The Pentaverate Trailer: Mike Myers Has A New Netflix Sci-Fi Show, Baby

Mike Myers is back, uh, baby, and he's teaming up with Netflix for a new series called "The Pentaverate." If that title rings even the faintest of bells, it's because it actually comes from Myers' 1993 box office dud-turned cult comedy "So I Married an Axe Murderer." In the film, Myers (as he is wont to do) plays multiple roles as both the film's lead, beat poet Charlie Mackenzie, and his opinionated, Scottish father, Stuart. The latter, who earnestly believes the nonsense stories he reads in tabloids like the Weekly World News, at one point goes on about a conspiracy theory involving The Pentaverate, a group he says consists of "The Queen, The Vatican, The Gettys, The Rothschilds, and Colonel Sanders before he went tits up."

Myers, who created "The Pentaverate," plays several different roles in the series, including that of a Canadian journalist who (per the show's synopsis) ends up "embroiled in a mission to uncover the truth and just possibly save the world himself." At the heart of this zany romp is the titular secret society, a group of five men who have been "working to influence world events for the greater good since the Black Plague of 1347."

Even if the is the first you've heard of "The Pentaverate," you've likely noticed Myers slowly climbing his way back into the limelight of late. After keeping a low profile in the 2010s, outside of hosting the short-lived "Gong Show" revival as fictional British comedian Tommy Maitland and making a winking cameo as a cynical, formula-loving music producer in "Bohemian Rhapsody," Myers reprised his famous role as Wayne Campbell from the "Saturday Night Live" sketch-turned hit film comedy "Wayne's World" in a Super Bowl ad for Uber Eats in 2021. One year later, he similarly reprised the scheming Dr. Evil from the "Austin Powers" movies, this time in a Super Bowl commercial for General Motors.

Personally, I would have preferred that Myers leave his multi-role shtick back in the 1990s where it belongs, seeing as the majority of characters he's created in the past have amounted to little more than crass, unfunny caricatures that play on stereotypes and fat-phobia. (Mind you, I say this as someone who grew up watching his classic comedies and still finds myself quoting scenes like the "We fear change" bit from "Wayne's World" to this day.) That being said, we've entered the decade of peak '90s nostalgia, so I'm not surprised that Myers has found his way back into the spotlight, with Netflix bankrolling his new project. Maybe "The Pentaverate" will be less cringe-y than I'm anticipating? Shyeah, and monkeys might fly out of my ... yeah, I'm just gonna stop there.

Keegan-Michael Key, Ken Jeong, Lydia West, Debi Mazar, Richard McCabe, and Jennifer Saunders are rounding out the cast for "The Pentaverate," with Myers also executive producing and Tim Kirkby ("Veep," "Brockmire") directing. The series begins streaming May 5, 2022, on Netflix.