Everyone’s favorite Pitch Perfect character returns in new spin-off trailer
Adam Devine, Sarah Hyland, and Flula Borg star in Peacock's Pitch Perfect spin-off series, Bumper In Berlin
When you think back on what made Pitch Perfect so successful, one face comes to mind: that of the insufferable, semi-misogynistic rival a cappella group leader Bumper (Andy Devine). Right? …Okay, well you were definitely really into [checks notes] the German guy from Pitch Perfect 2, right? Right?
Peacock sure hopes so, because it is proud to present the trailer for its latest original comedy, Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin. Never mind that Peacock had a perfectly good musical comedy sitting right there and let it escape to Netflix; NBCUniversal’s fledgling streaming service is banking that you, like Bumper’s TikTok followers, will once again be charmed by a one-man a cappella band.
Containing nothing of what made the original film charming (a found-family sisterhood of underdog college students) and plenty of what didn’t (oh, God, don’t say riff-off again), Bumper In Berlin goes boldly where no a cappella comedy series has gone before, which is, well, Berlin. Pieter Krämer (Flula Borg) wants to make Bumper an overseas star, but the perpetual fame-chaser experiences an out-of-character crisis of confidence once he gets there. Luckily, Pieter has a beautiful and talented assistant named Heidi (Sarah Hyland) who seems to truly believe in Bumper’s star power, for some reason.
Between Devine, Hyland, and Jameela Jamil (once again leaning into her accent work), the series has no shortage of likable stars. The show also boasts some heavyweights behind the scenes, with the film series’ producer-director Elizabeth Banks serving as EP and Megan Amram (Parks & Recreation, The Good Place) on board as showrunner.
Whether those legitimate comedy bonafides can make up for this series’ apparent lack of a reason to exist remains to be seen. Peacock has had something of a mixed record with its comedies lately, but this trailer can at least acknowledge that Bumper is fundamentally a “corny a capella guy,” so perhaps it can self-awareness its way to success. Stranger things have happened!