Image: netflix
Netflix’s Pet Stars is ridiculous, but it’s not the animals’ fault.
In the adorable five-part reality series, social media masters Colleen and Melissa take viewers on an adventure through their furry, fluffy, feathery, and sometimes scaly day jobs. They’re the women behind Pets on Q, a Los Angeles-based talent management company catering to “the biggest animal influencers on social media.” I know, “animal influencers.” Yuck.
Suckers like me will never get tired of it.
But across the show’s five episodes, Colleen, Melissa, and their ark of clients make that vaguely off-putting premise work for them. They take part in Petaluma, California’s World’s Ugliest Dog Contest; cast and film commercials for popular pet-care products; put on a luxury pet fashion show, complete with daywear, evening wear, and a show-stopping wedding look; walk a big ol’ pig named Charlie down Sunset Boulevard in heavy traffic; and get up to many more antics.
In the process, they prove once again: When it comes to silly, superfluous, heavily monetized pet content, humans are to blame. And that suckers like me will never get tired of it.
Melissa and Colleen of Pets on Q — and now ‘Pets Stars.’
Image: netflix
See, I’m a lifelong lover of pets — I’ve got nine in my home right now! When I’m not caring for my animal friends, I do not actively seek out pet content. I’ve got enough of it in my living room. But put a hungry hamster or mischievous monkey on my feed and you know I’ll pause.
You’re likely to find Pet Stars activates your cute aggression long before any actual anger.
Pet Stars captures that passive but still joyful experience of stumbling on a great animal video with precision. It’s made for leave-it-on-in-the-background relaxing, a menagerie of precious moments you could easily watch twice.
That ease of instant entertainment stands in comedic contrast with the incredible lengths Colleen and Melissa must go to get the shots they’re after. Considering the stars’ appearance-focused occupation, portions of it can play more like commercials — a huge source of new animal content, as the show demonstrates well.
In that way, it’s a little dystopian, watching these women make content out of making content. (“I’m watching them make a commercial on a subscription service I pay for?”) But it’s also packed with so much sweet footage — there’s a baby tortoise munching on lettuce! A sugar glider taking a ride in a pocket! A bunny that can paint pictures!! — you’re likely to find Pet Stars activates your cute aggression long before any actual anger.
[embedded content]
It’s a high-quality source of extremely cute animal videos. All the pets seem happy and healthy; many of them living in bonafide luxury. Melissa and Colleen are likable hosts, whose respective quirks (Melissa is into crystals and sound baths and stuff, while Colleen is just obsessed with her dog) make them fun enough to watch. It’s nice. Excruciatingly polished and a little weird, but nice.
This isn’t likely to be a furever (sorry) watch for must subscribers, but it’s basically the perfect animal TikTok or SnapChat on loop and on demand. If that sounds great, Pet Stars is for you.