Netflix has revealed our first look atSpace Force. The highly-anticipated comedy was announced last year by the streaming service and was picked up straight to series. One of the big hooks here is that the show was co-created by Greg Daniels and Steve Carrell, who also headlines the cast. The two previously worked onThe Officetogether, which makes this something of a major reunion. And it will be coming our way soon, as the company has revealed a May 29 premiere date.
These first photos from theNetflixoriginal showcasethe impressive ensemble cast, which includes John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Jimmy O. Yang, Diana Silvers and, most surprisingly, Lisa Kudrow. The formerFriendsstar was not announced as part of the cast originally, but can be seen in one of the photos alongside Steve Carrell’s character in what looks to be a military meeting of sorts.
Kudrow is set to play Carrell’s wife in the series. Another photo shows Schwartz taking what seems to be an inappropriate selfie, while another sees Carrell and Malkovich riding together in a golf cart. There is also a shot of Carrell looking rather proud at something off-screen, with members of his team cheering in the background.
The series stars Steve Carell as Mark R. Naird, the head ofSpace Force, the newly formed sixth branch of the US Armed Forces, who are tasked with getting boots on the moon and achieving total space dominance. The military branch was proposed by President Trump and became a reality in December 2019. The internet had several field days with the concept along the way, but Carrell and Greg Daniels wasted absolutely no time in mining the real-life government agency for presumed comedy gold.
This couldn’t be coming at a better time either, as people are not only looking for things to watch while being cooped up at home, but Netflix will be losingThe Officesoon, and it already lostFriends. This could serve as something of astreamingreplacement. But it will be a costly one. Netflix is reportedly shelling out more than $1 million per episode for Steve Carrell alone, when taking into account his co-creator and producing fees. That makes it one of the richest deals in history for a star of a TV show, but Netflix has shown its willingness to reach deep into its pocket for the right project over the years.
With the show set to arrive next month, we should be seeing a trailer sooner rather than later, which will give us a better idea of what to expect, in terms of tone. But great things have happened with these people in the past. Let’s hope lightning can strike once more. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as further updates on the project are made available. In the meantime, be sure to check out the first set ofSpace Forcephotos from theNetflix Twitteraccount for yourself.
