Can the ‘Twisted Metal’ Peacock show stand up to millennial sixth-grade nostalgia demands?

“Mom!” Cody, my neighbor yells without putting down the controller. “Moooom! We need corndogs!” 

It was a Twisted Metal 2 demolition derby. There were no winners – only mayhem. Those that survived this six-hour marathon of neighborhood gaming received…well, corndogs. We played the Holland level mercilessly as if we had personally been invited on a European tour of destruction. I, of course, would hide up with the Spectre car in a windmill and fire off missiles until someone came along and blew me through the roof. 

It didn’t matter that Twisted Metal III and Twisted Metal: Black had been released the previous two years. This was a Twisted Metal 2 household. 

As I click on the Youtube link for the “Twister Metal Season 1 Teaser”, I’m thinking: the only way this show is a true success is if they do a Ryan-Reynolds-Detective-Pikachu vibe and go full-on playful with their nostalgia. Otherwise, its gonna be Fast and the Furious with Juggalos. 

Well, looks like Sony Pictures Television got the idea.

Anthony Mackie browses through a dusty cd case that looks straight out of 1995, Len’s “Steal My Sunshine” plays, and the battle royale begins.

Twisted Metal has all the components of a late-summer streaming success, and to answer the question: yes, it can fulfill our middle school nostalgia demands.

It might even have what it takes to bring its own signature to the Twisted Metal name, and here’s why.

The production team behind Twisted Metal has a fantastic track record.

Two of the executive producers of Twisted Metal are Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. If those names don’t immediately throw sparks at you, the pair are the writing partners who have written the Zombieland and Deadpool franchises. Will Arnett also serves as an executive producer.

The series’ first season will be ten 30-minute episodes helmed by showrunner Michael Jonathan Smith, AKA the creator of the beloved Cobra Kai.

All you had to say was “Will Arnett” and I’m in.

It’s not like, “smash your face in with five decades of acclaim” like Killers of the Flower Moon, but the cast is formidably awesome. Anthony Mackie is the amiable smart-ass in a fast car with a shotgun. When a showrunner does it up right, amiable-smartass-with-a-shotgun is one of the coolest character tropes in the universe (Woody Harrelson in Zombieland is a fine example).

Will Arnett will voice Sweet Tooth, the maniacal flame-headed clown that has wreaked havoc since the original 1995 Twisted Metal. The physical Sweet Tooth is played by Samoa Joe. Honestly, hearing Bojack Horseman in a husky clown body might throw some viewers, but we’re here for it.

Supporting Arnett and Mackie are Stephanie Beatriz and Tahj Vaughans, the only other two actors credited with at least six episodes. Thomas Haden Church and Neve Campbell both show up for one episode.

Twisted Metal was filmed in New Orleans.

How else did you think we were gonna tie in Twisted Metal with Louisiana filmmakers? 

According to IMDB, Twisted Metal was a four-month shoot from May to September 2022. Mackie is a New Orleans native and has recently been putting down fresh roots in the city – in the spring of 2022, Deadline reported that he was building a studio in New Orleans East, and in September 2022, Mackie partnered with GAF, a roof manufacturer, to put resources into rebuilding homes that have been affected by natural disasters. This partnership’s mission began its efforts in his hometown of New Orleans. 

The recipe: Apocalypse + mayhem + irreverent glee

That’s the formula for the Paul Wernick-Rhett Reese writing brand. Take a jaded, lovable a**hole with a huge emotional center, put them in a wasteland with some ammo, and let them run amok.

Fans of the Twisted Metal franchise will get five hours of summer destruction to binge. There’s absolutely no shame if you find yourself clutching a controller and calling downstairs for corndogs.

Twisted Metal will premiere on Peacock on July 27th.

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Fable House is a video production company based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that specializes in production for film, video, commercials, and TV. Our team are experts in physical production, post-production, and VFX. We produce content for major brands, TV networks like Syfy and Lifetime, and provide production services to Louisiana’s never-say-die indie filmmakers.