lockbuster, a humourless and trite comedy series, is yet another example of Netflix making glaring mistakes when it comes to green-lighting content. Created by Vanessa Ramos, the 10-part series is intended to evoke millennial nostalgia for Blockbuster Video, the iconic American video rental chain that was wiped out when Netflix came on the scene. Tragically, though, the only amusing element of the show turns out to be the fact that there is now a sitcom about the store available on Netflix, which was one of the factors that ultimately razed Blockbuster to the ground.

There is nothing exciting or original about Blockbuster. It is a typical office sitcom that is committed to sticking to all the cliché and tropes that we have come to anticipate. Any other store could be substituted without much difficulty. A few references to movies are scattered throughout the show, as are digs at streaming services that have taken over the media landscape at the moment. It is, however, fairly limited. A show like Blockbuster is safe to an extreme. However, it fails to generate enough laughs within its 10 episodes to establish a distinct comedic personality. Its only accomplishment is to occasionally crack a smile.

Since high school, Boss Timmy (Randall Park) has worked at his neighborhood Blockbuster, which he now owns. As the corporate overlords go broke in the very first episode, Timmy’s store becomes “the last Blockbuster on Earth”. It is located in a once-bustling strip mall where a majority of the other businesses have closed. With the advent of late-stage capitalism, the workers at Blockbuster and their few remaining customers yearn to reclaim the human connection and community that was once available to working-class Americans. Besides its lack of humour, the absence of nostalgia is an unanticipated setback for a show that uses it as both a bait and a hook; the series neither attempts nor succeeds in reliving the heyday of the video store and the culture that surrounded it. Instead, it spends too much time on being witty and eccentric to allow itself to partake in what might have been the show’s most genuine buzz.

Beside its lack of humour, the absence of nostalgia is an unanticipated setback for a show that uses it as both a bait and a hook; the series neither attempts nor succeeds in reliving the heyday of the video store and the culture that surrounded it.

Despite its themes, it is perhaps ridiculous to expect this to be a wholesome and uplifting sitcom. A luckless yet charming boss, a hint of romantic tension between coworkers and characters with their own peculiarities and tics are all signs that there is an attempt to make it a light-hearted office comedy. Connie (Olga Merediz) is a senior employee, who gives off the vibe of a homey grandma. She casually reveals startling details about her life, like how her sister spent more than ten years imprisoned in South America. Carlos (Tyler Alvarez) is an ambitious young accountant in training who has a secret dream to become a filmmaker. The character of Hannah (Madeleine Arthur) reminds you of Karen from Mean Girls, but broke, while Kayla (Kamaia Fairburn) is like April from Parks and Recreation. Eliza is played by Melissa Fumero, who maintains the same persona as she did in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She left Harvard after a term to return home and raise her daughter with her childhood sweetheart Aaron (Leonard Robinson). But her marriage is now in tatters.

Simply put, the writers have been unable to create scenarios that would draw viewers in or make the characters interesting. Throughout the series, characters struggle with figuring out what they want out of life or are caught up in a moot will-they-won’t-they romance that drags on for far too long. Laughs are virtually nonexistent in Blockbuster. Sure, there are several pop culture references, but none of them gets more than a smile. The events that lead to the comedy, such as a silly prank gone terribly wrong and a ludicrous solar storm that briefly disables the internet, are either overdone or cringe-inducing. The humour often seems stale.

Despite the very long buildup, it turns out to be a bummer (without giving away any spoilers on how it all comes together). While the last episode becomes a bit more dramatic, it still plays out with a strange level of restraint that leaves everything failing miserably. A large part of this can be attributed to so many side characters being introduced but not being developed and not being very amusing to watch when they go berserk.

The show leaves many plot threads hanging, indicating that there is an intention to continue the series, but none of them are satisfactorily resolved to pique your interest in watching it again. We all love a feel-good, cheerful and wholesome sitcom. It is always welcomed. The 10-episode first season, however, only managed to come across as mediocre and predictable despite the cast giving its best. You would be better off skipping this one if you are looking for a feel-good 30-minute sitcom.

The writer is a freelance contributor