Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp

Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp is a comedy streaming television series 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.[2] 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.[3]

Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp
GenreComedy
Created by
Based onWet Hot American Summer
by David Wain and Michael Showalter
Written by
  • Michael Showalter
  • David Wain
  • Christina Lee
Directed byDavid Wain
Starring
Opening theme"Jane" by Jefferson Starship
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Michael Showalter
  • David Wain
  • Jonathan Stern
  • Peter Principato
  • Howard Bernstein
CinematographyKevin Atkinson
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time27–30 minutes
Production companiesShowalter Wain
Abominable Pictures
Principato-Young Entertainment
DistributorNetflix
Release
Original networkNetflix
Picture format4K (Ultra HD)[1]
Original releaseJuly 31, 2015 (2015-07-31)
Chronology
Preceded byWet Hot American Summer
Followed byWet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later
External links
Website

Cast

Returning cast from the film (in alphabetical order)

New cast
  • Jason Schwartzman as Greg, Boys' Head Counselor (7 episodes)
  • Lake Bell as Donna Berman, Coop's love interest (7 episodes)
  • David Bloom as Kevin, a kid at the camp (7 episodes)
  • Thomas Barbusca as Drew, Kevin's nemesis (7 episodes)
  • George Dalton as Arty "The Beekeeper" Solomon (7 episodes)
  • Michael Blaiklock as Danny (7 episodes)
  • David Wain as Yaron, an Israeli counselor (6 episodes)
  • John Slattery as Claude Dumet, a renowned Broadway actor-director (6 episodes)
  • Michaela Watkins as Rhonda, a professional choreographer (6 episodes)
  • Josh Charles as Blake, Camp Tigerclaw counselor and Katie's boyfriend (6 episodes)
  • Rich Sommer as Graham, one of Blake's cronies (5 episodes)
  • Eric Nenninger as Warner, one of Blake's cronies (5 episodes)
  • Hailey Sole as Amy, Kevin's love interest (5 episodes)
  • Chris Pine as Eric, a reclusive musician (5 episodes)
  • Jon Hamm as The Falcon, a hired assassin (4 episodes)
  • Randall Park as Jeff, a city hall records clerk who's in love with Gail (4 episodes)
  • Michael Cera as Jim Stansel, Beth and Greg's lawyer (3 episodes)
  • Kristen Wiig as Courtney, a snobby Camp Tigerclaw counselor (3 episodes)

Guest appearances

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Campers Arrive"David WainMichael Showalter & David WainJuly 31, 2015 (2015-07-31)
It's the first morning at Camp Firewood, and the horny counselors are already making their moves, while something sinister is going on in the woods.
2"Lunch"David WainMichael Showalter & David WainJuly 31, 2015 (2015-07-31)
Journalist Lindsay goes undercover as a counselor. Beth and Greg make a startling discovery. Coop has his hands full with Kevin and Donna.
3"Activities"David WainMichael ShowalterJuly 31, 2015 (2015-07-31)
Tensions rise after Blake sees Andy hitting on Katie. Beth goes to an unlikely source for help. Coop is crushed when Donna gives out multiple gifts.
4"Auditions"David WainMichael ShowalterJuly 31, 2015 (2015-07-31)
Claude helps Susie find new leads for the musical. Gail tries to discover the truth about Jonas. The Falcon lands.
5"Dinner"David WainMichael Showalter & Christina LeeJuly 31, 2015 (2015-07-31)
Susie, Claude, Andy and Katie get closer during the evening meal. Jonas overreacts when Victor prank-calls him. Beth and Greg hire a lawyer.
6"Electro/City"David WainMichael Showalter & David WainJuly 31, 2015 (2015-07-31)
Lives change dramatically during the performance of the staff musical "Electro-City." Greg and Beth's lawsuit goes to trial.
7"Staff Party"David WainMichael ShowalterJuly 31, 2015 (2015-07-31)
Victor and Coop discover that sex is a lot more complicated than they thought. Lindsay has to file her article. Andy and Katie have a moment of truth.
8"Day Is Done"David WainMichael Showalter & David WainJuly 31, 2015 (2015-07-31)
While Beth and Gene fight to save the camp from government forces, Andy and the other counselors take on their Camp Tiger Claw rivals.

Production

After years of speculation and reports on a possible sequel to Wet Hot American Summer, shooting began on the miniseries in January 2015.[4] The entire adult cast of the film returned in the same roles. Much of the film 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,[5] although star and co-writer Michael Showalter has since denied this claim.[6]

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
See also: Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later

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."[7] On Metacritic, the series holds a score of 74 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8]

For the 6th Critics' Choice Television Awards, John Slattery was nominated for Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series.[9]

References
  1. "Wet Hot American Summer:First Day of Camp". instantwatcher.com. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  2. Tobias, Scott (2008-06-11). "The New Cult Canon: Wet Hot American Summer". The AV Club. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  3. "Campers! Camp Firewood is under quarantine due to an outbreak of mono. Get checked. Camp will now start on July 31". Twitter. April 24, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  4. Nellie Andreeva (January 9, 2015). "'Wet Hot American Summer' A Go As Netflix Limited Series; Original Cast To Return — Deadline". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  5. "Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp (2015–) Trivia". Internet Movie Database.
  6. Andy Greene (July 20, 2015). "'Wet Hot American Summer': How Netflix Rescued a Cult-Comedy Classic". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  7. "WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER: FIRST DAY OF CAMP (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  8. "Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  9. Hipes, Patrick (December 14, 2015). "Critics' Choice Awards Nominations: 'Mad Max' Leads Film; ABC, HBO, FX Networks & 'Fargo' Top TV". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
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