Who is Vince Staples? Netflix viewers who might not know the rapper/singer can dive inside his psyche with his new limited satirical series, “The Vince Staples Show.” Using the same surrealist approach as the critically acclaimed “Atlanta” and “Reservation Dogs,” the Long Beach-set series is presented in five delirium-filled vignettes as Vince (the character) navigates his daily life. Viewers watch him trying to get a small business loan, taking his girlfriend Deja’s (Andrea Ellsworth) little brother and friends to a theme park and speaking to a class of middle school students at his alma mater. While the show, which Kenya Barris produces, has some truly laugh-out-loud moments, an uneven cadence and aimlessness throughout make for a frustrating watch overall.
Related Stories
VIP+
VFX Working Conditions Need to Change, but Current Unionization Option May Not Be the Answer
Netflix CTO Elizabeth Stone on Streamer's New AI Project, Gearing Up for Live NFL Games, Evolving the Culture and More
“The Vince Staples Show’s” opener, “Pink House,” begins with a disclaimer that it is a work of fiction. But naturally, one can assume a few fragments of what’s displayed here are pulled directly from the 30-year-old creator’s real-life experiences. In this premiere, Vince gets pulled over by a cop for speeding in his Mercedes Benz G Wagon, and is promptly thrown in jail for an outstanding warrant.
Popular on Variety
There are countless outlandish moments woven throughout these first 26 minutes. A police dispatcher questions whether Vince is the guy from “Abbott Elementary.” Later, a tenacious cellmate desperately flaunts his singing skills, hoping the musician might put him on. Viewers are also introduced to Vince’s mama, Anita (a dynamic Vanessa Bell Calloway), who can’t be bothered to bail her son out, even though he did her the courtesy just the week prior. On the surface, the episode is centered on Vince’s hours-long stay in jail. Yet, the subplot is about his struggles as a fairly recognizable star who tries to blend in. For Vince, being noticed always seems to come at the most inopportune time.
The series’ second chapter, “Black Business,” which follows Vince’s microaggression-infused experience at a bank and pays homage to the 1995 film, “Dead Presidents,” works just as sharply as “Pink House.” And the third episode, “Brown Family,” is “The Vince Staples Show’s” crowning jewel. Here, Vince, Anita and Deja attend a family reunion. Well before arriving at the park, Anita is on edge, having been tasked with bringing the macaroni and cheese (perhaps the most sacred dish at any Black American function). Things continue to go awry when the trio realizes they are wearing the wrong color reunion shirt, and an anonymous pan of mac materializes, sending Anita into a frenzy. So many layers of cultural specificity are sprinkled throughout these 20 minutes as The O’Jays’ soul classic, “Family Reunion,” plays in the background. As Anita forces Deja to help her find the owner of the unsanctioned pan of mac, Vince finds himself in the presence of his elder uncle, a former USC football star whose life has taken a downward turn. For Vince, Uncle James’ life is both a mirror and a bad omen.
Unfortunately, the show’s final two episodes, “Red Door” and “White Boy,” don’t have this same rhythm or imagination. “Red Door” starts promisingly before descending toward bizarreness. Likewise, “White Boy” offers the audience a couple of compelling scenes from Vince’s childhood before morphing into what feels like a violent video game simulation. Traditional narrative structure isn’t expected here, but these episodes don’t have an overarching theme or concise thought. Instead, they are mind-boggling to the point of disappointment.
Eight years after the debut of Donald Glover’s “Atlanta,” audiences are more acquainted with the random meandering and super stylization of series like “The Vince Staples Show.” To move the needle and stand out, TV shows taking this approach must do something different than what has been seen previously. While this series has some memorable characters, fun guest stars and gut-busting lines of dialogue, it lacks the ingenuity and grit needed to hold a present-day television audience’s attention until the end. When it’s all said and done, Staples has a lot of great ideas, but they feel mostly unfinished.
“The Vince Staples Show” premieres onNetflixFeb. 15.
FAQs
Kind of famous and sort of rich, rapper and actor Vince Staples navigates the challenges and surprises of everyday life in his hometown of The Beach.
Why is The Vince Staples Show so short? ›
Staples told "GQ" that he intentionally wanted each episode to be pared down and stand-alone.
How accurate is The Vince Staples Show? ›
Of the show's five episodes, only one feels fully realized as an exploration of its star's version of celebrity and his borderline absurdist worldview, but even in its sketchier episodes, there are moments of real inspiration — an audacious premise, a shocking deviation of tone, a scathing line of tossed-off dialogue.
Is The Vince Staples Show finished? ›
The comedy was first announced in 2022. “The Vince Staples Show is back!” Staples said. “The people have spoken and the most riveting, captivating, and polarizing show on Netflix is returning for season 2. Get ready for hijinks that only a mother can love.
Will Vince ever return to WWE? ›
Vince McMahon “Is Not Coming Back To The Company”, TKO And Endeavor Exec Mark Shapiro Affirms After Former WWE Boss Sells Another $412M In Stock.
How much does Vince Staples charge for a show? ›
Vince Staples is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Vince Staples for your event is $100,000 - $200,000.
What ethnicity is Vince Staples? ›
Personal life. The majority of Staples' family are immigrants from Haiti, who had first arrived in Eastern Canada, then left for Louisiana believing that they could buy land cheaper but were unaware of the social economic climate there at the time.
How many people have watched The Vince Staples Show? ›
In his RollingStone interview, Staples described the show as “niche,” and that would appear to be the case. The show failed to enter the global top 10s following its initial release, suggesting that it had under 1.7 million views for its opening week and less than 2.1 million in the week following that.
Were Vince Staples and Mac Miller friends? ›
Vince Staples, who was close to Miller, spoke about his deceased friend during an interview on Real 92.3 LA's “Big Boy's Neighborhood.” While speaking about the demons that Miller faced and his drug addiction, Staples told Big Boy, “He was trying. All you can ask for is for somebody to try.
Was The Vince Staples Show inspired by Atlanta? ›
The show is hilarious and believable, given Vince Staples's life story. It's a must-watch; its inspiration echoes Glover's show Atlanta, but this is for L. A. I wholeheartedly hope this show gets renewed, as Vince is a very grounded entertainer in an age of digital and plastic facades.
Vince's Uncle James is a thinly veiled allusion to O.J. Simpson; both attended USC, both drive a White Ford Bronco and both "caught cases" in 1994. The end is reminiscent of Simpson's presence on social media after his release from jail.
Who is Vince Staples' uncle supposed to be? ›
It's incredibly clear that in episode three of the show Uncle James is supposed to be OJ Simpson. For starters there's the obvious similarity in the name, James is the j in OJ. Before we see him references are made to his peculiarity around white women, and the case he caught in 94 making him crazy.
What is the point of The Vince Staples Show? ›
Staples's latest project embraces the weird, with this self-titled, surreal comedy – in which his protagonist navigates the dream-logic of a disquieting reality. He plays a fictionalised version of himself, a successful performer with a natural swagger whose world is filled with twisted, David Lynch-like humour.
Who is the girlfriend in The Vince Staples Show? ›
That's the question Vince's girlfriend, Deja (Andrea Ellsworth) asks him in the last moments of the fifth and final episode of The Vince Staples Show limited series.
Who was chasing Vince Staples? ›
The final scene where Vince is being chased by Whiteboy is reminiscent of Paper Boy being robbed and almost losing his mind in the woods.
What did Sophie produce for Vince Staples? ›
Vince Staples claimed his adventurous second album, Big Fish Theory, wasn't a rap record — it was an electronic one. The credits backed him up, including two beats produced by SOPHIE. Other Big Fish Theory songs glisten and groove, while a track like “Yeah Right” pits Staples against the beat, heavy and industrial.
Who is Uncle James Vince in the Staples show? ›
Vince's Uncle James is a thinly veiled allusion to O.J. Simpson; both attended USC, both drive a White Ford Bronco and both "caught cases" in 1994. The end is reminiscent of Simpson's presence on social media after his release from jail.
How much did Vince sell WWE for? ›
Following a successful WrestleMania weekend, the news broke on Monday that WWE had been sold for $21 billion. The organisation had been owned by McMahon's family for 70 years, but on Monday it was announced the Endeavour would become the majority owner.
