What’s the opposite of an upper-decker left in the tank of your toilet? How about the surprise release of a MacGruber sequel series in December? Probably?
Peacock revealed on Monday that next month will see the long-awaited return of Will Forte’s MacGruber, last seen in the 2010 cult comedy of the same name. The eight-episode series, which finds Forte’s movie costars Kristen Wiig and Ryan Phillippe back as Vicki St. Elmo and Dixon Piper, will drop all at once on Thursday, Dec. 16. The streamer announced the series with a batch of first-look photos and a teaser video catching up with MacGruber, who is now in prison.
The setup for the MacGruber series is appropriately extreme: After killing his arch-nemesis Dieter Von Cunth (played by Val Kilmer) at his wedding to Vicki, MacGruber was imprisoned for what a jury decided was a senseless act of violence. A military history littered with throat rips, seen by some as “untraditional,” certainly didn’t help his case. But 10 years later, America calls on MacGruber to take down a villain from his past: Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth (Billy Zane). With freedom in hand, the vest-wearing agent puts his team back together to save the world yet again. Sam Elliot and Laurence Fishburne join the lunacy as new characters Perry and General Barrett Fasoose, respectively.
Plans for a feature-length MacGruber 2 percolated for years after the release of the original movie, with rumors that Netflix could be an obvious home. The first movie wasn’t exactly a hit, grossing a paltry $9.3 million, but the Saturday Night Live character maintained a cult following, as people discovered the odd Michael Bay/action movie parody over the years. Yes, the 2021 MacGruber only exists because NBCUniveral needs mine IP for its fledgling Peacock, but it’s also a win for all the weirdos.
Behind the camera, Forte serves as MacGruber co-showrunner, writer, and executive producer on top of being the guy who puts celery up his ass. John Solomon and Jorma Taccone, the Lonely Island vet who directed the first movie, join their leading man in showrunning while also directing the eight episodes. Check out the new images from the show below, and prepare for a KFBR392-mumbling holiday season.
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Image: Peacock
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Image: Peacock
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Peacock
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Image: Peacock
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Image: Peacock
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Image: Peacock
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Image: Peacock
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Image: Peacock
