Minimum Wage Review

Almost everyone remembers their first job. Maybe it was a fast-food counter or a pizza place where the oven was older than the staff. The manager was barely older than you, and nobody quite knew the rules. Minimum Wage, a new Netflix comedy that premiered on October 26, 2026, is built entirely on that feeling.

The show follows a group of teens running a struggling pizzeria. It started life as short videos online and now has a 14-episode first season on Netflix. Here's a closer look at the people behind the counter, what each episode delivers and why critics can't agree on it.

Meet the staff

The workers at The Slice Club share first names with the actors who play them, a holdover from the web series the show is based on. Grace Reiter plays Grace, the manager. She's in charge on paper, though not really in practice.

Hope Bernard at the Indiana Daily Student singled her out: "I especially enjoyed Grace Reiter's indifferent delivery as the manager, who, although in charge of the entire business's operation, has little clue how to run it."

Around her are Aidan Micho, Ryan Micho and Hyde Healy, plus Julia DiCesare, Luke Burke and Tommy Armstrong. Together they make the kind of crew anyone who has worked a shift job will recognize.

The boss from upstairs

Every bad job has a strange boss, and this one has Randall Park. He plays Terry Sylvester, owner of the pizzeria, who shows up in the first episode to decide whether the shop is worth keeping open.

Tasnim Jahan at K-waves and Beyond called Park "the pompous boss at the shop" and said he is "great to have around in the show." Even Mohan Nasre at Flickonclick, one of the show's harshest critics, mentioned Park as a plus.

Having a recognizable face from Fresh Off the Boat gives the series a little extra credibility, and his deadpan style fits the mockumentary format.

What an episode feels like

Each episode tells its own small story. In "Drama Club," a group of theater kids turns the shop upside down. "Sleepover" involves a pet spider on the loose. "Commercial" sees one of the staff preparing for what he thinks is his big break, and "New Year's Eve" closes the season with a holiday shift full of relationship trouble.

The episodes are short, somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes depending on which listing you check. Belen Prieto at Espinof put it simply: "its episodes fly by." The format is mockumentary, with characters speaking straight to the camera, and swear words are bleeped.

Born on social media

The series comes from American High, a production company known for fast, low-cost comedies. Its Minimum Wage shorts became a hit online, reaching more than 30 million views by May 2026, according to HighOnFilms. Jeremy Garelick and Will Phelps created the Netflix version, run the show and serve as executive producers with Axelle Azoulay.

Netflix ordered 28 episodes. Half have been released, and Netflix hasn't announced a date for the rest.

From phone screen to TV screen

Turning short clips into a TV series is harder than it looks. A video made for a phone only needs one good joke to work. A 15-minute episode needs an actual story, plus characters people care about from week to week.

That's where the show's strengths and weaknesses both come from. The quick, scrappy humor survives the move, which fans of the shorts will appreciate. The thin storylines survive it too, and on a big TV they're harder to ignore.

The case for it

Fans of the series mostly talk about energy and cast chemistry. Joel Keller at Decider was fair about it. "Is it gut-grabbing hilarious? No," he wrote, but added that the cast is "fun to watch" and each episode is a pleasant way to pass the time.

Joyce Slaton at Common Sense Media found a good pun for it, writing that "viewers who like to laugh will want to clock in anyway." Jahan said the cast "know what sort of comedy they are producing and embrace it without looking self-conscious."

Daniel Fienberg at The Hollywood Reporter also found things to enjoy, noting that "the bursts of talent emerge with enough frequency" to keep it moving.

The case against

The same critics also listed real problems. Fienberg felt that "Episodes are short, but still frequently feel padded," and he wasn't kind about the low budget.

Nasre gave it 1.5 out of 5 and called it "a tough sit." In his view, the jokes are too loud to work: "When every joke is shouted, none of them stands out."

Dom Robinson at DVDfever wasn't a fan either, writing, "It's also like they're trying to be the American version of The Office, which doesn't work for me, either."

Even positive reviewers wanted more depth. Jahan wished "some of the characters had more freedom to develop themselves beyond just being funny in the very moment." Bernard noted that a short-form series focused on wild humor is "destined to lack a strong structural backbone."

Where the numbers land

On Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds 80% from five critics, while audiences give it 82%. The three critics listed on Metacritic each scored it 60, and a final Metascore was still pending at the time of writing. Rendy Jones at What's on Netflix went with 2.5 out of 5.

Who will enjoy it most

Viewers who already follow American High online are the obvious audience. So are Gen Z viewers who like their comedy fast and absurd. Bernard called it "a refreshing take on Gen-Z humor."

If you've ever worked a job like this, some of it may hit close to home. Jokes about odd bosses and chaotic shifts don't need much explaining.

Parents should note that listings disagree on the rating. Rotten Tomatoes says TV-14, while Metacritic says TV-MA.

Final thoughts

I think the show works best in small doses. One or two episodes at a time keeps it fun, while a long binge makes the repetition more obvious.

I would give the first episode a fair shot. If Park's boss and Grace's shrugging leadership make you laugh, the rest of the season will too. If they don't, you'll know right away, and it only costs you a few minutes to find out.