Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s Melissa Fumero is joining Fresh Off the Boat’s Randall Park as the co-lead of Netflix comedy Blockbuster – set in the last Blockbuster Video store in America.
Blockbuster, from Universal Television, is a 10-episode ensemble single-camera workplace comedy that takes place in the last Blockbuster Video store. It’s not yet clear if it’s set in Bend, Oregon, where the real last Blockbuster is. In 2020, Netflix released a documentary called The Last Blockbuster, which focused on Sandi Harding, who runs the last branch of what once was a vast chain of 9,000 stores worldwide. Blockbuster squeezed out the “mom-and-pop” independent video stores and then Netflix, of course, played a large role in Blockbuster’s demise.
The new comedy explores what it takes – and, more specifically, who it takes – for a small business to succeed against all odds. Fumero will play Eliza, a dedicated mother whose marriage to her high school sweetheart is on the rocks. She left Harvard after one semester to start a family and now works at Blockbuster alongside Timmy (Park) as his trusty Number 2 — and maybe more.
Melissa Fumero is best known for playing Amy Santiago on the long-running police comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She also voices characters on animated shows MODOK, Elena of Avalor and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. One of her early roles was on Gossip Girl.
Randall Park is known for Wandavision, Always Be My Maybe, Long Shot, Aquaman, Veep, Wet Hot American Summer, Trainwreck and much more. He has more than 160 credits on his IMDb. The Blockbuster series is created by Vanessa Ramos, who was a writer on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Superstore.
While we wait for more news on Blockbuster, check out our guide to the best Netflix series.