex-girlfriend Cazzie David, who is Larry David’s daughter, will appear?) There is no word yet on additional cast who will star in the show.
Susan Rovner, Chairman, Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming says, “Pete Davidson is one of the most sought-after comedians today with his smart, one-of-a-kind humor and honest point of view. Bupkis will showcase Pete’s funny, surprising and unfiltered brand of comedy audiences have come to love as we continue to bolster our Peacock comedy slate. We can’t wait to dive in with Lorne Michaels, Broadway Video and our partners at Universal Television.”
This isn’t the first project based around Davidson’s real life, his 2020 film The King of Staten Island, which was also co-written by Davidson, Sirus, and Judd Apatow, was also semi-autobiographical. It’s unclear whether this will affect Davidson’s job at SNL, where he has been a cast member since 2014.
