If you ever wanted front-row seats to the life of Pete Davidson, now’s your chance. Peacock just released a trailer for “Bupkis,” a new comedy series starring comedian Pete Davidson. Famous for his appearances on SNL, Davidson recently joined old buddy Charlamagne Tha God on The Breakfast Club to talk about everything “Bupkis.”
The show, which features 8 episodes, all 30 mins long, uses unique story-telling techniques to present the life of Pete Davidson in ways that will keep you glued to your screens and wondering, “How on earth did Peacock allow him to shoot those scenes?”
When asked about his decision to name the show Bupkis, Davidson replied saying, “It’s, I guess, a Yiddish or Jewish term meaning whatever or nothing. My grandpa used to say it all the time growing up, like you don’t know Bupkis or this is Bupkis, so we just thought it was a nice title.”
“So it’s like an ode to your grandpa,” said Charlamagne.
“Yeah, he’s a big fan of TV and film, and he got a kick out of it. I also thought it looks cool on a t-shirt,” replied Davidson
Davidson, who is known for having a limited social media presence, appeared on The Breakfast Club show sporting an old-fashioned flip phone and was brimming with excitement over the cast for his new tv series. Joe Pesci, Ray Romano, Edie Falco, Method Man, Kenan Thompson, Machine Gun Kelly, Charlie Day, Sebastian Stan, Cam’ron, Jadakiss, John Mulaney, Eli Manning, and Steve Buscemi are just some of the names Davidson has worked with in the making of this show. It is still unconfirmed whether these celebrities are playing characters or appearing as their real-life selves. Davidson’s girlfriend Chase Sui Wonders also makes an appearance in the upcoming series.
One of the biggest cast surprises was the addition of Joe Pesci, who plays a mentor to Davidson in the series. “How did you convince him to do it?” asked Charlamagne.
“We had an actor attached to play this role and he backed out at the last second,” said Davidson. Lorne Michaels, the creator of SNL and producer of Bupkis, suggested casting Joe Pesci, which left Davidson bewildered.
“I was like, ‘How? Why would you say it like that?’’The guy’s only done The Irishman in the last 30 years. He was like, ‘You know, all he’s waiting for is a good part.’ Then, I met with him and we kind of hit it off…he didn’t need to do it and he liked it enough and our crew enough to let us do and we had a f****** ball dude.”
Talking about the story behind the show, Davidson said, “My favorite shows are The Sopranos, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, I love Curb Your Enthusiasm, I love Everybody Loves Raymond and I tried to mix all those together and I cast half of the people that were in those shows anyway,” he said. “I’m such a fan of the people we got to work with. It’s such a good time.”
Davidson, who is known for keeping a close-knit circle, has worked with several friends on the making of the show. His best friends, Judah Miller and Dave Sirus are writing and co-producing alongside the legendary Lorne Michaels.
“I love how you always put your friends in positions too. You always put them in your projects” commented Charlamagne. “Yeah, I’m just trying to copy what Sandler did,” replied Davidson. “Because Sandler did it right. For the last 30 years, he’s just made movies with his boys and taken care of everyone. In this business, you don’t really get to work with your best friends ever. So this is why I wanted to do this. I got to hang out with my best friends and anyone who wanted to do this did it out of love and the cast is just bananas,” said Davidson.
Charlamagne Tha God holds a special place in his heart for Davidson, owing to their shared ideologies on mental health and Davidson being one of the people in the Breakfast Club host’s life to encourage him to try therapy. We can’t wait to see how their on-screen chemistry unfolds. For those waiting for the release of the show, it will be available to stream on Peacock from May 4th with the trailer available to watch now.
Davidson first gained recognition for his work as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” where he joined the cast in 2014 at the age of 20, becoming one of the youngest members in the show’s history.
Davidson’s irreverent and self-deprecating sense of humor quickly made him a fan favorite on SNL, and he has since become known for his willingness to tackle difficult topics and discuss his struggles with mental health and addiction. In addition to his work on SNL, Davidson has also appeared in a number of films and television shows, including “Trainwreck” and “The King of Staten Island,” which he co-wrote with director Judd Apatow.