Joe Pesci has largely been retired from acting for close to twenty-five years. During that time, he’s only had major roles in two movies, The Love Ranch and The Irishman. Deadline reports that Joe Pesci is set to return to acting as he will star alongside Pete Davidson and Edie Falco in Bupkis, the upcoming half-hour comedy series for Peacock.
Bupkis will tell a heightened, fictionalized version of Pete Davidson’s life, with the comedy series being compared to Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. Edie Falco will play Pete Davidson’s mother in the series, with Joe Pesci playing his grandfather. This will mark Joe Pesci’s first time starring in a TV series since Half Nelson, a short-lived detective comedy-drama that aired on ABC in 1985. Joe Pesci almost didn’t return for The Irishman, so I’m grateful for any opportunity to see him do his thing. However, I’ll admit that a Pete Davidson series wasn’t where I expected Joe Pesci to turn up.
In addition to starring in Bupkis, Pete Davidson will co-write the series alongside Dave Sirus and Judah Miller. He will also executive produce with Sirus and Miller. Peacock officially gave Bubkis a straight-to-series order earlier this year. In a statement, Chairperson of Entertainment Content at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming Susan Rovner, said, “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.” Bupkis is described as “a raw, unflinching, fictionalized version of Pete Davidson’s real life. It will include a mixture of grounded storytelling with absurd elements depicting an unfiltered view through Pete’s eyes.“