Space Force - General Discussion

[marinw]

One thing I did like was the inclusion of Trades People for the Moon Base, as opposed to Alpha Astronauts with a bunch of advanced degrees. Good plumbers and electricians are always valuble people to have around.

Edited June 8, 2020 by marinw

[teddysmom]

I don't get why he's talking in such a lower octave than normal. Is that to appear more authoritative? It's annoying. 

I will say the older Steve gets, the hotter he gets. 

[Raja]

51 minutes ago, teddysmom said:

I don't get why he's talking in such a lower octave than normal. Is that to appear more authoritative? It's annoying. 

George C Scott in Dr. Strangelove 

[qtpye]

20 hours ago, teddysmom said:

I found an interview with Greg Daniels, he said they thought it would be funny if they didn't explain it this season, that the normal role of a wife in this situation is to be supportive to the husband, etc. and now Carell's character has more stress in his life. 

I thought it would be more like VEEP, but it's not very funny at all. 

My sister said it was taking jabs at the Administration, but I didn't see that much of it.  

I think one of the problems is that the show does not know if it wants to be hard cutting edge satire like Veep or warm hearted goofiness like Parks and Rec.

Right now it’s neither and most importantly, not very funny.

[Heathrowe]

I am almost done with it, we have one episode left. If it gets a season 2, I might try it again, hoping it gets better because it is such a great cast. But it is really not funny. I do not understand the choice to put Lisa Kudrow in prison. They have tried so hard in so many ways to make Naird not Michael Scott, but at the core he is another sad, lonely character. I would have liked to have seen Steve Carell play a character loved and with a real family. What a loss to not be able to have Lisa Kudrow in some scenes with John Malkovich. I like the actress who plays the contractor, but I hate the situation. I actually think the teenage daughter is very good, but what a weird choice for the story-as people have said, if she were older it would be better. How awful to have your mother in jail, your parents in an open marriage, moved to a new state...it makes me wonder if the writers are parents/married if their idea of funny is a mom in prison and a kid who truly has some reason to be unhappy. Anyway, free Lisa Kudrow Maybe POTUS can pardon her.

[BusyOctober]

I love Steve Carell, and most of the actors in this (except the woman playing the daughter...she can’t act, or she was given some reallllly bad advice from the director).  However, between the acting choices, such as Carell’s gravely voice, and the writing, this just did not work.  I was expecting a mix of a political sharpness and farce in the vein of “Veep”,  & a workplace comedy.

Maybe they tried too hard to be everything.  Or didn’t try hard enough.  The writing should have been a home run, but these storylines barely made it on base in any given episode.

If it comes back for another season:

Lose the awful voice or inflection or characteristic tic, Steve.

Lose the daughter....send her off to college or recast her with someone who can act.

If Lisa Kudrow’s character is stuck in prison for 40 Yrs, then just don’t bother to show her.  Save her salary for a new batch of writers, or use it to give more time to  the other Chiefs of Staff...that is a strong and potentially hilarious ensemble that was sorely underused.

 

[auntiemel]

Awww, man, if ONLY this had been like Veep. Can you imagine? The talent of this cast with the sharp writing of the early seasons of Veep? Talk about classic!

[foxfreakinmulder]

On ‎6‎/‎13‎/‎2020 at 5:17 AM, BusyOctober said:

If it comes back for another season:

Lose the awful voice or inflection or characteristic tic, Steve.

Lose the daughter....send her off to college or recast her with someone who can act.

I agree about the voice and the daughter, she's terrible. Oh, and send the space force guy that likes the daughter away too, he's just as bad as she is.

I really like Steve Carell but I see too much Michael Scott in his Space Force character there were a few scenes I thought he really shined and that was when he sat down to help his daughter with her home work and when he left the prison and broke down.

I don't think they know what they want this show to be some episodes are cartoonish and I don't like a lot of the characters. I do like Brad, Tony and Dr. Mallory. I guess Space Force has rockets laying around they send blast off into space whenever they want like the clean fuel episode.

I enjoy the round table meetings and wish they had more of those with the great cast.

Since it's on Netflix if it gets another season it won't drop for at least another year if then. I'm still waiting for Stranger Things, more seasons of The Last Kingdom and The Haunting of Hill House. I've canceled my Netflix because I've watched everything I wanted except for the above I just mentioned, so I use my daughters log-in but because of their wait time to drop new seasons and since I don't find their movies that great it's just not worth it to me to have.

 

[Guest]

A reminder that discussion of politics, politicians, and your personal opinions about both, is not allowed on Primetimer. 

[kib]

Malkovich is the only reason it's worth squandering your monthly bandwidth allotment streaming this thing.  Netflix apparently really does have money to burn...

[853fisher]

I think some might find it difficult to frankly and meaningfully discuss this show in particular without touching on politics, but I get it. I’ll be good. 🙂

For me, this show is still fundamentally un funny and near irredeemably stupid, but I like to finish those I start. I think I have one or two episodes left now. I got a much bigger laugh than I should’ve from a sign in the background of one season that read “if you wish for space peace, prepare for space war.”

Edited June 17, 2020 by 853fisher

[kib]

On 6/14/2020 at 12:29 AM, auntiemel said:

Awww, man, if ONLY this had been like Veep. Can you imagine? The talent of this cast with the sharp writing of the early seasons of Veep? Talk about classic!

That's the thing, there's nothing sharp about the writing or much of the acting (sans Malkovich).  It's executed with a club when a scalpel is the tool that was required.  I also have little tolerance for the "Leave It to Beaver" endings dished up.  The lunacy of the entire government endeavor washed away with Dad and his daughter sharing ice cream. Fade to black. *rolls eyes*

Makes me wonder if this project hadn't been pitched to ABC in the first place but got shot down the minute Disney saw the budget.

Edited June 17, 2020 by kib

[Night Cheese]

It took me a while to get into this show. I almost didn't continue after the first episode because I didn't laugh once, but I pressed on and by the mid-way point thought it was hitting its stride. If it weren't a Steve Carell/John Malkovich show created by Greg Daniels I think I would have ditched it once Lisa Kudrow was revealed to be in jail.

Steve Carell is super talented and I've seen him in enough to know that he is not one-note or type cast in any way, but throughout this series all I saw was General Michael Scott. The Office is great, but I don't need to see Michael Scott go from bumbling his way through running a branch of a paper company to running a branch in the military. This show reminded me of another Netflix original, the movie War Machine. I remember watching it and not knowing if it was satire, dark comedy, or harsh criticism of the military and political bureaucracy--or all three. I agree with those upthread that said this would have been great if it were more like Veep.

[qtpye]

49 minutes ago, Night Cheese said:

It took me a while to get into this show. I almost didn't continue after the first episode because I didn't laugh once, but I pressed on and by the mid-way point thought it was hitting its stride. If it weren't a Steve Carell/John Malkovich show created by Greg Daniels I think I would have ditched it once Lisa Kudrow was revealed to be in jail.

Steve Carell is super talented and I've seen him in enough to know that he is not one-note or type cast in any way, but throughout this series all I saw was General Michael Scott. The Office is great, but I don't need to see Michael Scott go from bumbling his way through running a branch of a paper company to running a branch in the military. This show reminded me of another Netflix original, the movie War Machine. I remember watching it and not knowing if it was satire, dark comedy, or harsh criticism of the military and political bureaucracy--or all three. I agree with those upthread that said this would have been great if it were more like Veep.

It like they just did not have the balls to go for it with the biting dark humor. On top of that, it is hard to have your show be warm and friendly when you have a fricken chimp eat a dog as a major plot point.

[Maysie]

Well, I see I'm not alone in some of my thoughts about this show.

I love John Malkovich and I like Steve Carell, so we decided to watch the whole thing (still have one episode to go), despite what I thought was a really weak start. I think the show's strength is mostly its cast - the Joint Chiefs of Staff are great (and I thought it was pretty funny that they exclude the Coast Guard) and those bits are usually pretty funny. Otherwise, it's kind of a funny line here or there, but generally, it's missing something. It feels like this thing is all over the map, and like others have already said, it's Michael Scott in the Space Force. One minute I get the sense he's actually capable and has some idea of what he's doing and the next he's just an idiot. Plus, that voice...no.

I don't understand the plot choices with the Naird family, including putting Mrs. Naird in prison for the rest of their lives with no explanation why. I also have a hard time believing that if his spouse ended up in prison with a 40-60 year sentence that he'd still be selected to head up the Space Force (I'm sure there's security clearances, etc. that he'd need for such a job and that kind of incident could impact that).

I sense that the writers sat around and came up with bits - like let's have an Elizabeth Holmes type of character visit, or let's do something with monkeys and dogs, or let's have two characters dance to K Pop, Lisa Kudrow needs to wear cornrows once - and then tried to build a plot around them. It's chaotic and it seems the only character I really have any kind of a feel for is Malkovich's. Otherwise, I don't know if the Naird family members are smart and capable who have occasional mishaps or if they're a collection of bumbling idiots who have bungled their way to prison/command/an ice cream stand. Lady astronaut went from dreaming about being an astronaut and studying botany with Dr. Chan to landing on the moon in weeks??? The Russian "spy" went where?

I know it's a sitcom and there needs to be some suspension of disbelief, but this is just a collection of gags, which are mostly not really funny, imo.

[DoctorAtomic]

On 5/30/2020 at 10:59 AM, iMonrey said:

It reminded me of Avenue 5, which was also painfully bad despite a great pedigree and a great cast.

Funny, because I liked Avenue 5. I don't think absurdity needs to be funny per se, but if they were going for absurd, it's too subdued. I'm going to watch more, and I do hope it improves with such a great cast. 

[DoctorAtomic]

On 6/25/2020 at 11:24 AM, Maysie said:

I sense that the writers sat around and came up with bits -

I got that too. 

To be fair, the brainstorming about fixing the satellite was good. 

[DoctorAtomic]

The show has my redemption simply for the scene about Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. 

 

[DoctorAtomic]

On 6/19/2020 at 7:35 PM, Night Cheese said:

It took me a while to get into this show. I almost didn't continue after the first episode because I didn't laugh once, but I pressed on and by the mid-way point thought it was hitting its stride.

This is fairly on point for me. It's the summer. I sit out on my porch and watch the shit out of shows on my tablet. I'd say the monologue in episode 3 about the orange and Malkovich holding off and chiming in about using the satellites to save lives and money was really well done. Episode 4 was a clunker after that and then it picked up again. 

Carrell's and Malkovich's scenes together have been consistently good. 

It's not irredeemably bad. They need a more consistent narrative for Naird though. He's actually a good soldier and earned the 4 star rank, but he goes from playing harried to doofy at times, and I don't really buy the latter. Harried makes sense to me since it's a new armed forces branch.

The show picked up a little more when Kelly (the contractor) got more time. She's consistently good in everything I've seen her in, and it gives another side for Carrell to work. 

Fuck Tony is the best name. 

On 6/25/2020 at 11:24 AM, Maysie said:

One minute I get the sense he's actually capable and has some idea of what he's doing and the next he's just an idiot.

I think they should have gone with capable but harried/put upon. You can still be capable but fuck up, and there's humor in that. 

Plot wise, I laughed when the Chinese ran over the flag. 

 

[qtpye]

1 minute ago, DoctorAtomic said:

This is fairly on point for me. It's the summer. I sit out on my porch and watch the shit out of shows on my tablet. I'd say the monologue in episode 3 about the orange and Malkovich holding off and chiming in about using the satellites to save lives and money was really well done. Episode 4 was a clunker after that and then it picked up again. 

Carrell's and Malkovich's scenes together have been consistently good. 

It's not irredeemably bad. They need a more consistent narrative for Naird though. He's actually a good soldier and earned the 4 star rank, but he goes from playing harried to doofy at times, and I don't really buy the latter. Harried makes sense to me since it's a new armed forces branch.

The show picked up a little more when Kelly (the contractor) got more time. She's consistently good in everything I've seen her in, and it gives another side for Carrell to work. 

Fuck Tony is the best name. 

I think they should have gone with capable but harried/put upon. You can still be capable but fuck up, and there's humor in that. 

Plot wise, I laughed when the Chinese ran over the flag. 

 

I think they should just lose the stuff with the family, since Kudrow is just sitting in prison and the daughter really does not work for me.

The premise of this show should naturally be so fascinating but it is just so bland and not funny. There is potential but they have to make some pretty drastic changes.

[DoctorAtomic]

I don't know if you've seen it to the end of the season yet, but the Kudrow issue is sort of resolved. 

[qtpye]

2 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I don't know if you've seen it to the end of the season yet, but the Kudrow issue is sort of resolved. 

The sad part is I honestly don't remember. Did she escape out of prison with her new lover and join the rest of the family?

[DoctorAtomic]

Yes. Naird escaped and picked up the daughter with a helicopter. On the flight back, the wife was outside waving them down. She escaped from prison with the gf guard and they all piled in the helicopter. 

[Maysie]

I think they should end it right there. There's not much to come back to. In reality, leaving the base, taking the helicopter to rescue his (annoying) daughter and picking up his escaped wife and her guard would be career ending for him. I'm not interested in a second season of him bumbling around the moon while he tries to salvage his career.

I think this show would have been better without the daughter and even the wife. If they felt that he needed a family, then it would have been better if they were divorced with some plot device to keep them in his sphere (maybe they stay in DC and he goes there semi-regularly to visit as well as check in at the pentagon; this worked fine for the joint chiefs - any more of them would have been overkill, but it was a fun diversion). I would have preferred that the focus stay on space force and the various hijinks around getting that off the ground (see what I did there?)

Besides the joint chiefs of staff, I was oddly interested in Dr. Chan and Space Woman (I cannot remember her name) - for some reason that relationship worked for me. I also (as expected) liked Malkovich; he was what kept me watching. It's not that I dislike Carell, but something about him was off for me.

I was hoping this would be like Avenue 5 - we were pretty ambivalent about it when it started, but we grew to like it. I can get into unbelievable and goofy stuff, but I also appreciate continuity and not wasting time on plot points that have no real purpose.

[DrSpaceman73]

I don't think its a bad show, but it could certainly be funnier.

I know he is a well loved actor and this is probably unpopular. and I know he is supposed to be the "straight" and deadpan man, but not sure John Malkovich is right for this role.   I would have liked to see Jeffrey Tambor in that spot with Steve Carell

I actually liked the monkey spacewalk scene

It is kind of a mystery why they chose to do the subplot with his wife in jail.  And not explain it all.  Could Lisa Kudrow just not committ much time to the show?  Seems odd. 

On ‎6‎/‎29‎/‎2020 at 11:29 AM, Maysie said:

Besides the joint chiefs of staff, I was oddly interested in Dr. Chan and Space Woman (I cannot remember her name) - for some reason that relationship worked for me

I liked them too and also can't recall her name

[Raja]

Captain Ali is the General's helicopter pilot turned astronaut.

[Kel Varnsen]

I am 6 episodes in now. I think one kind of small problem that would be easy to fix is the episodes are just too long. I just watched the spy episode and it started off funny but then really started to drag. Over 34 minutes is just too long for an episode like this. Make it like 26 and it would be easier to watch kind of casually and you could just keep the really funny stuff.

[thuganomics85]

Looks like it did well enough to warrant a second season.  They are also bringing in Norm Hiscock; who has worked on Parks & Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine; as a co-showrunner, so maybe he can help give this show a boost.  They clearly have the talent both in front and behind the camera to make something special, but something needs to happen to improve upon the lackluster first season.

[AnimeMania]

Space Force season 2 is not coming to Netflix in April 2021

Filming for Space Force Season 2 is expected to take place between May 3 and June 21, which suggests a release in 2022.

While the first season was filmed in Los Angeles, production has moved to Vancouver for Space Force season 2 to reduce cost.

[dubbel zout]

To clarify, it's when it will return to Netflix that's changed, not that it won't return to Netflix.

[AnimeMania]

Filming has now officially begun on Space Force Season 2.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPdZ0ZhHv8h/

The actor Ben Schwartz posting a new image on Instagram with castmates in celebration.

[AnimeMania]

Space Space Space Force Force Force Season 2 is dropping February 18, 2022 on Netflix. There will be seven 30 minute episodes. 

General Naird and his underdog team have to prove their worth to a new administration while dealing with interpersonal challenges. Will the group come together or fall apart under the pressure…? Space Force is only human after all.

Returning Series Regulars: Steve Carell, John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Tawny Newsome, Diana Silvers, Jimmy O. Yang and Don Lake.     

Why is there no mention of General Naird’s wife Maggie (Lisa Kudrow) in the returning characters?

 

New Character: Xyler (JayR Tinaco)

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, AnimeMania said:

Why is there no mention of General Naird’s wife Maggie (Lisa Kudrow) in the returning characters?

She might not be returning. Isn't Maggie in jail?

[DoctorAtomic]

She escaped with her guard girlfriend in the finale and was picked up by Naird in the chopper. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

How I feel about the return: 

[dubbel zout]

4 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

She escaped with her guard girlfriend in the finale and was picked up by Naird in the chopper. 

Oh, right! It's been too long since I saw this show.

[AnimeMania]

 

[AnimeMania]

Netflix’s ‘Space Force’ Season 2: TV Review

[AnimeMania]

In Season 2, ‘Space Force’ Comes Down to Earth and Embraces Its Workplace Comedy Roots: TV Review

[AnimeMania]

Space Force Season 2     February 18    Netflix

Episodes 1-7     Titles and Descriptions

Spoiler

 

S02.E01: THE INQUIRY
The new secretary of defense puts General Naird on trial at the Pentagon, and the team has to pull it together to testify on his behalf and save his job.

S02.E02: BUDGET CUTS
Space Force faces steep budget cuts, to the consternation of General Naird and Dr. Mallory. Dr. Chan tries to figure out why Captain Ali's been distant.

S02.E03: THE CHINESE DELEGATION
The team does its best to avoid offending a visiting delegation from China, but Dr. Mallory struggles to hide his feelings about a moon landing denier.

S02.E04: THE EUROPA PROJECT
Space Force has a big decision to make: spend their time creating a Powerpoint presentation about an alien invasion… or get into a team prank war?

S02.E05: MAD (BUFF) CONFIDENCE
Erin gets conflicting advice about a college interview, while Tony sets up a new partnership between Space Force and an energy drink called Mad Buff.

S02.E06: THE DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT
Tony spreads a rumor around the office that General Naird is looking for a new job. Meanwhile, Dr. Chan and Dr. Mallory actually do pursue a job lead.

S02.E07: THE HACK
With the future of Space Force up in the air, big changes could be on the horizon. But first, the team has to deal with the entire base being hacked.

 

 

[incandescent]

The show improved a lot this season, especially the writing for the daughter.

[DoctorAtomic]

She did a great job. I liked her being there and didn't think it was contrived.    

[qtpye]

I guess I am an outlier because I am not really liking the daughter having a greater role.

It is also a little hard for me to believe that the actress, who looks around 24/25, is in high school.

I actually wish they had made it into a workplace drama and left out the stuff about Naird's family. 

I want to hear about going to Mars, not if this kid wants to take a gap year or go to college immediately after high school.

Also, even though I like the Office, I expected those people to average/ weird/ a little dumb. They worked for a dying paper company in Scranton (and I have family in Scranton and have a lot of love for the town).

Here I expect the people to be deeply flawed but brilliant. They are rocket scientists, astronauts, and four-starred generals.

John Malkovich saves the series for me. I believe his character is brilliant but also funny because of his quirks.

The second season is better but it is still a waste of an amazing cast. I particularly am annoyed about Lisa Kudrow's character, Why would you make such a talented comedic actress such a throwaway character?

 

[DoctorAtomic]

35 minutes ago, qtpye said:

John Malkovich saves the series for me. I believe his character is brilliant but also funny because of his quirks.

I think the team overall is quite capable; maybe not brilliant, but certainly up to the challenges. Brad is kind of not, but he's only a one star general and glorified secretary. In the end of the four month period, they proved themselves, and got a new mission. Naird was cleared for refusing to follow the illegal order to destroy the Chinese base. 

I think it's a refreshing take on the office comedy because it's military and there are some decent stakes in the show. I do wish they had longer dramatic beats here and there, but it's a good second season overall, and I'm interested in what's going to happen next.

I'd concede that maybe Naird's personal life isn't the most interesting part and kind of shoved in there.

[Mr. Sparkle]

1 hour ago, qtpye said:

It is also a little hard for me to believe that the actress, who looks around 24/25, is in high school.

I agree with this, and I don't think she's a particularly good actress. But the scenes with her and Steve Carell were the only scenes that got any emotional reaction out of me, and that's because of Carell. 

Malkovich is the other best part of this. The rest? I can take or leave the romance sub-plot between the Captain & the scientist. The goofy general seems like a character I've seen a million times on other sitcoms. Tim Meadows is just obnoxious in this. 

[Ilovepie]

Ok I thought this season was way better from a comedy stand point, but plot-wise I thought season 1 was better. I am loving the relationship between Dr. Mallory and General Naird. When Mallory was shoved in between those vending machines and Naird left him there after getting some Sun Chips was hilarious to me. I also liked when they shared their terrible news outside and walked away friends still. The whole conversation about the theme song was hilarious to me. I liked the fife.......

I also laughed at the virtual tour of Space X. John Malkovich is killing it for me in this show.

The one thing I don't love is Captain Major Ali and Dr. Chan. I did like the battlebots fight though. As a semi-regular viewer of real Battlebots, I wonder if her magnet/drill would be disallowed. If not, it's kind of genius.

I liked that Erin's day trading actually worked. In most shows, I feel like she would have lost all of her college money. They zigged when I thought they would zag.....

I liked that Tony became a more 3-D character instead of just Jean-Ralphio Part 2. It was satisfying seeing him get slapped when he was freaking out about his cell phone. I liked what a good friend he was to Ali and Chan.

I knew the Mad Buff commercial would be awful when the camera man caught Naird going "Blah Blah Blah", but it was still funny. Also, Mad Buff sounds awful. Gut Milk still wins for fake TV drinks! ;-p

[chaifan]

I slow binged this over a week or so, and I'm glad I came back to it.  I was on the fence after Season 1, but I really liked this season.  I think the writing was funnier, and I think the cast dynamics were so much better.  I really wasn't a fan of Erin last season, and thought the "intern" position was just too convenient, but I'll admit it worked.  I really liked the episode with her and Patton Oswalt.  I'm glad they brought back Patrick Warburton and Jane Lynch, but also glad they limited their time there.  A little of those characters goes a long way. 

I think they wrapped it up nicely.  If this is it, the last episode was a good finale.  If they get season 3, it's set up for a fun ride. 

Are they even going for a Season 3?  Any word on that?

 

[AnimeMania]

‘Space Force’ Canceled After Two Seasons at Netflix

[DrSpaceman73]

57 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

‘Space Force’ Canceled After Two Seasons at Netflix

Not surprised with what is going on at Netflix. 

[HurricaneVal]

Oh man, I'm disappointed it was cancelled, but not surprised. 

Actually, I just figured out there was a second season so I'm three episodes in now.  Malkovich as always is the best, and I actually like Steve Carell in this--he's always better in "smart" comedies than in slapstick dumb comedies.  Just every once in a while, he gets a little "Gru" warble in his voice, and it just takes me right out of the moment, since the Despicable Me movies are particular favorites of mine.  

Jimmy Yang is one of my favorite comedic actors, so I hope he'll leverage this show to something really good after the strike. 

"Oh!  I forgot I was a general!"  So did I, Brad, so did I.