''Space Force'' is an American workplace comedy streaming television series created by Greg Daniels and Steve Carell for Netflix. It centers on a group of people tasked with establishing the sixth branch of the United States Armed Forces, the United States Space Force. It stars Steve Carell, John Malkovich,

Ben Schwartz Benjamin Schwartz (born September 15, 1981) is an American actor and comedian. He has guest starred as Jean-Ralphio Saperstein on the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'' and Clyde Oberholt on the Showtime series ''House of Lies''; voiced Randy C ...

, Diana Silvers, Lisa Kudrow,

Tawny Newsome Tawny Newsome (born February 24, 1983) is an American musician, comedian, and actress best known for playing Chelsea Leight-Leigh on ''Bajillion Dollar Propertie$'', co-starring in ''Space Force'' and the third season of ''Brockmire'', and co-h ...

and

Jimmy O. Yang Jimmy O. Yang (; born June 11, 1987) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and writer. As an actor, he is best known for starring as Jian-Yang in the HBO comedy series ''Silicon Valley'', as Dr. Chan Kaifang in the Netflix comedy series ''Sp ...

. It premiered on Netflix on May 29, 2020, to mixed reviews. In November 2020, it was renewed for a second season which premiered on February 18, 2022, to positive reviews. In April 2022, the series was canceled after two seasons.

Premise

''Space Force'' is a workplace comedy- drama series that centers on a group of people tasked with establishing the sixth branch of the United States Armed Forces, the United States Space Force. Season One follows the efforts of General Mark Naird (Carell) to get "boots on the moon" by 2024, per the president's orders.

Cast and characters

Main

* Steve Carell as General Mark R. Naird, the Space Force's first Chief of Space Operations * John Malkovich as Dr. Adrian Mallory, Space Force chief scientist *

as F. Tony Scarapiducci, Space Force social media director * Diana Silvers as Erin Naird, Mark's teenage daughter *

as Captain Angela Ali, a Space Force helicopter pilot, and later, astronaut. In the final minutes of the last episode of season 2, she is promoted to Major. *

as Dr. Chan Kaifang, Dr. Mallory's lead assistant (season 2; recurring season 1) * Don Lake as Brigadier General Bradley Gregory, Naird's

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

(season 2; recurring season 1)

Recurring

Military

* Noah Emmerich as General Kick Grabaston,

Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force The chief of staff of the Air Force (acronym: CSAF, or AF/CC) is a statutory office () held by a general in the United States Air Force, and as such is the principal military advisor to the secretary of the Air Force on matter pertaining to th ...

* Alex Sparrow as Captain Yuri "Bobby" Telatovich, a Russian Space Forces liaison with the Space Force, spy, and illegitimate son of Vladimir Putin *

Roy Wood Jr. Roy Norris Wood Jr. (born December 11, 1978) is an American humorist, stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian, radio personality, actor, producer, podcaster, and writer best known for his correspondent appearances on ''The Daily Show with Trevor Noah ...

as Colonel Bert Mellows, U.S. Army liaison to the Space Force * Jane Lynch as Admiral Mayweather,

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...

* Diedrich Bader as General Rongley, Chief of Staff of the United States Army * Patrick Warburton as General Dabney Stramm,

Commandant of the Marine Corps The commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) is normally the highest-ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Joint Chiefs of Staff: composition; functions. The CMC reports directly to the secr ...

* Larry Joe Campbell as Admiral Louis Biffoont, Commandant of the Coast Guard * Spencer House as Duncan Tabner, a Space Force security guard from Alabama * Jamison Webb as Major Lee Baxter * Brandon Molale as Captain Clarke Luffinch, USAF

Politicians

* Dan Bakkedahl as John Blandsmith,

Secretary of Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

(Season 1) * Ginger Gonzaga as Anabela Ysidro-Campos, credited and referred to as "the Angry Young Congresswoman" and also known as AYC, a parody of

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (; ; born October 13, 1989), also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist. She has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district since 2019, as a member of th ...

* Concetta Tomei as Representative Pitosi, a parody of

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hunger ...

Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi (; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who has served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019 and previously from 2007 to 2011. She has represented in the United States House of ...

Alan Blumenfeld Alan Blumenfeld (born September 4, 1952) is an American character actor, best known for his role in NBC's TV series ''Heroes'' as Maury Parkman, the telepath father of Matt Parkman played by Greg Grunberg, and as Bob Buss in the telefilm ''2g ...

as Senator Schugler, a parody of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer * Tim Meadows as

(Season 2)

Scientists

Jessica St. Clair Jessica St. Clair is an American actress and improvisational comedian from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. With frequent collaborator Lennon Parham, she co-created and co-starred in NBC's ''Best Friends Forever'' and USA Network's '' Playi ...

as Kelly King, structural engineer and civil contractor * Thomas Ohrstrom as Dr. Vandeveld * Nancy Lantis as Dr. Wolf * Punam Patel as Dr. Ranatunga * JayR Tinaco as Dr. Xyler

Family

* Fred Willard as Fred Naird, Mark's father (season 1) * Lisa Kudrow as Maggie Naird, Mark's wife

Other

Chris Gethard Christopher Paul Gethard (; born May 23, 1980) is an American actor, comedian and writer. He was the host of ''The Chris Gethard Show'', a talk show based in New York City, which aired from 2011 to 2018. He hosts the podcasts ''Beautiful Stories ...

as Eddie Broser *

Landon Ashworth Landon Ashworth is an American actor, producer, television, movie and musical writer, film and commercial director, pilot, and golfer who is a notable celebrity in the autism spectrum disorder community. Landon is a graduate of Embry Riddle Aeron ...

as Gabe Eli * Owen Daniels as Obie Hanrahan * Aparna Nancherla as Pella Bhat * Hector Duran as Julio Díaz-José * Carolyn Wilson as Louise Papaleo * Vivis Colombetti as Hilde * Amanda Lund as Anna * Marc Sully Saint-Fleur as Jean Baptiste Bosou * Scott Michael Morgan as Emmett Bunyan

Guest

Rahul Nath Rahul Nath (born Rahul Nath Mahant) is an American/British Indian actor, writer, dancer/choreographer and director who is best known for his role in the Bollywood film ''Happy Ending (film), Happy Ending'' (2014), the Punjabi cinema, Pollywood f ...

as Dr. Chandreshekar * Tommy Cook as Representative Bob White * Asif Ali as Captain Dave Powers, USSF * Michael Hitchcock as Jerome Lalosz *

Alice Wetterlund Alice Wetterlund (born May 16, 1981) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and podcast host. She played Carla Walton on the HBO sitcom ''Silicon Valley (TV series), Silicon Valley'', and currently plays D'Arcy Bloom on the SyFy TV series ''Re ...

as Major Jane Pike, USSF * Punkie Johnson as Staff Sergeant Kiki Rhodes, USSF *

Kaitlin Olson Kaitlin Willow Olson (born August 18, 1975) is an American actress. She began her career in The Sunday Company at the Groundlings, an improvisational theatre and school in Los Angeles, California. She had minor roles in several television series ...

as Edison Jaymes, "an Elizabeth Holmes-esque tech wiz" * Janina Gavankar as Hannah Howard, Jaymes' social media manager * Bruce Locke as General Tsengjun, a Chinese general in the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

Kelvin Han Yee Kelvin Han Yee (born June 14, 1961, San Francisco, California) is an American actor who has appeared in numerous films such as '' Destroyer'', ''Milk'' (as Gordon Lau), '' Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star'' (as Vietnamese Crime Boss), '' Lucky Yo ...

as General Gao Xiaoling, a Chinese general in the

and the

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

of People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force *

Megan Grano Megan Grano is an actress and writer from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, known for her work in ''This Is 40'' (2012), ''Veep'' (2012) and ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' (2003). Life Megan Grano began performing as a member of Second Suburb, her sketch comed ...

as Reporter No. 2 (Meredith) *

Jessica McKenna Jessica McKenna is an American actress and comedian. McKenna trained with The Groundlings and at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, where she regularly performs. McKenna was one of the stars of Fox's ''Party Over Here'', alongside Nicole Byer ...

as Participant No. 2 * Patton Oswalt as Captain Lancaster, an astronaut stationed in space (season 2) * Terry Crews as General Aggroad, the new Air Force Chief of Staff (season 2) * Tim Chiou as Chinese astronaut Dr. Lim (season 2)

Episodes

Season 1 (2020)

Season 2 (2022)

Production

Development

On January 16, 2019, it was announced that Netflix had given the production a series order for a ten-episode first season. The series is co-created by Greg Daniels and Steve Carell and is executive produced by Daniels, Carell, and Howard Klein through

3 Arts Entertainment 3 Arts Entertainment is an American talent management and television/film production company founded by Erwin Stoff, Michael Rotenberg and Howard Klein in 1991. The company has gone on to produce TV shows such as ''King of the Hill'', ''The Off ...

. On November 13, 2020, the series was renewed for a second season, produced in Vancouver to lower the show's budget. Producer Daniels explained that they would refocus the tone and emphases of the show for the second season and that they had brought veteran comedy director Ken Kwapis in to help achieve that goal. On April 29, 2022, Netflix canceled the series after two seasons.

Casting

Alongside the initial series order announcement, it was confirmed that Carell would star in the series. On September 26, 2019, it was announced that John Malkovich,

, Diana Silvers and

had joined that series as main cast and

, Alex Sparrow and Don Lake as recurring cast. In October 2019, Noah Emmerich, Fred Willard and

joined the cast in recurring roles. In April 2020, it was announced Lisa Kudrow had joined the cast in a recurring role. In May 2020, it was reported that Jane Lynch and

were cast in recurring roles. The series features the last television performance by Willard, who died on May 15, 2020, two weeks before the show's release.

Filming

Principal photography for the first season commenced in Los Angeles, California, on October 1, 2019, and ended on January 10, 2020. Most exterior shots of the fictional Space Force base were shot on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills. Filming for season 2 began in late May 2021 in Vancouver and wrapped in late June 2021.

Release

The series was released on Netflix on May 29, 2020. At their Q2 report meeting in July 2020, Netflix reported the series had been viewed by about 40 million households since its release. In August 2020, it was estimated that 8.3% of subscribers had watched the series over its first month. The second season premiered on February 18, 2022. The second season featured on Netflix 's global top 10s for 1 week recording 12.32 million hours watched globally.

Reception

Audience viewership

At their Q2 report meeting in July 2020, Netflix reported the series had been viewed by about 40 million households since its release. In August 2020, it was estimated that 8.3% of subscribers had watched the series over its first month. The second season featured on Netflix 's global top 10s for 1 week recording 12.32 million hours watched globally.

Critical response

Season 1

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of the series has an approval rating of 38% based on 96 reviews, with an average rating of 5.80/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "An all-star cast and blockbuster-worthy special effects aren't enough to keep ''Space Force''s uneven blend of earnestness and satire from spinning quickly out of comedic orbit." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 49 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Richard Roeper of the '' Chicago Sun-Times'' praised Carell, for his "impeccable comedic timing and his uncanny ability to play yet another character who's often an insufferable buffoon with not a speck of self-awareness" but criticized the hit-and-miss humor, and unrealized potential, saying "Don’t get me wrong; I enjoyed ''Space Force''... It’s just with all the credentials of the main contributors, we hoped for greatness and got ... pretty good."

Caroline Framke Caroline Framke (born 1988) an American writer and critic and is Chief TV Critic at ''Variety''. Formerly, she was a columnist at Vox and has contributed to ''The Atlantic'', ''The A.V. Club'', ''Flavorwire'', ''Complex'', ''Vulture'', ''Salon'' ...

of '' Variety'' wrote: "For all the heft behind it, ''Space Force'' should be an easy win. Ten episodes later, it's safer to say that ''Space Force'' is really just okay." Nick Allen, writing for ''

RogerEbert.com ''RogerEbert.com'' is an American film review website that archives reviews written by film critic Roger Ebert for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by the ''Chicago Sun-Times' ...

'' says, "''Space Force'' has the supporting characters to color its cringe-worthy absurdity," praising its cast but calling out on the story's incompetence. '' The Guardian'' gave the first season of the series only 2 out of 5 saying, "Above all, despite occasional laughs to be gleaned from the twist that Malkovich can give the most unpromising of lines, ''Space Force'' is not funny, which makes it hard to class as a comedy." Joshua Rivera from '' The Verge'' gave ''Space Force'' a disappointing review stating that "the show falls apart before it even gets going", chiefly because it strays away from the sharp political satire that shows such as '' Veep'' had nailed and instead "adheres to the conventions of the workplace comedy."

Season 2

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the second season of the series has an approval rating of 90% based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Nick Allen of ''

'' said "''Space Force'' is good, or good enough, with what matters most to it." '' Variety'' Caroline Framke opined that "The result isn’t half as sleek or ambitious as the initial season, but the show at least seems much more comfortable in its own skin."

Accolades

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Space Force (TV series) 2020 American television series debuts 2022 American television series endings 2020s American LGBT-related comedy television series 2020s American workplace comedy television series English-language Netflix original programming Gay-related television shows Fiction about the People's Liberation Army Television shows about the United States Space Force Television series by 3 Arts Entertainment Television shows set in Colorado Television shows filmed in Los Angeles Television shows filmed in Vancouver Television series created by Greg Daniels