‘Reboot’ Is Canceled and the Stars Are Quite Peeved

I'm guessing it’s not that uncommon for actors to be outraged when their shows get canceled, but social media gives them ways to express what might have been a private gripe session to a public audience. When Hulu gave Reboot the boot this week, star Rachel Bloom confessed that it was a struggle to post a “classy response,” mustering all of her self-control so that she could be “reigning in my vitriol.”

Johnny Knoxville took shots at Hulu, scolding the streamer for canceling the show after only one season. He called the shut-down “pretty unbelievable” while hoping to find a new Reboot home that “properly knows how to support a new show.”

Sitcom veteran Paul Reiser is in a state of disbelief…

…while Krista Marie Yu retweets let her fans do the crying. 

While we’re sure it sucks to have your show axed, could it really have been that much of a surprise? Despite Critics Choice nominations for Best Comedy and Best Actor in a Comedy Series (for Keegan-Michael Key), several reviewers were lukewarm on the show. Reboot “never really gets going,” said IndieWire, while Regular-Joe viewers on Rotten Tomatoes have it at 68 percent. That’s not a disaster, but the people aren’t exactly clamoring for more. Alison Lanier at Pajiba seems to have captured the general feeling about Reboot: “It hits all the right notes, but it just doesn’t sing. I wouldn’t exactly call it a swing and a miss. More a series of groundballs, lackluster but nevertheless entertaining.” Take them all together, and it's a rousing chorus of “The show is just okay.” 

Reboot and Modern Family producer Steve Levitan is shopping around a Season Two — will it get picked up by another streamer? Who knows — Netflix nabbed Peacock’s canceled Girls5Eva so it’s possible. But we’re guessing taking shots at Hulu isn’t the best way to convince another service to give Reboot a second chance. Better to take the Key/Judy Greer approach — keep quiet and let the comedy do the talking.