# Space Force! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, netflix\ **Created:** [May 20, 2020, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182 "2020-05-20T14:54:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/1 "2020-05-20T14:54:01Z")
I just learned of a new comedy from Steve Carell coming out on Netflix May 29 about the creation of Space Force, called “Space Force”, unsurprisingly. Got some interesting names in it, like John Malkovich, Lise Kudrow, Jane Lynch, Fred Williard, and Jimmy O. Yang (Silicon Valley). I’m hoping it’s at least in part a biting, Strangelovian satire of the Trump administration, but I might be getting my hopes up too much. Other than a joke in which it’s announced that the President wants to create a new “Space Force” agency and a table of military leaders starts laughing, the trailers make it look more just like a silly comedy. Still, it might be something to watch. Couple trailers in an article here: > **[In new Netflix Space Force trailer, Steve Carell notes that 'space is hard'](https://www.cnet.com/culture/entertainment/in-new-netflix-space-force-trailer-steve-carell-notes-that-space-is-hard/)** > > "POTUS wants complete space dominance." ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/2 "2020-05-20T15:28:53Z")
I expect more “The Office” in a military setting. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/3 "2020-05-20T15:32:42Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > I expect more “The Office” in a military setting. Yeah, definitely an obvious comparison, in that Steve Carrell is playing the head of an organization who is clearly unsuited for the job and out of his depth. Hopefully there’s more to it than that though. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/4 "2020-05-20T15:33:28Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I’m hoping it’s at least in part a biting, Strangelovian satire of the Trump administration, but I might be getting my hopes up too much. Other than a joke in which it’s announced that the President wants to create a new “Space Force” agency and a table of military leaders starts laughing, the trailers make it look more just like a silly comedy. I liked Greg Daniels’s other recent show “Upload” (on Amazon), which was a mix of silly comedy moments and more biting satire. So I’m cautiously optimistic. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/5 "2020-05-20T15:37:17Z")
Already on our “Watch” list just for the cast. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/6 "2020-05-20T15:43:36Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Yeah, definitely an obvious comparison, in that Steve Carrell is playing the head of an organization who is clearly unsuited for the job and out of his depth. Hopefully there’s more to it than that though. [_Deadline_: “‘Space Force’ Workplace Comedy Series From ‘The Office’s Steve Carell & Greg Daniels Ordered By Netflix”](https://deadline.com/2019/01/space-force-workplace-comedy-series-steve-carell-star-greg-daniels-netflix-the-office-reunion-1202535944/) \*Co-created by Carell and Daniels and starring Carell, Space Force is centered around the people tasked with creating a sixth branch of the armed services…Space Force. Steve Carell, who co-created the series, will star and executive produce. Daniels will serve as showrunner and executive producer. Fellow Office alum, 3 Arts’ Howard Klein, will also serve as executive producer.\* Sounds like _The Office_ ‘in space’ to me. Which, really, isn’t a bad thing; the incompetence in military bureaucracy is a rich vein of humor and hypocrisy that is too infrequently mined. I’m imagining something like [_The Pentagon Wars_](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0144550/) stretched out to series length, although I’d really rather see it be done by Mitch Hurwitz and the _Arrested Development_ creative team. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/7 "2020-05-20T15:47:12Z")
I had high hopes, but I have to say that the one trailer I saw was not very funny. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/8 "2020-05-20T15:58:14Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I liked Greg Daniels’s other recent show “Upload” (on Amazon), which was a mix of silly comedy moments and more biting satire. So I’m cautiously optimistic. Made by the same guy who made “Upload”, eh? Interesting. I guess that means DrForrester won’t like it, judging by that “Upload” thread awhile back 🙂 > [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > … > Sounds like _The Office_ ‘in space’ to me. Which, really, isn’t a bad thing; > … > Stranger I agree, a well-done version of “The Office”, only space-related, wouldn’t be bad. But I’d like to see something with some satirical teeth to it, that gets Trump rage-tweeting at 3 a.m. about how bad the show is, and what a bunch of losers are in it. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/9 "2020-05-20T16:43:01Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I agree, a well-done version of “The Office”, only space-related, wouldn’t be bad. But I’d like to see something with some satirical teeth to it, that gets Trump rage-tweeting at 3 a.m. about how bad the show is, and what a bunch of losers are in it. In that case they need to cast Alec Baldwin as “President Ronald Glamp” and guest star Robert DeNiro as his Attorney General. Mitt Romney can cameo as himself. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/10 "2020-05-20T17:15:44Z")
I’m just judging from the trailer but I’m not getting an Office feeling or seeing a biting political satire. This looks like an underdog comedy, where somebody who is expected to fail will overcome his difficulties and achieve a big success. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/11 "2020-05-20T18:42:13Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m just judging from the trailer but I’m not getting an Office feeling or seeing a biting political satire. This looks like an underdog comedy, where somebody who is expected to fail will overcome his difficulties and achieve a big success. Yeah, I did catch disturbing hints of warmth, family-friendliness and lesson-learning in the trailer. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/12 "2020-05-20T18:48:08Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m just judging from the trailer but I’m not getting an Office feeling or seeing a biting political satire. This looks like an underdog comedy, where somebody who is expected to fail will overcome his difficulties and achieve a big success. I’m hoping the big success will be realizing that nobody in the “Space Force” will actually be going into space and disband the new service for being an incredibly dumb idea. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/13 "2020-05-20T19:31:23Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I agree, a well-done version of “The Office”, only space-related, wouldn’t be bad. But I’d like to see something with some satirical teeth to it, that gets Trump rage-tweeting at 3 a.m. about how bad the show is, and what a bunch of losers are in it. I’d rather it not get too Trump specific. I feel like contemporary political humor never ages that well. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/14 "2020-05-20T22:16:50Z")
:smack: I thought the thread was about this Space Force TV show from my youth. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vroANVFNcFY/hqdefault.jpg "Space Force (1978)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vroANVFNcFY) ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/15 "2020-05-20T22:55:14Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > In that case they need to cast Alec Baldwin as “President Ronald Glamp” and guest star Robert DeNiro as his Attorney General. Mitt Romney can cameo as himself. > > Stranger Its an ideal opportunity to return John Glover, who played a stellar [Daniel Clamp](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVfa1GJ0f5g) in Gremlins 2. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mr.Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Me)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/16 "2020-05-21T12:41:59Z")
[quote=“Icerigger, post:14, topic:854182”] :smack: I thought the thread was about this Space Force TV show from my youth. [/QUOTE] So that makes this the second TV show called Space Force to feature Fred Willard. [Space Force (1978)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1495952/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2) [Space Force (2020)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9612516/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm) ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/17 "2020-05-21T14:09:28Z")
> [@Mr.Me](#): > > So that makes this the second TV show called Space Force to feature Fred Willard. > > [Space Force (1978)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1495952/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2) > [Space Force (2020)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9612516/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm) Sadly, there won’t be a third. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/18 "2020-05-21T18:52:06Z")
I’m looking forward to it. I watched _Avenue 5_ on HBO and while it’s not the bestest funniest thing ever, it had some genuine hilarious moments. Judd and Karen steal almost every scene they are in. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/19 "2020-05-31T02:09:08Z")
I finished the series today and enjoyed it quite a lot. I’m surprised that it got such negative-to-mediocre reviews. Oddly, one of the most laudatory reviews came from the Wall Street Journal of all places. > [@](#): > > This is comedy infinitely more ambitious, more a product of a grand inventiveness than anything in “The Office.” It was that show that first made a star of Mr. Carell, and even then his performance was a foreshadowing of sorts—the indicator of his gift for portraying a character who was more than he seemed. In “The Office” he played Michael Scott, know-it-all boss, a sucker for all the latest in progressive management claptrap, in charge of the Scranton, Pa., branch of Dunder Mifflin Paper Co. Yet for all his infuriatingly stubborn pretensions, his faith in all that reeked of folly, Michael was clearly more humble than he seemed—no one could doubt his decency. > > For all his unblinking devotion to his preposterous mission, there’s nothing absurd in the determined character of Gen. Naird, prepared to do all to carry it through. He’s wide-eyed and more than a little upset to learn about test animals left abandoned in a space capsule long ago—it was too expensive to make a trip into space to bring them back home. OTOH, that same review called Episode 2 (with the chimp) “dazzling” and I thought that was probably the weakest one. I am particularly impressed with Carell’s performance as a stubborn-but-generally-competent guy trying to do the best job he can. I often find that the trickiest part of workplace comedies is portraying comedic characters who actually _have a reason_ to be in that job in the first place. In between jokes these guys behave and talk like actual military officers, and even the stupider ones are motivated by reasonable concerns. I give it an 8/10 and look forward to the next season. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182/20 "2020-05-31T02:17:44Z")
Better than I expected. Episode 1 was the expected satire, but then in episode 2 they kicked it up into a higher gear. Quite a star studded cast, and one last look at Fred Willard. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-force/854182.md?page=2)