Warning (Very) minor plot details included below, but not really.



Before diving into words about this show, I feel obligated to talk about the fantastic run that Netflix are on in terms of their original series’.

House of Cards, Orange is The New Black, Marvels Daredevil, and even the slightly less popular Marco Polo and Sense8 are all in their own way fantastic productions to come out of the Netflix wheelhouse.

The creative freedom that Netflix have created for themselves by not being restricted to time slots or network ratings and classification is a key reason shows like this exist.

Its given Netflix the ability to create a variety of niche television series’ that may only appeal to a small portion of their users, but are still high in quality.

Their latest series, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp is a self-contained 8 episode series based before the events of the 2001 movie Wet Hot American Summer (being set on the last day of camp).

The first thing that you notice about this series is how they embrace the obvious time gap between this and the original movie. Seeing actors in their 40s dressed like 15-16 year old teens from the 80s is something that I never knew I wanted to see until now.

This series perfectly incorporates so many 80s teen movie tropes, from the inexplicable character motivations, rapidly escalating situations, teen rivalry, and the primal art of seduction though farting in your crush’s face.

If none of that tickles your fancy, the cast alone should be enough to convince a watch.

Returning is the entire original cast (or close thereto) from the 2001 film which to name a few includes Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, David Hyde Pierce, Christopher Meloni, H. Jon Benjamin, Marguerite Moreau and Joe Lo Truglio.

Newcomers to this series are the likes of Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, John Slattery, Michael Cera, Jason Schwartzman, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, Chris Pine, Randall Park, Jordan Peele and the list truly goes on and on.

Revolving around the events of the first chaotic day at Camp Firewood, viewers can expect to see campers faced with the likes of toxic waste spills, dramatic camp theater productions, mysterious abandoned cabins, deadly assassins, rival camps and a talking can of vegetables.

And that’s about it.

The plot line may not seem like much at first, but where this show really shines is in its ability to just let the actors go to town with their characters. It’s very rare to see half as many of these names appearing in a single series, let alone interacting and bouncing jokes off each other. It’s truly a unique and hilarious piece of television, one that would never be found on standard network or cable television.

Way to go Netflix you’ve bloody done it again.

10/10% stars