# It's Bruno!
*It's Bruno!* is an American short-form comedy television series created, written, directed by, and starring Solvan "Slick" Naim, which premiered on Netflix on May 17, 2019. It follows Malcolm, a devoted dog owner in [Bushwick, Brooklyn](https://www.edgepedia.org/bushwick-brooklyn), and his puggle Bruno as they navigate encounters with neighbors, rival dog owners, and the rhythms of their block.[1](https://mail.tvtango.com/series/its_bruno) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/its_bruno)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premiere | May 17, 2019, on Netflix, with the entire first season released at once[1](https://mail.tvtango.com/series/its_bruno) |
| Format | Short-form comedy; one season of 8 episodes, each about 11 to 16 minutes[1](https://mail.tvtango.com/series/its_bruno) • [3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/its-bruno) |
| Creator | Solvan "Slick" Naim, who also writes, directs, stars as Malcolm, and contributes original music[1](https://mail.tvtango.com/series/its_bruno) • [4](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/solvan-slick-naim-working-dog-233010436.html) |
| The dog | Bruno is Naim's real rescue dog, playing himself[4](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/solvan-slick-naim-working-dog-233010436.html) |
| Recognition | Nominated for the 2019 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series[5](https://www.televisionacademy.com/shows/its-bruno) |
| Reception | 100% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 5 critics; 7.4/10 on IMDb from about 3,600 users[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/its_bruno) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10186846/ratings/) |
| Availability | Streamed on Netflix in the United States from May 2019 until August 2025[7](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/its-bruno) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and format
The series centers on Malcolm (Solvan Naim), an old-school Brooklyn native who devotes his days to caring for his dog Bruno and making sure the neighbors show the pooch proper respect.[8](https://www.netflix.com/title/80999455) He cooks dinner for the dog while eating convenience food himself, takes offense when strangers pet Bruno or when obstinate neighbors call the dog "Charlie" instead of his proper name, and competes on Bruno's behalf when another neighborhood dog responds to more commands.[9](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/its-bruno/)
Each episode is a self-contained vignette built on a recognizable dog-owner situation. In the opener, "Operation Turkey Meat," Malcolm runs out of the fancy turkey he feeds Bruno and a quick trip to the bodega turns into a series of increasingly hostile encounters; in the next episode he plays amateur sleuth to hunt down a neighbor who is not picking up after their dog.[1](https://mail.tvtango.com/series/its_bruno) Other recurring material includes an unspoken war with a rival owner over whose dog is better trained, staged like a spaghetti Western gunfight, and a local dog enthusiast who tries to seduce Malcolm in order to steal Bruno.[3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/its-bruno)
The episode lengths vary from about 11 to 16 minutes, which reviewers noted as a strength: the stories run only as long as they need to, with one dog-related vignette after another.[3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/its-bruno)
## Origin
Naim, an Algerian-American writer, director, and rapper from Bushwick, Brooklyn, developed the show from his own life with his dogs. He was editing another project in his office when his dog Bruno began making silly faces in the chair beside him; he set videos he had taken of the pooch to music, found the results funny, and recruited friends, neighbors, and their dogs to shoot scenes most dog owners would recognize, such as face-offs between dogs at a crosswalk and unwanted petting.[4](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/solvan-slick-naim-working-dog-233010436.html) He has three dogs, all of whom appear in the show, with Bruno in the lead.[10](https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/khal/slick-naim-its-bruno-netflix-interview)
Naim described the pitch as his version of a classic New York comedy, "Like 'Seinfeld,' but with dogs and in the 'hood." Bits in the show draw directly on things he remembers: a conversation with an old man and his dog became an elaborate bit ending the first episode, and an argument with a neighbor over the dog's name came from something a friend once said.[11](https://bushwickdaily.com/news/6225-a-dog-is-the-star-of-a-bushwick-series-nominated-for-an-emmy/) He has called the series "Curb and Seinfeld with dogs in the hood."
## Cast and production
Naim stars as Malcolm, with Rob Morgan as Harvey, Shakira Barrera as Lulu, Jade Eshete as Rosa, Adriane Lenox as Jizzel, Donnell Rawlings as Carl, Eden Marryshow as Chris, Sam Eliad as Charlie, Devale Ellis as Nelson, and Eddie J. Hernandez as Billy Bailando.[1](https://mail.tvtango.com/series/its_bruno) The series was produced by Stage 13, Phiphen Pictures, and SLI Entertainment, and shot on location in Bushwick.[5](https://www.televisionacademy.com/shows/its-bruno) • [1](https://mail.tvtango.com/series/its_bruno)
Naim's involvement extended beyond writing and directing: he contributed original music and wrote three new tracks for the show, and his album *Proof of Concept* debuted alongside the series on May 17, 2019, with the single "Turnt Tonight" released in advance.[4](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/solvan-slick-naim-working-dog-233010436.html)
## Reception
Critics responded warmly. The first season holds a 100% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes from five reviews, with an audience score around 90%.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/its_bruno) Common Sense Media gave it 4 out of 5, calling it "winningly imbued with a sense of place" and praising its cast of opinionated eccentrics, while noting frequent strong language and a TV-MA rating.[3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/its-bruno) On IMDb the series holds a 7.4/10 rating from about 3,600 users.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10186846/ratings/)
In July 2019 the series was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series, credited to Netflix with production companies Stage 13, Phiphen Pictures, and SLI Productions, and naming Naim as executive producer alongside producers Molly Conners, Amanda Bowers, and Vincent Morano.[5](https://www.televisionacademy.com/shows/its-bruno) The nomination drew local attention in Bushwick, where a neighborhood publication noted that the series preserved a record of a disappearing corner of the neighborhood.[11](https://bushwickdaily.com/news/6225-a-dog-is-the-star-of-a-bushwick-series-nominated-for-an-emmy/)
## Availability
The series streamed on Netflix in the United States from May 2019 until August 2025, after which it was removed from the US catalog, though it remained listed in some other Netflix regions.[7](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/its-bruno) Only one season was released.
## References
1. [It's Bruno! – TV Tango](https://mail.tvtango.com/series/its_bruno)
2. [It's Bruno! – Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/its_bruno)
3. [It's Bruno – Parents' Guide & TV Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/its-bruno)
4. [Solvan 'Slick' Naim on Working With His Dog for Netflix Series 'It's Bruno', Variety via Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/solvan-slick-naim-working-dog-233010436.html)
5. [It's Bruno! – Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/shows/its-bruno)
6. [It's Bruno! (TV Series 2019) – Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10186846/ratings/)
7. [It's Bruno! – watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/its-bruno)
8. [It's Bruno! – Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/title/80999455)
9. [It's Bruno! TV Show on Netflix – TV Series Finale](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/its-bruno/)
10. [How Slick Naim Channeled His Love for Dogs, Hip-Hop, and Filmmaking Into His New Netflix Series, 'It's Bruno', Complex](https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/khal/slick-naim-its-bruno-netflix-interview)
11. [A Dog Is the Star of a Bushwick Series Nominated for an Emmy, Bushwick Daily](https://bushwickdaily.com/news/6225-a-dog-is-the-star-of-a-bushwick-series-nominated-for-an-emmy/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Comedy, drama, and general-genre web series › Premiered 2017 to 2021*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license