I'm guessing it’s not that uncommon for actors to be outraged when their shows get canceled, but social media gives them ways to express what might have been a private gripe session to a public audience. When Hulu gave Reboot the boot this week, star Rachel Bloom confessed that it was a struggle to post a “classy response,” mustering all of her self-control so that she could be “reigning in my vitriol.”
While we’re sure it sucks to have your show axed, could it really have been that much of a surprise? Despite Critics Choice nominations for Best Comedy and Best Actor in a Comedy Series (for Keegan-Michael Key), several reviewers were lukewarm on the show. Reboot “never really gets going,” said IndieWire, while Regular-Joe viewers on Rotten Tomatoes have it at 68 percent. That’s not a disaster, but the people aren’t exactly clamoring for more. Alison Lanier at Pajiba seems to have captured the general feeling about Reboot: “It hits all the right notes, but it just doesn’t sing. I wouldn’t exactly call it a swing and a miss. More a series of groundballs, lackluster but nevertheless entertaining.” Take them all together, and it's a rousing chorus of “The show is just okay.”
Reboot and Modern Family producer Steve Levitan is shopping around a Season Two — will it get picked up by another streamer? Who knows — Netflix nabbed Peacock’s canceled Girls5Eva so it’s possible. But we’re guessing taking shots at Hulu isn’t the best way to convince another service to give Reboot a second chance. Better to take the Key/Judy Greer approach — keep quiet and let the comedy do the talking.