Ever since Star Trek, America has dreamed about fighting wars in space as part of a military organization under the guise of exploration, right? Sure the current administration is making everyone laugh and cringe by moving forward with moon wars, but Steve Carell’s new Netflix comedy Space Force just entertains the audience without the dread of wasting real tax dollars.
This ten-episode first season of the show created by Carell and Greg Daniels (The Office) has a vibe you want to root for. There’s militant incompetence that comes off endearing in the best parts but still forgivable in its worst. Four-star general Mark R. Naird (Steve Carell) is thrown for a loop when he finds himself tapped to lead the newly formed sixth branch of the US Armed Forces: Space Force. Skeptical but dedicated, Mark uproots his family and moves to a remote base in Colorado. Along with a group of scientists, Naird has to turn his soldiers into spacemen with the goal of establishing military bases on the moon.
Space Force is an ensemble show with one of 2020’s best casts. Carell’s General Naird is flanked by Noah Emmerich’s (Heroes) antagonist character General Kick Grabaston. As rival generals, they play off each others’ nerves. Constantly resort to childish name-calling would get tiresome to the audience but even through the adolescent jabbing they carry such pompous dignity, it makes it fun to watch.
The show’s supporting cast is fleshed out beyond static pieces with the likes of comedian Jimmy O. Yang (Dr. Chan Kaifang), Ben Schwartz (Fu** Tony), Owen Daniels (Obie), Diana Silvers (Erin Naird), and John Malkovich playing General Naird’s chief scientist Dr. Adrian Mallory. Malkovich and Carell have great comedic chemistry which is great because there are only a few times you’ll see one without the other during the show. Their uneasy alliance earns its comradery moments but nothing compares to Mallory saving the day during military a games exercise.
Guest stars and big celebrity recurring characters can sometimes feel unnecessary use of star power. Space Force doesn’t lack these bits, but they’re done by great actors chewing up the scenery. The most prominent of which by the great Fred Willard as General Naird’s senile father.
Comedies on Netflix don’t suffer from the same crutch as their dramas of being too long. Most criticisms will tell you every season of a Netflix drama could have been an episode or two shorter. Comedies such as Space Force make you feel cheated that there aren’t enough episodes. Its ten-episode season covers a lot of ground as Naird’s branch deals with recruiting and training off-beat “spacemen”, harassment by the air force (General Grabaston, rival country sabotage, and the beginnings of space warfare all while still giving the audience a peek at the major flaws of these major characters in their personal lives.
If Space Force has a flaw, its that it can unbalance itself at unnecessary times, going from hijinks comedy to serious dark territory. We root for Carell’s character to fix the fragile relationship with his teenage daughter Erin and its moment of breakthrough comes at a very dark almost tragic moment for her. It’s one of the few things in the show that made me turn from laughter to eye closing cringe. There’s also a fundamental flaw with our main character, General Naird is written confident, strong, yet majorly foolish. Throughout the season he’s either the cause of each episode’s issue or its savior, which if written well can work. Here it just illustrates some character disconnection.
Overall, Space Force doesn’t shy away from the punches it throws at the real-life administration’s idea of space military. There are great performances from the entire cast that manages to shine through writing hiccups. It’s an entertaining comedy launching in the perfect time, but it needed a little more time to get ready.
