The Story:
Space Force follows four-star general Mark Naird (Steve Carell) as he establishes the militaryās newest branch, the U.S. Space Force, with the help of scientist Adrian Mallory (John Malkovich) and the rest of his crazy department. The show was created by Greg Daniels (The Office US, Parks and Recreation) and also stars Ben Schwartz, Diana Silvers, Tawny Newsome, and Jimmy O. Yang, as well as a rotating cast of established comedians in recurring roles.
Watch this if:
You love workplace comedies. The series works toward a certain goal so itās fun to root for its characters. It deals with plenty of military practices like war games so people familiar with those might get a kick out of it as well.
What I think:
I am sad, dear reader. Very sad. I kept waiting for this show to be good. Itās there somewhere, I can sort of see it sometimes. Much like the chimp they hurled into space, it fell just a bit shy of what (I think) it was aiming for.
Itās different from many Greg Daniels shows, so donāt come in expecting The Office. The problem is I donāt know what it was trying to be either. Iāve watched my fair share of satirical workplace shows like Veep and Silicon Valley. Space Forceās premise was identical. Veep was biting and satirical, Silicon Valley did absurdist well. Space Forceās biggest sin was being mediocre. It wasnāt funny enough to be a comedy (as advertised) but itās also not dramatic enough to be a drama. Itās not terrible, itās something that will probably survive on cable, but it eventually crumbles under the weight of expectations considering the massive talent behind it.
āOverall, Space Force is perfectly watchable, just donāt come in expecting any gut-busting comedy.ā
The best performances were easily from John Malkovich and Ben Schwartz, and I particularly liked Captain Angela Ali (Tawny Newsome), Chan (Jimmy O. Yang), and Erin Naird (Diana Silvers). Overall, Space Force is perfectly watchable, just donāt come in expecting any gut-busting comedy. Parks and Recreation and The Office had less-than-remarkable first seasons, so hereās hoping for a good season two.
My Rating:
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Space Force is now streaming on Netflix. Watch it here.