Jimmy Kimmel backs 420 series, will cannabis culture accept it?
The high holiday of 420 is approaching, which means epic parties and banger deals at the dispensary are imminent. This year, it also marks the debut of the reality series High Hopes on Hulu. High Hopes is an unscripted docuseries about Hollywood cannabis dispensary MMD produced by Jimmy Kimmel’s production company, Kimmelot.
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High Hopes unfolds in six parts as brothers Slava and Mishka attempt to launch a premium MMD weed brand. MMD was founded in 2006 and is one of the longest-standing dispensaries in the Hollywood Area. In the last 20 years, the retail shop has expanded into five locations, but the series will center on the original Hollywood store and the longtime employees who work there.
The thirty-second trailer was released this week to announce the incoming series, but some in the cannabis community received it with trepidation. The trailer indicates that the series may be walking the same path as the Chuck Lorre Netflix weed sitcom Disjointed (which tanked even with Kathy Bates at the helm), pandering to low-hanging tropes.
The trailer gets underway with a voice-over from someone in charge giving an inspirational speech before bleeping the sound over the word marijuana. It then devolves into an announcement that they can’t tell the viewer what they’re talking about, a nod to the impossible task of marketing weed. The part that leaves some room for pause comes after this portion.
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The promotional video then cuts to what appears to be an employee laughing in a stereotypically “stoned” way for a, perhaps, too long period. The way the scene depicts the staff member doesn’t sit well with many advocates who dedicate their time to breaking away from the stigma this brand of pop culture perpetuates.
But viewers can still hold on to high hopes that the Hulu series will show the intelligent, engaging, and creative cannabis culture rooted in Southern California alongside funny moments. Those that want to find out can tune into the Hulu premier on Saturday, April 20th.
