Netflix has tapped Brooklyn Nine-Nine favorite Melissa Fumero to co-star with Randall Park in Blockbuster, a workplace comedy series set in the last operating Blockbuster Video store in the United States. The series comes from creator Vanessa Ramos and writers David Caspe and Jackie Clarke. Caspe and Clarke also serve as executive producers for Blockbuster alongside John Davis and John Fox of Davis Entertainment.
The official logline for the sitcom reads: “An ensemble comedy that takes place in the last Blockbuster Video in America, that explores what it takes – and more specifically who it takes – for a small business to succeed against all odds.”
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In Blockbuster, 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 two … and maybe more.
Fumero is best known for her role Det. Amy Santiago on NBC’s Golden Globe Award-winning comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She is currently shooting the independent comedy feature Bar Fight written/directed by Jim Mahoney and also starring Rachel Bloom. She can also be heard voicing the character of Melissa in Marvels’ animated series M.O.D.O.K. for HULU. She recently recurred on the Netflix/POP series One Day at a Time and appeared on the HBO anthology series Room 104. Previously, Fumero recurred on The CW hit series Gossip Girl as one of Blair Waldorf’s minions. Fumero has also guest-starred on the CBS dramas CSI: NY and The Mentalist and comedies Important Things with Demetri Martin and Royal Pains.
Park is also an established sitcom star as one of the leads on ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat, though he’s also well known for his one appearance on NBC’s The Office. More recently, he began appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the fan favorite role of Agent Jimmy Woo, reprising his role in WandaVision after debuting the character in Ant-Man and the Wasp. The actor also plays himself in Dwayne Johnson’s autobiographical sitcom Young Rock.
Series Creator Vanessa Ramos Has Described Blockbuster as a Dream Project
“To say getting to make a show about a place I love, with my friends Jackie and David, and Randall Park as our star is a dream come true, somehow feels like an understatement,” Vanessa said to THR when the show was first announced. “I could not be more grateful to Jim [Donnelly] and Megan [Macmillan] at Universal for supporting this project since day one and Tracey, Andy [Weil], and the whole team at Netflix for being on board with so many weird jokes.”
Netflix comedy head Tracey Pakosta added, “When Vanessa and David first came in and shared this idea for a comedy series, we were immediately excited. This is ultimately the story of a dedicated group of co-workers, with a lot of heart. And now with the hilarious Randall Park signing on to play the lead, it’s a no-brainer.”
Netflix has not yet set a premiere date for Blockbuster. Additional casting announcements will be made soon.
