Melissa Fumero and Randall Park lead the Netflix series, 'Blockbuster.' The new workplace comedy comes from 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' writer Vanessa Ramos. Fumero, Park, and Ramos join Trending to talk all things 'Blockbuster.'

Between Bells

'Blockbuster' Stars Melissa Fumero & Randall Park Dish on New Comedy

another new series to check out is called Black buster and it's on netflix, the new series stars, Randall Park and melissa Romero as employees of the last blockbuster in the world and our west coast correspondent Celestino caught up with the stars of the series, including the creator Vanessa Ramos and she's joining us here to tell us all about it, agent good to see you. So what did you think of the series? Hey guys, I love this one, it is necessary level 1000 and I thought it was gonna be set back in the day, you know, peak blockbuster culture, but it's actually in present day when they find out they're working at the last blockbuster standing, I love the cast, comedic chemistry, everyone is so funny together and there's also a lot of heart to the story, I think small business owners in particular are really going to resonate with it. And also the movie lovers take a look, I want to start with Vanessa because I read that you wrote the pilot during quarantine and I love this concept but was totally expecting it to not be present day. How did you come up with the show storyline? Um I mean it fully, it was pandemic like so I was you know, I live by myself, it was me and then I just adopted a beagle puppy who was like teething and just hated me and I just felt like so alone in the world. Um so it came from a place of, it was a little bit like I think wish fulfillment slash like putting together a fantasy team of people I wanted to hang out with because I felt alone but I think I started with you know, having because john Fox, one of our producers came with like that he was like I have the rights to blockbuster, do you want to sell the show around it? And so for me it was like improv lifestyle like could I get a location go? And I think I started with the timmy character because I'm like okay what type of person would be working at? Much less like running a blockbuster in 2022 it's like someone that has to have, you know, beyond just loving movies, a deep emotional connection and sort of yearning for the days of you know, just person to person and he's like his superpower is being able to pick the perfect movie for the person like when they need it. So that was kind of my way into it. And then I just started sprinkling like most characters are based on someone in my life, like oldest character Connie is based on my mom Connie Randall melissa. I love your characters and your chemistry in this show there. So like effortlessly funny but also relatable. So I'm wondering starting with Randall, can you describe timmy well tammy is uh an analog guy in a five G world. Uh he's been working at about like five million times today. No, I just off the top off the top. Uh he's been working at this blockbuster since high school and he just loves his job uh loves movies but more so loves the community and working with people and he loves his family at the store and he loves uh he's just really you know living, he's living his dream in the store and uh and as times change and uh they find out that these stores are kind of all dropping like flies and and and soon enough they're the last one and his his goal is to keep it alive because he wants to keep not just the store alive but this sense of community alive. The sense of uh connection alive. It's very yeah so yeah that's that's timmy. You mentioned your character to me thinking the store is really an opportunity to drive human connection in a five G. World. I'm wondering what you think about human connection today like personally but also like what you think people are craving and if they get that from the show. I mean I I very much identified with timmy as as just as me. I mean I feel very strongly about the importance of human connection and and the evils of the digital age as we're virtual right now. I know I know I'm not that hardcore but but I do feel like uh you know it's just that human connection and and especially with people who are different from you. I think it's just very important nowadays and I think our show really does a great job and in highlighting the beauty of that melissa I saw you posted on I. G. And I have to say for the netflix generation, what do you think is like the thing they're missing out on like what was so great about the blockbuster era? Oh man. I mean yeah I think it was that like human connection thing of you know whether it was your family or your friends like walking into that store debating what you were gonna rent sometimes arguing about it. Um And uh you know and and you would have even interactions with people that work there, there are other customers and there's a sort of community element to it I think um that there's not a whole lot like that anymore.