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Writer's pictureBrown Brothers Productions

Space Force (Season 1) Review



a) STORY

Is the story, idea, plot, dialogue authentic and believable? Is it original?

Out of everything wrong with this show, the story is the worst part of it. Greg Daniels and Steve Carell try to make a political show while capturing the magic they had with “The Office”, the result is a bland and lazy show that does nothing to add anything to the conversation. Carell’s pathetic attempt to make another Michael Scott falls flat, I don’t think he actually knows what made the character beloved. Scott became an iconic character because although he was a bit dim, he was good intentioned and got things done, you were rooting for Michael and you understood why he was in the position he was in. His character here is not just incompetent but is so mean spirited that you don’t want him to succeed, I have no idea how someone like that was hired in the first place let alone be the leader of a multi-billion dollar division that’s the first of its kind. I think midway through making this they realized how dumb this character is so instead of changing him, they made the rest of the characters buffoons. I understand that they are trying to take a jab at the current US administration but that’s been done for the past 4 years now, we get it, your President is stupid, move on, this show doesn’t try to do anything original with that, instead they decide to just take cheap shots that have been made since Trump announced he would be running. That’s the other point, I like satirical comedy, but this show is just lazy with its writing. I commend them for jabbing both the right and the left for their idiocy but not a single joke landed, instead you are sitting there cringing and wondering how two such talented writers couldn’t come up with anything better. 

Did you care about the main characters, why? Did the sub-plots work? Why?

Nope. I don’t even remember their names. The show tries to make you care about Carell’s character by showing you his home life but none of those sub-plots were interesting.

Story Score: 30/100

b) ACTING

Were the actors believable, natural? Who was the best actor? Why? Would you cast the actor?

I love the cast, but the performances here were weak. Carell’s general (or whatever rank he is) is a far cry from Michael Scott. Unlikeable, incompetent, selfish, you wonder how everyone sees him as their great leader. Ben Schwartz plays the social media manager for Space Force. This is the character the general hates and I think Daniels and Carell tried to switch up the hated character from a depressed older guy in HR who doesn’t let Michael do anything fun, like Toby from “The Office” to an energetic young guy whose job it is to be fun. Unfortunately, here you understand why this character is so hated, he is really annoying, Toby had an endearing quality to him which this guy doesn't have. Diana Silvers plays Carell’s daughter, stereotypical angsty teen who just moved to a new town and has no friends. Lisa Kudrow plays Carell’s wife who is in a maximum-security prison but instead of having it be a commentary about how POTUS went on a pardoning spree, instead Carell is granted a conjugal visit by POTUS where his wife tells him that she is fucking the guard and that he should find a fuckbuddy too. Noah Emmerich plays the commander of the Air Force who also wants control of Space Force (a failing division) for whatever reason, he is this shows version of Todd Packer from “The Office” except more childish. Don Lake plays a general that is Carell’s secretary who is your typical dumb useless secretary. Fred Willard, who recently passed away, has a small part in this show as Carell’s father, although I feel the character is horribly written, it was touching to see Willard in his final role. The best character by far is Dr. Mallory played by John Malkovich. He is the lead scientist at Space Force and Malkovich give it his all. He is passive aggressive, he knows what he is talking about, he is cool as a cucumber who has his fair share of rages, and he is a character who happens to be gay. This was the only character I cared about because he felt real.

Acting Score: 60/100

c) TECHNICAL

How did the following elements influence the mood of the film:

I gave a score of 50 because the technical elements of the show are neither here nor there. I will say the best element of the show based on technicality was the set design, the base was beautifully thought out.

Technical Score: 50/100

d) ADD

Add up the marks of your review

140/300.

Give the film a total percentage.

47%

Make a concluding sentence or paragraph.

This was not the “Office in space” we were promised by Netflix, Daniels, and Carell. It was a lazy attempt by the streamer to have their own “Office” after NBCUniversal pulled it for their own streaming service Peacock, and a lazy attempt by Carell to recapture the spark that made him famous. Daniels on the other hand, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt because he recently did a show for Amazon Prime Video called “Upload” which stars Robbie Amell and was shot in Vancouver. That show was really good, it was clever, unique, and funny. Go watch “Upload” instead of “Space Force”.


RIP Fred Willard

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