Reality Bites Is Getting Turned Into A TV Series At Peacock
NBCUniversal continues to invest in exciting exclusive content, with many of their new series inspired by existing Universal IP. The latest beloved property to get the reboot treatment comes in the form of the Gen X favorite, "Reality Bites."
The romantic comedy was penned by Helen Childress and directed by Ben Stiller in his feature directorial debut. The film boasted a ridiculously impressive cast featuring Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Stiller, and supporting performances from Janeane Garofalo and Steve Zahn. This is the second time NBCUniversal has attempted to breathe new life into "Reality Bites" after plans for a series in 2013 never came to fruition. The new Peacock series will bring back Helen Childress to write the episodes, positioned as a "reframing" of her original film.
The original story focused on the idealistic-to-a-fault Lelaina Pierce (Ryder) as she and her core group of friends make the transition from the freedom of college life and enter the world of adulthood in the mid-'90s. The 1990s were a decade of massive social, cultural, political, and technological changes, which made coming-of-age even more complicated than usual. While Stiller is not currently attached to direct any episodes, Childress will also serve as an executive producer alongside Jenna Bans, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher, Danny DeVito and Casey Kyber, with Shamberg, Sher, and DeVito having produced the original movie. Bans was a co-executive producer with Childress on the NBC series "Good Girls," which was canceled way too soon and I may or may not still be bitter about it.
A seminal '90s movie revisited
"Reality Bites" is largely considered to be one of the most seminal films of the 1990s, and Peacock has clearly been targeting the Gen X audiences. The series joins their existing and planned adaptations of "Field of Dreams," "Queer as Folk," and "Battlestar Galactica," with their original series "Girls5eva" centering on the lives of now-adult Gen Xers. Peacock looked to be struggling at the end of 2021 when it was announced that they had lost $1.7 billion, but the streamer isn't going down without a fight. As Netflix continues to cancel programs left and right after failing to meet their subscriber goals and hemorrhaging value, Peacock has only increased their green light status.
"Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" director Jason Woliner has found a home at Peacock for a show he's been shooting for over a decade, Rian Johnson is making his first TV series with the Natasha Lyonne starring "Poker Face," and they've ordered renewals for many of last year's debut series. As the streaming wars rage on, it's clear that Peacock is willing to take big risks with their content and make the best of their existing library.