Actors are accustomed to change, always beginning and ending new projects in various locations with new people. But for Melissa Fumero, who starred in B次元官网网址淏rooklyn Nine-NineB次元官网网址� for eight seasons, taking on a new role in the Netflix series B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� was anxiety-inducing.

B次元官网网址淚 told myself B次元官网网址楲ook, that kind of magic doesnB次元官网网址檛 happen again. You had your one unicorn in your career. ItB次元官网网址檚 probably never going to be that good again,B次元官网网址� Fumero said in a recent interview. Those jitters went away when co-star Randall Park and the rest of the cast assembled to film the 10-episode show about the employees of the sole surviving Blockbuster video store.

B次元官网网址淚 met this cast and met Randall, and we started all working together, and it was literally the same magic unicorn again. I canB次元官网网址檛 believe it.B次元官网网址�

Park B次元官网网址� best known for the ABC comedy B次元官网网址淔resh off The BoatB次元官网网址� which aired for six seasons B次元官网网址� plays Timmy, the proud manager of a Blockbuster store in a small town in Michigan. Quickly into the first episode he gets word that all remaining Blockbusters will be shut down effective immediately, corporateB次元官网网址檚 office is being turned into a WeWork, but TimmyB次元官网网址檚 Blockbuster can remain open because it still generates a small amount of business. He becomes the de facto owner of the last Blockbuster in the world. (The actual is in Bend, Ore.)

Timmy loves his job, his coworkers, and connecting with the people who come to his store. In the pilot episode, as Timmy chats with a customer who hasnB次元官网网址檛 rented a movie in a while, he says, B次元官网网址淲hatB次元官网网址檚 it been? Three years this March?B次元官网网址� The customer breaks it to him that heB次元官网网址檚 been using Netflix, but ends up renting B次元官网网址淯nder the Tuscan SunB次元官网网址� on TimmyB次元官网网址檚 recommendation to help get through a breakup.

TimmyB次元官网网址檚 genuine belief is that the in-person exchange of renting a movie, or just leaving the house to visit any brick-and-mortar store, is valuable because human beings need socialization. His employees (played by actors including Madeleine Arthur, Olga Merediz and Tyler Alvarez) donB次元官网网址檛 exactly match his conviction, but theyB次元官网网址檒l go along with his lofty ideas to bring attention to the store B次元官网网址� and to keep working.

B次元官网网址淭immy is the same kind of boss I would be, I think. Which is not necessarily a good thing,B次元官网网址� said Park. B次元官网网址淭he problem with Timmy and the problem with me, is this deep desire to be liked. B次元官网网址� He puts out a lot of positivity and a lot of love. ThatB次元官网网址檚 what really speaks to me about the character. But his need to be liked gets him in trouble often.B次元官网网址�

Vanessa Ramos, B次元官网网址淏lockbusterB次元官网网址� creator and showrunner, says when she was coming up with its characters Park is who she had in mind all along for Timmy.

B次元官网网址淚n my original pitch, Timmy was described as B次元官网网址榓 Randall Park- type,B次元官网网址� and that was because theyB次元官网网址檙e like, B次元官网网址榯hereB次元官网网址檚 no way we can get Randall Park.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Enter Netflix, which suggested sending it to Park and seeing what happened.

B次元官网网址淗e read it and was in. In my brain I was like, B次元官网网址極K, this is as good as it going to get. Like, IB次元官网网址檝e really lucked out here,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� said Ramos.

That good fortune continued when her pal and former colleague Fumero, whom she wrote for on B次元官网网址淏rooklyn Nine-Nine,B次元官网网址� became available. Fumero plays Eliza, a down on her luck Blockbuster employee who previously worked with Timmy at the store when they were in high school and heB次元官网网址檚 had a secret crush on her ever since. Eliza went to Harvard B次元官网网址� for a semester B次元官网网址� but dropped out because she got pregnant. She married, had a baby and is now separated from her husband whom she caught on a date with another woman in the Costco cafe.

B次元官网网址淭he thing about Eliza that I was really drawn to was this woman who things didnB次元官网网址檛 go exactly the way she thought they would,B次元官网网址� said Fumero. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e catching her at this moment in her life where sheB次元官网网址檚 figuring out whatB次元官网网址檚 next and who she is after sheB次元官网网址檚 already raised a kid.B次元官网网址�

Timmy and Eliza have a classic will they/wonB次元官网网址檛 they running storyline which the actors say they enjoy.

B次元官网网址淓veryone loves a romance,B次元官网网址� said Park. B次元官网网址淭he fact that these two characters also had a history before, makes it so special and different and complicated and all those things. IB次元官网网址檓 very invested.B次元官网网址�

Fumero says B次元官网网址淏lockbuster,B次元官网网址� like B次元官网网址淏rooklyn Nine-Nine,B次元官网网址� is a workplace comedy where employees become family and in some ways know each other better than family.

B次元官网网址淣o matter what industry you work in are these little dysfunctional families that exist everywhere and these people that you spend all these hours with every day and itB次元官网网址檚 a part of everyoneB次元官网网址檚 life.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擜licia Rancilio, The Associated Press

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