Aca-scuse me? Pitch Perfect spin-off series starring Bumper ordered at Peacock

Aca-believe it! Peacock is developing a Pitch Perfect project that isn’t a fourth film, and this news is almost as bad as being diagnosed with nodes.

It was announced this week via Deadline that streaming service Peacock has ordered a straight-to-series pickup for a Pitch Perfect spin-off starring Adam Devine’s Bumper Allen.

The series, which will be executive produced by Elizabeth Banks, will follow Bumper, several years after the events of the films, as he tries to capitalize on one of his songs becoming popular in Germany. Many of the details are still unknown at this time, but I think it’s safe to assume it’ll be a comedy series, much like the original films were.

And I’m a huge Pitch Perfect fan, but let’s be clear: This series sounds aca-awful.

The magic of the original franchise came from the fact that it was a series of films about women by women. The original film’s portrayal of female friendship and its important message about overcoming catty stereotypes in order to band together in the end for the betterment of all the Bellas was incredible, especially for 2012.

The success of the entire franchise, which grossed over $600 million worldwide, was proof that audiences want and appreciate films centered around women with strong female friendships at their core. After the first film became a mainstream hit, the second one became an even bigger global success, showing that audiences not only wanted to see those female-centered films but that they were ready and willing to come back for more. Pitch Perfect 2 alone is responsible for nearly $300 million of that $600 million gross. Additionally, 75% of Pitch Perfect 2’s audience was female, and 62% were under the age of 25.

Which begs the question, who is this new Peacock show for? Certainly not the mostly young, female audience that went to see Pitch Perfect 2. I think it’s fair to say Bumper was probably not their favorite character, and those young women most likely didn’t show up just to see him. And, honestly, I can’t imagine them tuning in to this show about him.

The last time we saw Bumper was during a mid-credits scene at the end of Pitch Perfect 2, as he auditioned for The Voice. His absence from the third film in the franchise, as lackluster as it was, makes this show an even odder choice for me, seeing as he clearly wasn’t central enough to be featured in all the parts of this trilogy. It’s so disheartening to watch as this female-lead franchise gets handed over to a man, especially a man like Bumper: Self-absorbed, straight, and white.

It’s clear that audience interest in and desire for funny, female-driven films was a huge factor in Pitch Perfect’s success, so to give the franchise’s first TV spin-off to Bumper feels like a slap in the face to fans who have been patiently waiting for new Bella-related content for years now. Especially since the entire cast, Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson included, have been vocal about their desire for a Pitch Perfect 4.

Last year, the Bellas even reunited to release a cover of Beyonce’s “Love on Top” to raise money for COVID relief with UNICEF. If the actors want to continue the Bellas’ stories and Universal wants to release more Pitch Perfect content, then why create a Bumper show?

Some might argue that cast members like Anna Kendrick and Hailee Steinfeld are simply too busy to commit to a Pitch Perfect continuation, but I’m sure between Love Life and Hawkeye, they could find the time if they truly wanted to come back.

As much as I love this franchise, the third film wasn’t nearly as good as the others, and I’m afraid this show will continue to sour something that once felt evergreen. If it were up to me, I would prefer Peacock go a different route, if doing something with the original Bellas is truly off the table.

A series set at Barden University following a new group of Bellas desperate to prove themselves after the massive success of Becca’s Bellas would be much more interesting to watch and could keep the franchise as female-focused as it’s always been. And if Peacock is worried about needing an already established character at the helm of this series, they should look at the success of shows like High School Musical: The Musical: The Series on Disney+.

Simply the name High School Musical got fans of the original films interested and invested in the series, even without someone like Zac Efron showing up as Troy Bolton. The Pitch Perfect brand is strong enough to bring the audiences in, so why not give them more of what they clearly want?

All in all, as desperate as I am for new Pitch Perfect content, Peacock’s next step for the franchise is disa-aca-pointing.