Netflix fans stunned by ‘cruel’ irony behind new comedy Blockbuster: ‘It’s like a murderer returning to the crime’-Robert Oliver-Entertainment – Metro

People have spotted the cruel irony behind new Netflix comedy series Blockbuster (Picture: Netflix)

Netflix viewers who are watching its new sitcom Blockbuster have noticed the cruel irony that lies behind the nostalgic show.

The eight-episode series stars Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Melissa Fumero and WandaVision’s Randall Park as employees of the last Blockbuster video store.

Founded in 1985, Blockbuster was once criticised for driving independent video stores out of business across the United States.

By 2019, however, just one Blockbuster store in the US state of Oregon was left standing, and many people became nostalgic for the rental company.

They suffered huge financial losses after the 2008 recession, and the rise of streaming services like Netflix put them in serious danger.

Which is perhaps why some Netflix viewers were surprised when they discovered the streaming service had released a brand new sitcom about Blockbuster.

One viewer said: ‘Wait, Netflix is making a Blockbuster TV show? That feels like the murderer returning to the scene of the crime.’

Another social media user said: ‘Netflix making a TV show about Blockbuster is straight up bullying. It’s like if a meteor directed Jurassic Park.’

The series has received negative reviews from critics and a considerable amount of backlash on social media – even from those who don’t have fond memories of Blockbuster.

‘I would like to say you owe zero warm nostalgia to Blockbuster Video. It sucked. I worked there and it was a horrible place,’ one former employee said on Twitter.

They described it as ‘a monster that killed every local rental place it could, a hideous beast that got devoured by a younger monster’.

The new comedy series hasn’t been kindly received by critics or Netflix viewers (Picture: Netflix)

The series also stars Orange is the New Black’s Olga Merediz and American Vandal’s Tyler Alvarez.

At its height in the UK, Blockbuster had over 800 stores. However, the last Blockbuster shop in the UK closed its doors in December 2013.

‘People are so quick to forget how terrible Blockbuster was when it was on top,’ another person said, recalling their bad experiences.

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They concluded their thoughts by saying: ‘Ridiculous late fees and terrible customer service. Netflix won because Blockbuster sucked.’

Many surviving video stores have altered their business model over the years, focusing instead on preserving archives of film and pop culture.

Blockbuster is (ironically) available to stream on Netflix.

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