FUBAR (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The series used the working titles Utap and FUBAR while in production.
• Luke Brunner and his daughter Emma have lied to each other for years, with neither knowing the other is a CIA operative.
• They are required by their superiors to work together on dangerous operations.

Production

Skydance Television began developing an untitled spy series for Arnold Schwarzenegger's scripted live-action television debut in August 2020. Monica Barbaro was cast opposite him as his daughter, with both characters being CIA officers unaware of each other's profession. Netflix acquired the project in November 2020 and ordered eight episodes by May 2021. The cast expanded in April 2022, and Phil Abraham was named director and executive producer of the pilot.

Filming for the first season started in April 2022 in Antwerp, Belgium, around Grote Markt, and continued in Toronto, where Schwarzenegger reunited with former True Lies co-star Tom Arnold. Production wrapped in September 2022 under the title FUBAR. Netflix renewed the series for a second season on June 17, 2023. Carrie-Anne Moss was cast for the second season on May 13, 2024.

Filming for the second season ran from April 29, 2024, to August 30, 2024, in Toronto. Netflix canceled the series on August 1, 2025, citing a steep decline in viewership for the second season.

Reception

The first season received a 51% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 57 critic reviews, with an average rating of 5.4/10; the critics consensus described it as "just OK." Metacritic assigned a score of 48 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. The series was the most streamed television series overall for the week of May 22–28, 2023, according to Nielsen streaming rankings. The second season earned a 46% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 13 critic reviews, with a consensus noting it was "still hampered by clunky scripting." Metacritic gave it a weighted average score of 59 out of 100 based on 6 critics, also indicating "mixed or average" reception.