Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin

It's not award worthy in terms of script, emotional depth, or, weirdly, musical content, but the series has a whole lot going for it in Sarah Hyland whose performance as the adorable Heidi is an absolute revelation. Add in the completely over the top vamping and the ultimate in sexy German accents from Jameel Jamil as Gisela, and a glorious cameo from veteran German actress Katharina Thalbach, and there's plenty to like about this "whatever happened to" series. It's just that as a Pitch Perfect fan I would have liked a whole lot more music, especially the a capella for which the films were noted.

I absolutely love Adam Devine and Sarah Hyland (both separately and together) so was extra excited to see them reunited in this series! Additionally I am so glad to see Bumper's story continue, as he was definitely one of the most interesting characters in the movies. I'm just now in the second episode but I love it already - the music, the storyline, and to have Flula Borg return as Pieter, but this time as an ally, is such a fun twist. It's infectious and makes me nostalgic for the movies, although I just might like this better... Especially if Bumper and Heidi end up together! Adam Devine doesn't get enough praise or recognition, he can go from silly comedy (a la Workaholics) to a musical romantic lead so effortlessly, and I am loving this show so far!

If you are familiar with the Pitch Perfect movies, you might know that those movies are about music and specifically acapella music, so moving forward with each film they got messier (the 3rd one was not as beloved as the first two). Now we don't have a fourth film but a spin-off about one of member of the the rival groups of our protagonists known as 'Bumper' who was a self-absorbed goofball in the movies trying his luck to be famous in Germany as one of his songs have gone viral through Tik-tok. So with the premise set, this show is entirely set in Berlin, Germany and the production values are splendid, I had a fear before watching this that this was just gonna be a cheap cash-grab like most uninspired Netflix stuff as these streaming companies just push out content just for the sake of relevancy in this fast paced short attention spanned world. But I was really wrong as it seems to be put forth some kind of thought and effort put into this show as far as mini-series for a secondary character of a known franchise goes. Adam Devine is great as Bumper, as his performance is layered as this idiotic guy just chasing after a dead dream, he is charismatic and comes across really likable even though people like these are just annoying irl. The other team mates including 'Haley Dunphy' actress Sarah Hyland, previous recurring cast member Flula Borg as Pieter Kramer and his sister Thea Kramer as DJ Das Boot were all equally charming and likable, the camaraderie between the group was very sweet and it felt like people growing and adjusting to work with each other and that alone makes it a good binge, honestly it's like a movie cut into episodes which keeps it fresh as the breaks make it more interesting. Also the camera work and color grading made it go easy on the eyes as most stuff is now supposed to be dark, grim and 'realistic' and this is a simple, sweet and light hearted show. If you get what I say and want something easy to watch and are a fan of the movies, then I'd say give it a watch and you'll at least have a smile on your face by the end of it.

This show has a lot of fun and it is all comedy, and the casting is PERFECT except for the villain played by Jameela Jamil who is the only negative of the show and without her it probably would have been perfect. Why they chose to have her in a role as a German singer when she can't sing, and wearing those blue contacts is also pretty strange, I don't know. But everyone else SHINES. Our main trio is so funny and the chemistry between Sarah Hyland and Adam Devine is still there years later from Modern Family. And Peter Kramer is hilarious! Lera Above as his sister is a scene stealer too! So this is a fun bright show, and if you need a little light definitely watch it. You can always fast forward through the painful parts where forced to listen to Jameela Jamil sing.

Cons: It's on Peacock. Who the heck has Peacock?

Pros: This is probably the best one in the Franchise. The writing is strong there were a few times that I got some genuine laugh out loud moments, but the real strength comes from the characters. They do a good job of making them outlandish without making them cartoonish characitures. Bumper who is usually one of the most obnoxious characters comes off as really likable and someone you want to root for. He was so poorly written. When I heard there was a spinoff about two of the worst characters in Pitch Perfect I was like "oof there's no way these two could carry their own movie let alone a series." BUT I was plesantly surprised, and all it took was you know making them actual characters instead of cartoon antagonists. Kudos to the entire writting staff.

The acting is the main draw here. Devine and Hyland might be my favorite on stage couple. Their chemistry is always electric. Their raw comedic talent played off as well here as it did in Modern family. Jamil is fantastic. She can usually carry a show herself (She-Hulk) but she really shines when everyone else is up top her level. Peiter and Das Boot were fantastic her dry wit played well off his buffoonery. Watched the whole series in a sitting and highly recommend. Best new show so far and I hope it gets a second season.