Ryan the Temp is back again. Okay, so maybe his real-life name is B.J. Novak, and he’s an incredibly successful actor, writer, producer, and creator. But he’s still Fire Guy, right? Well, putting “The Office” aside, let’s take a look at the trailer for Novak’s new series, “The Premise.”
As seen in the trailer for “The Premise,” the new FX on Hulu series is an anthology show about…well, a bunch of things. One episode is about a sex tape that might help exonerate a Black man involved with a police incident. Another is about a pop star that says he’ll have sex with a high school valedictorian. And yes, there’s even an episode about a man creating the best butt plug ever. The show is bananas, people.
And as you might expect with prestige anthology series, the cast is just as ridiculous with folks like Ben Platt, Tracee Ellis Ross, Daniel Dae Kim, Lola Kirke, Soko, Jermaine Fowler, Ayo Edebiri, Eric Lange, Lucas Hedges, Kaitlyn Dever, Jon Bernthal, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Ed Asner, George Wallace, Boyd Holbrook, and Beau Bridges. Stacked, right?
“The Premise” debuts on FX on Hulu on September 16. You can watch the trailer below.
Here’s the breakdown of the first batch of episodes:
“Social Justice Sex Tape” – When a white, woke, twenty-something ally to social justice causes (Ben Platt) discovers video evidence of a disputed police incident in the background of his highly embarrassing sex tape, a savvy young lawyer (Ayo Edebiri) and her mentor (Tracee Ellis Ross) strategize on how to best use the tape and witness to save an innocent man (Jermaine Fowler) from prison. Also starring Melissa Saint-Amand. Written by B.J. Novak and Josie Duffy Rice. Directed by Kitao Sakurai.
“Moment of Silence” – After losing his daughter to gun violence, a grieving father (Jon Bernthal) pursues a new job as a PR director at the National Gun Lobby, where he’s befriended by a coworker (Boyd Holbrook) who starts to suspect the man’s motives may be far more dangerous than they seem. Also starring Beau Bridges and Amy Landecker. Written and directed by B.J. Novak.
“The Ballad of Jesse Wheeler” – A pop megastar (Lucas Hedges) returns to his high school to pledge a donation to build a new library, but instead promises to have sex with the school’s valedictorian as an academic achievement prize. The promise inspires the disillusioned Abbi (Kaitlyn Dever) along with the rest of the student body, while the star’s manager (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) and the school’s principal (George Wallace) desperately try to walk back the promise. Also starring Ed Asner, Brendan Scanell and Grace Song. Written and directed by B.J. Novak.
“The Commenter” – A young woman (Lola Kirke) with a happy life and loving partner (Soko) becomes obsessed with a critical anonymous comment online, eventually upending her life in a quest for the commenter’s approval. Also starring Sylvia Grace Crim and Benjamin Clement. Written by Jia Tolentino and B.J. Novak. Directed by Darya Zhuk.
“Butt Plug” – A once-poor child of immigrants (Daniel Dae Kim) who has now become one of the world’s richest men presents a chance at redemption to his former school bully (Eric Lange): an uninterrupted hour with his board of directors to pitch a very specific product. Also starring Bryan Batt. Written by B.J. Novak. Directed by Jake Schreier.
