Pete Davidson will lead his own comedy series, playing a fictional version of himself. The project, tentatively titled “Bupkis,” comes from Universal Television and “Saturday Night Live” showrunner Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video. While the series has yet to land an official home, it is currently being shopped to streamers.
Beyond starring, Davidson would also serve as co-writer on “Bupkis” with his frequent collaborator David Sirus and “Crashing” producer Judah Miller. All three serve as executive producers, along with Michaels, Andrew Singer and Erin David.
Reports indicate that the premise of “Bupkis” would be comparable to Larry David’s HBO sitcom “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” which follows the “Seinfeld” co-creator as he navigates celebrity status and daily life.
Michaels has helped launch other series for his “Saturday Night Live” cast members, including Hulu’s “Shrill” for Aidy Bryant, Apple’s “Schimgadoon!” for Cecily Strong, NBC’s “Kenan” for Kenan Thompson, Peacock’s “Bust Down” for Chris Redd and HBO Max’s “That Damn Michael Che” for Michael Che.
Davidson drew from his persona to co-write and star in Judd Apatow’s “The King of Staten Island” in 2020. The actor and comedian is currently on leave from “Saturday Night Live” to film Miramax’s horror thriller “The Home.”
Davidson is the latest member of the NBC comedy program’s cast to take a leave of absence to tend to other projects. In decades past, cast members kept close to the show in most instances, though Michaels and the network have shown more leniency in recent seasons. The comedian is currently in his eighth season on “Saturday Night Live.”
Deadline was first to report the news.