Episode Guide
THE LAUNCH SAVE EPSILON 6! MARK AND MALLORY GO TO WASHINGTON LUNAR HABITAT SPACE FLAG THE SPY EDISON JAYMES CONJUGAL VISIT IT’S GOOD TO BE BACK ON THE MOON PROPORTIONATE RESPONSE Comedy is such a subjective art-form that one man’s trash is another’s treasure. Steve Carrel and Greg Daniel’s latest comedy on Netflix, Space Force, certainly has a decent set-up but its execution leaves a lot to be desired. With an all-star cast that’s sure to get some brownie points from fans and a lot of jokes revolving around a distinct style of comedy, Space Force is intended for a very specific audience and if you don’t slot into that category, this won’t be for you. The story revolves around a newly-promoted 4 star General Mark Naird tasked with fronting a new branch of the government called Space Force with specific instructions to put “boobs on the moon” (a typo for boots on the moon of course). From here, the series sees this Space Force branch stutter, limp and stumble its way through a rivalry with Air Force, a possible spy in the ranks, launching into space and navigating familial issues. There’s a lot going on here and the series certainly crams in as much as possible into its 30 minute episodes, swinging between simple comedic quips, slapstick Dad jokes and dragged out skits while leaning into the familial drama without ever reaching dramedy status. What we’re left with then is a medley of ideas that are interesting enough to watch and certainly have a few laughs dotted throughout, but largely fail to hit the same comedic heights some of the other offerings in this genre have achieved in the past. It’s a shame too because the all-star cast includes a lot of big faces, including the ever-enigmatic Steve Carell, Lisa Kudrow and even John Malkovich. There’s no question that the different cast members make the most of their screen-time together and do the best they can with the material given but the comedy feels more miss than hit a lot of the time. Of course, that’s not to say the show is a complete disaster and unlike something like Brews Brothers, Space Force does have some winning elements, with a few stand-out episodes that garner some good chuckles and a lavish production design throughout. The war-games with Air Force are pretty funny and some of the different jokes land perfectly but given the amount of time and money put into this, Space Force doesn’t launch itself into space with this first season. Instead, it makes it somewhere near the upper-atmosphere, floating lackadaisically there for a while before eventually finding its way back down to Earth. It’s not awful but it’s not particularly outstanding either, making for an average comedic effort. Published: 29 May 2020 at 10.22 am on TheReviewGeek.com
