How Pete Davidson’s ‘Relentlessly Absurd Life’ Inspired His New Show ‘Bupkis’

Judah Miller is happy to be haunted.

“It’s like a fever dream,” he tells Complex when describing a key moment on the set of Pete Davidson’s Bupkis involving, of all the cameos in all the world, Art the Clown.

For those not familiar, Art is the central figure of the hit slasher franchise Terrifier. In theory, and certainly in less competent hands, the appearance of Art in a semi-autobiographical series—which sees Miller serving as showrunner, co-writer, and executive producer—about one of the most famous comedians on the planet might not work. But in the boldly genreless and inspiringly original Bupkis, a mass-murdering clown fits right in.

In fact, the series is a decidedly accomplished “fever dream” on all fronts. After watching an early cut of the series’ inaugural season, Complex spent some time chopping it up with Miller about bringing his friend’s “relentlessly absurd” life to Peacock. As we touch on in the full conversation below, it’s this very absurdity that makes Bupkis so relatable. Catch all eight episodes on Peacock on May 4.

This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.