Young Rock Episode 1 Review: 4 Ups & 3 Downs

2. The Weird Concept That Works (Mostly)

The Rock on a campaign trail to become President of the United States in 2032, relaying wrestling terms and tales of his youth to Randall Park, playing Randall Park? An entirely weird concept, but one that the premiere actually managed to sell, for the most part.

The Rock came from a wrestling background, and eventually shot to stardom himself in the wrestling scene, so the show of course provides glimpses into the world of professional wrestling in the 80s. As popular as the WWF (WWE now) was, it's not exactly a mainstream topic, so setting a comedy meant to be viewed by all on a network channel, NBC, couldn't be said to be the most accessible way to launch a show. Consequently, the premiere of Young Rock toed the line when it came to pushing the wrestling scenes.

The future interview and wrestling content turned out to be the strongest aspects of the premiere, though. Young Rock mixes these scenes with traditional sitcom staples, turning it into a hybrid that could be recommended to wrestling fans, Rock fans, or to anybody looking to pick up a new comedy to watch. This mixing doesn't always produce the best laughs, but it does make the show more accessible for anyone to jump into it.