Arnold Schwarzenegger has a brand new motion automobile, and a brand new catchphrase in addition. “That’s it and that’s all,” he says repeatedly, sounding maybe much less like an unchallengeable authority than a valedictory Porky Pig. Its frequent recurrence within the Netflix sequence Fubar may also be learn as a type of acknowledgement of the present’s restricted scope. This can be a enjoyable, basically unserious save-the-world romp with close-shave thrills, nonsensical plots and breezy comedian aid. However that’s it and that’s all. 

The eight-part present marks the primary foray into tv work for the 75-year-old Schwarzenegger (the second, an autobiographical Netflix docu-series, follows subsequent month, and the community has simply appointed him its “chief motion officer”). If massive names are sometimes responsible of trying out on massive paycheque tasks, right here the veteran star appears genuinely enthused about bringing his outsized muscle tissue to the world’s small screens. He performs Luke Brunner, a CIA agent on the cusp of retirement (naturally) who’s given one final job — stopping a nuclear system getting into the mistaken arms. 

To make issues much more delicate, his harmless, darling daughter Emma (Monica Barbaro) occurs to be an undercover operative assigned to the identical mission. Given — or regardless of — their respective positions as high espionage property, neither suspected the opposite was a spy. Whereas each really feel betrayed, there actually will be no higher time or manner for a father and daughter to thrash out their points and construct belief than, say, whereas aboard an unstoppable practice or throughout a honey-trap operation.

Because the title suggests, issues have a tendency to not go to plan, and there are few close to misses and cliff-hangers within the opening episodes (which might have been half the size). In much less adrenalised moments, the present performs out like a cross between a conventional household comedy — with Luke decided to win again his ex, in addition to Emma’s love — and a office sitcom that options bantery aspect characters. The jokes might not hit the mark as usually because the gun-wielding Luke, however there’s a sustained, realizing levity which helps make Fubar a extra interesting proposition than Amazon’s current globe-hopping however leaden spy present, Citadel.

★★★☆☆

On Netflix from Might 25

Discover out about our newest tales first — observe @ftweekend on Twitter