Oliver at Large, the popular sitcom by Jamaican comedy king Oliver Samuels, has been rebooted and is available online for streaming.

Dubbed Oliver at Large: Oliver Back a Yaad, the plot follows the original story line but with a twist.

“It pretty much follows the same story line. The twist is I’m coming back to Jamaica after much experience overseas to try and make it in Jamaica instead of being large abroad,” Samuels, 73, told Jamaica Observer, adding that it was filmed in Kingston and took six months to get four episodes.

“The team decided on a reboot August 2021 after much discussion. I wanted to leave a memorable piece of my most beloved work for my fans and thought this is the time,” he continued.

Oliver at Large: Oliver Back a Yaad stars Glen Campbell, Deon Silvera, Sharee Elise, and Courtney Wilson. It became available on firstinlineplus.online on July 10. All the clearances for the film were received from the Ministry of Culture.

The veteran actor believes the younger generation needs to be exposed to more local productions.

“It is very important that the younger generation appreciate the rich culture we have through our films. It allows them to experience and enjoy the creative nature of our culture,” he said.

Samuels said he has other projects in the works for this year.

“We are looking to do a sitcom overseas. It’s early days and in discussions as well as he is touring overseas for a play that is now out,” he said.

Born in St Mary, Samuels rose from humble beginning to become one of the most recognisable faces and brands in indigenous Jamaican theatre. He has worked with almost every notable producer on the commercial theatre scene and was a staple in the national pantomime for many years.

He was established as the face of Jamaican theatre in the early 1990s when he starred in Oliver at Large, a hit comedy series that ran on the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation. It elevated his profile and won him fans among a new generation of fans.

Samuels paved the way and encouraged the ambitions of young actors. He appeared in several other theatre productions, including Ras Noah and the Hawk, Cinderellisha and DJ Prince, River Bottom, Assistant Thief, and Puppy Love.

He made his movie debut in Smile Orange, the 1976 comedy written and directed by Trevor Rhone. He also appeared in Countryman and The Mighty Quinn, which starred Denzel Washington.

Samuels was conferred with the Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer in 1978. In 2020, he was invested as a Commander of the order.