“Pitch Perfect” character Bumper Allen may not have taken the Good Place himself, but that doesn’t mean a little bit of “The Good Place” wasn’t found in “Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin” — the two shows share an executive. Creator, after all. But, according to showrunner Megan Amram, that wasn’t exactly intentional for her last sitcom.
“Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin,” now streaming on Peacock, follows Bumper (Adam Devine), the antagonist of the first two films, as he agrees to move to Germany to reignite his singing career. According to Peter Kramer (also of Flula Borg, “Pitch Perfect 2”), Bumper is famous there after going viral on TikTok. Granted, Peter is playing fast and loose with the word “famous,” but Bumper doesn’t know that, so off he goes.
When he arrives, he quickly learns that his main opponent is going to be Gisela, Peter’s ex-girlfriend and fellow Das Sound Machine alum. She’s vain and a little ruthless, but tremendously talented — and she’s played by “The Good Place” alum Jameela Jamil.
According to Amram, working with Jameel again was something he felt while writing the character.
“I became very close with Jamila when we made ‘The Good Place,’ and when I was envisioning the show, I thought of this villainous character Gisela, who, you know, in my mind was the Wicked Lady. Gaga,” Amram told TheWrap. “And I kept saying, ‘Who’s the German Jameela Jameel?’ Like, ‘Who can we cast in this role?’ And then it occurred to me: I should just ask the British Jameela Jameel!
Amram continued, “So then I was like, ‘Hey, um, do you want to sing and dance and go to Berlin and be on my show? ‘” And without reading the pilot she said, ‘Yeah.’ And I was like, ‘I can’t believe you trust me that much. You should read it.’ But I can never really thank her enough for how much she trusted me. And he’s so funny on this show.
There are a few more sprinkles from “The Good Place” as you delve deeper into “Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin.” Diehard fans of the NBC sitcom will remember that shrimp were a favorite dish for Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), and they make their triumphant return in “Bumpers in Berlin.” When Bumper convinces his team to get matching jackets, they read “Bumper Gump Shrimpin Company”, a more obvious sign for “Forrest Gump”.
“It wasn’t intentional, but it sure was — one, I think shrimp are always funny. They’re insects that live in water. To me it’s always funny,” Amram explained with a laugh. “Bumper Gump Shrimp was, I would say, Bubba Gump Shrimp’s dog’s tail was wagging a little bit. But I had this idea, you know, if people think it’s a nod to The Good Place, then I like that. ‘The Good Place’ was very meaningful to me.
At one point in “Bumper in Berlin”, Sarah Hyland’s character also goes under the stage name Karen Frarine, who also felt familiar to Amram. “I was like, he’s like Jeremy Berrymi from ‘The Good Place.'” So nodded once or twice!
You can watch TheWrap’s full interview with Megan Amram in the video above.
