Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp

Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp is an American satirical comedy television miniseries written by David Wain and Michael Showalter, and directed by Wain. First Day of Camp is the second installment in the Wet Hot American Summer franchise. The eight-episode Netflix series is a prequel to Wain's 2001 film Wet Hot American Summer, a parody of teen sex comedies which has since developed a cult following. Although many of the original film's ensemble cast have gone on to high-profile work, all of the then-adult actors returned for this series, playing even younger versions of their original roles. The episodes were released for online viewing at the end of July 2015.
Cast and characters
Returning cast from the film (in alphabetical order)
Elizabeth Banks as Lindsay
H. Jon Benjamin as Mitch/Can of Mixed Vegetables
Michael Ian Black as McKinley
Bradley Cooper as Ben
Judah Friedlander as Ron Von Kleinenstein
Janeane Garofalo as Beth
Nina Hellman as Nancy
Joe Lo Truglio as Neil
Ken Marino as Victor
Christopher Meloni as Gene Jenkinson/Jonas Jurgenson
A. D. Miles as Gary
Marguerite Moreau as Katie
Zak Orth as J.J.
David Hyde Pierce as Assoc. Prof. Henry Neumann
Amy Poehler as Susie
Paul Rudd as Andy
Marisa Ryan as Abby
Molly Shannon as Gail
Michael Showalter as Coop
Showalter also portrays U.S. President Ronald Reagan
Kevin Sussman as Steve
New cast
Jason Schwartzman as Greg, Boys' Head Counselor
Lake Bell as Donna Berman, Coop's love interest
David Bloom as Kevin, a kid at the camp
Thomas Barbusca as Drew, Kevin's nemesis
George Dalton as Arty "The Beekeeper" Solomon
Samm Levine as the voice of Arty
Michael Blaiklock as Danny
David Wain as Yaron, an Israeli counselor
John Slattery as Claude Dumet, a renowned Broadway actor-director
Michaela Watkins as Rhonda, a professional choreographer
Josh Charles as Blake, Camp Tigerclaw counselor and Katie's boyfriend
Rich Sommer as Graham, one of Blake's cronies
Eric Nenninger as Warner, one of Blake's cronies
Hailey Sole as Amy, Kevin's love interest
Chris Pine as Eric, a reclusive musician
Jon Hamm as The Falcon, a hired assassin
Randall Park as Jeff, a city hall records clerk who's in love with Gail
Michael Cera as Jim Stansel, Beth and Greg's lawyer
Kristen Wiig as Courtney, a snobby Camp Tigerclaw counselor
Guest appearances
Jordan Peele as Alan, Lindsay's boss
Paul Scheer as Dave, Lindsay's colleague
Jayma Mays as Jessica, Lindsay's colleague
"Weird Al" Yankovic as Jackie Brazen, a famous hypnotist
Beth Dover as Shari, Neil's high school sweetheart
John Early as Logan St. Bogan
Bruce Greenwood as Bill Martinson, powerful lawyer
Rob Huebel as Brodfard Gilroy, Henry's rival
Richard Schiff as Dean Fairchild, Henry's superior
Episodes
Production
After years of speculation and reports on a possible sequel to Wet Hot American Summer, shooting began on the miniseries in January 2015. The entire adult cast of the film returned in the same roles. Much of the series was shot in Los Angeles. Working around the availability of the cast members, many of whom had seen a significant rise in stardom since the original film, was difficult; some sources report that Bradley Cooper, who plays Ben, had to shoot all of his scenes in one day, although star and co-writer Michael Showalter has since denied this claim.
Along with the series, a making-of documentary on Wet Hot American Summer, titled Hurricane of Fun: The Making of Wet Hot, was released on Netflix on July 24, 2015, consisting of behind the scenes interviews and footage shot during the filming of the movie.
Sequel
On April 27, 2016, it was announced that Netflix ordered a follow-up series entitled Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later, set ten years after the events of the film. The series consists of eight episodes, and was released on August 4, 2017.
Reception
Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has a score of 92%, based on 53 reviews, with an average rating of 7.44/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp offers more of the same goofy hijinks that fans of the cult classic crave, but outsiders might not be quite as enamored." On Metacritic, the series holds a score of 74 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
For the 6th Critics' Choice Television Awards, John Slattery was nominated for Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series.
References
External links
2010s American comedy television miniseries
2010s American satirical television series
2015 American television series debuts
2015 American television series endings
American prequel television series
Cultural depictions of Ronald Reagan
English-language Netflix original programming
Live action television shows based on films
Television series about summer camps
Television series about teenagers
Television series set in the 1980s
Television shows set in Maine
Television shows set in summer camps