When was the last time you set foot in a video rental store? Years ago, right? Or maybe you’ve never even been inside one. Well, if you press play on the first three minutes of Netflix’s new workplace sitcom Blockbuster, you’ll gain early entry into this once-sacred space for movie lovers. Be warned, though, you may have to deal with a light guilt trip from manager Timmy Yoon (Randall Park) about opting for the ease of streaming services for so long.

Blockbuster creator Vanessa Ramos, who previously co-produced Superstore and wrote for Brooklyn Nine-Nine, kicks off the series by acknowledging the irony that it’s streaming on Netflix. She also serves up some cheeky allusions to other Netflix titles fans are likely to have watched. 

Beyond its first few minutes, the show is jam-packed with movie references, which Ramos says reflects how she and Blockbuster’s other writers speak. “The other day I think I was describing when a deer gets loose in a liquor store, and I was like, ‘Oh, it was a Baby’s Day Out.’ I just have weird reference points of movies,” she tells Tudum. “In trying to describe situations, we just naturally found ourselves leaning into that.”

Of course, as this sneak peek of Blockbuster shows, not all the characters share Ramos’ impressive movie knowledge. Connie (Olga Merediz), who’s a bit older than the store’s other workers, mixes up actors’ names or recognizes them for much less relevant projects — like Jennifer Aniston and her Smartwater ads. But don’t worry, her fellow Blockbuster employee, Eliza (Melissa Fumero), is always there to translate and help out her formerly retired co-worker.

Ricardo Hubbs/Netflix

“I think intergenerational bonds happen in our families and in our workplaces, so there’s a lot that’s easy to connect to and is also just very fun and funny,” Fumero tells Tudum. The actor says she especially enjoyed all the teasing her character receives from her teenage co-worker, Kayla (Kamaia Fairburn). “It was great,” Fumero shares and laughs. “I mean it did also make me feel old sometimes.” 

For Park, who’s at the center of the cast as the Blockbuster team leader, it’s these characters’ special connections, which are on full display from the show’s jump, that drew him to the script. “It was intriguing that it was about Blockbuster. I was like, ‘Oh, that’s interesting. But is it about more than that?’ And it was,” he tells Tudum. “It was so funny and the relationships had so much depth.” 

Dig into those hilarious workplace dynamics by screening all 10 episodes of Blockbuster on Nov. 3. No VCR required.