B. J Novak's A-List Anthology Series "The Premise" Tackles Celebrity Worship and Butt Plugs

Published Sep 13 2021 at 10:10 PM GMT

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Ray Mickshaw/FXIn his new FX anthology show The Premise, creator and writer BJ Novak explores human impulse through the lens of sex and social media.
While it might read as a more lighthearted facsimile of Netflix's future-minded behemoth Black Mirror, Novak's pursuit is based firmly in the present, with an outlook that leans more humanist than the long-running techno-philosophical series.
The Premise finds a cohesive through line in our collective need for intimacy and care in a social hierarchy dominated by the internet, where we are both more connected and more isolated than ever.
The self-contained stories in each half-hour episode navigate sociopolitical landmines like gun lobbying, police cover-ups, A-list and D-list celebrity worship, respectively, and, perhaps most notably, butt plugs.
And while it's clear that Novak has a take on the big topics, his script largely serves as a canvas for a cadre of quick-witted, deliciously entertaining characters'played by titans like Lucas Hedges, Jon Bernthal, Daniel Dae-Kim, Kaitlyn Dever and Tracee Ellis Ross.