So, you’ve probably seen your fair share of "workplace reality TV." Usually, it’s some high-end real estate agents screaming about commissions in Los Angeles or a group of deckhands losing their minds on a yacht in the Mediterranean. But the High Hopes tv show on Hulu takes a sharp left turn into the world of legal cannabis, and honestly? It’s a lot more chaotic and heartfelt than I expected it to be.
It's weird.
Most people went into this show thinking it was just going to be another "stoner comedy" masquerading as a documentary. Instead, what we actually got was a gritty, somewhat stressful look at MMD (Medical Marijuana Dispensary) in Hollywood. It’s one of the oldest dispensaries in the country, and the show follows brothers Slava and Mishka Ashbel as they try to take their brand national.
Expansion is hard. It’s even harder when your staff is, well, high.
The Reality of Running MMD in Hollywood
The High Hopes tv show centers on the Ashbel brothers, who are Belarusian immigrants. That’s a key detail because their work ethic is intense. They aren't just sitting around. They are dealing with the massive transition of the cannabis industry from a "wild west" medical market to a highly regulated, corporate-leaning adult-use market.
Slava is the visionary. Mishka is the one trying to keep the wheels from falling off.
Their shop, MMD, sits right on Cahuenga Blvd. If you’ve ever walked that stretch of Hollywood, you know the vibe. It’s loud, it’s touristy, and it’s competitive. The show does a great job of showing the actual day-to-day grind. It’s not just selling weed; it’s managing inventory, dealing with erratic customers, and trying to launch a private label called "Best Buds."
The stakes feel real. If they fail to expand, they get swallowed by the bigger corporate entities moving into the California market.
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Meet the Best Buds Crew
The "characters"—and I use that term because reality TV always feels casted even when it's real—are a mix of seasoned professionals and people who seem like they stumbled into the job. You have Dani, the delivery driver who often feels like the soul of the shop. Then there's Jared, the manager who has to deal with the constant friction between the owners’ massive expectations and the staff's sometimes relaxed attitudes.
One thing the High Hopes tv show gets right is the tension of the "4/20" preparation. In the cannabis world, 4/20 is like Black Friday, the Super Bowl, and New Year’s Eve rolled into one. If a dispensary messes up that day, they lose a massive chunk of their annual revenue. Watching the team scramble to prep for their huge parking lot event is genuinely anxiety-inducing.
Jimmy Kimmel’s Surprising Involvement
Wait, why is Jimmy Kimmel involved?
That was the question everyone asked when the show was announced. Jimmy Kimmel and his partner Scott Lonker executive produced the series through Kimmelot. It’s a bit of a pivot for Kimmel, but it makes sense when you see the tone. It’s got that sharp, slightly irreverent humor that matches his late-night sensibility.
But don't expect a sitcom.
The show is unscripted. It leans into the "docusoap" genre. Jimmy’s name helped get it on Hulu, but the show stands on its own because of the sheer absurdity of the legal cannabis industry in California. There are so many rules. So many taxes. So many ways to get shut down.
Why the High Hopes TV Show Isn't Just for "Stoners"
If you don't smoke, you might think there's nothing here for you. You'd be wrong. At its core, this is a business show. It’s about the "American Dream" with a green tint.
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The Ashbel brothers are trying to scale. That’s a universal story.
They face the same problems any small business owner faces:
- Employee turnover.
- Product quality control.
- Marketing to a fickle audience.
- Keeping family and business separate (which they are terrible at, by the way).
The show highlights the "Best Buds" product launch, which is their attempt to move from being just a retailer to being a brand. That’s where the real money is. But as you see in the episodes, launching a brand involves manufacturing headaches and distribution nightmares that most consumers never think about when they pick up a jar of flower.
Honestly, the show is a bit of a cautionary tale. It shows that the "Green Rush" isn't as easy as people thought back in 2018. It’s a grind.
Breaking Down the Social Impact
We should talk about the "Plant."
For decades, cannabis was portrayed on TV either as a dangerous drug or a punchline. High Hopes treats it as a commodity. It’s like a show about a coffee shop or a boutique winery. This normalization is a huge step in media. The staff discusses terpenes, cannabinoids, and cultivation methods with the same level of expertise a sommelier uses for wine.
It’s educational without being a lecture.
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What Most Reviews Miss About the Show
A lot of critics dismissed the High Hopes tv show as being too "lightweight." They missed the underlying drama of the legal framework.
California’s cannabis market is actually in a bit of a crisis. High taxes and a thriving illicit market mean that legal shops like MMD are constantly fighting to stay profitable. When Slava talks about the "big move" or taking the brand to other states, he's talking about survival.
The show doesn't explicitly rail against the government, but you see the weight of regulation in every scene where they discuss "METRC" (the track-and-trace system) or compliance.
It’s a high-stress environment disguised as a chill one.
Is There a Season 2?
Fans have been buzzing about whether we will see more of the MMD crew. As of now, the first season sits as a complete look at a specific moment in the company's history. The way the season ends leaves the door wide open for a "what happened next" follow-up, especially regarding their expansion into other markets.
If you’re looking for a binge-watch that’s half business-strategy and half workplace-comedy, this is it.
Actionable Takeaways for Viewers
If you’ve watched the show and you're interested in the world it portrays, here is how you can actually engage with the reality of the industry:
- Research the "Track and Trace" system. If you want to understand why the staff in the show is always stressed about labels and inventory, look up how METRC works in California. It is a fascinatingly rigid way to track every gram of product from seed to sale.
- Support independent dispensaries. MMD is a real place. The show highlights how difficult it is for independent owners to compete with massive multi-state operators (MSOs).
- Watch the "4/20" episode for a business lesson. It is a masterclass in event planning under pressure. Pay attention to how they handle the crowd flow and the technical glitches.
- Follow the Ashbel brothers. If you’re curious about the "Best Buds" brand, it’s a real product. You can track their actual business growth outside of the Hulu edit to see how much of the "success" was TV magic versus real-world expansion.
The High Hopes tv show succeeded because it stopped trying to be "cool" and just showed how messy the weed business actually is. It’s not all smoke circles and laughing; it’s a lot of paperwork, disgruntled employees, and the constant fear that the next regulatory change could wipe you out. That’s what makes it worth the watch.