''Command Z'' is a

science fiction comedy Science fiction comedy (sci-fi comedy) or comic science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction or science fantasy that exploits the science-fiction (SF) genre's conventions for comedy, comedic effect. Comic science fiction often mocks or satirize ...

web series directed by

Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh (; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh is an acclaimed and prolific filmmaker. Soderbergh's direc ...

. The series consists of eight episodes of varying lengths that ultimately comprise a 90-minute runtime.

Cast

* Michael Cera as Kerning Fealty *

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 Sam * Chloe Radcliffe as Emma * JJ Maley as Jamie *

Liev Schreiber Isaac Liev Schreiber (; born October 4, 1967) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and narrator. He became known during the late 1990s and early 2000s after appearing in several independent films, and later mainstream Hollywoo ...

as Kohlberg Pryce * Kevin Pollak as Old Kerning Fealty * Zoe Winters as Christina Martin * Laura Seay as Astrid Jensen * Catherine Curtin as Carol *

Stavros Halkias Stavros Halkias ( el, Σταύρος Χαλκιάς; born February 11, 1989) is an American stand-up comedian and podcaster. Active since the early 2010s, he is a nationally touring comic who came to prominence as a founding co-host of the po ...

as Baz Diamandis * Mike Houston as Bob Shiner *

Will Brill Will Brill is an American actor best known for his role as Scott Brown in ''The OA''. Brill grew up in Menlo Park, California and graduated from Gunn High School in nearby Palo Alto. Brill is a graduate of the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. In ...

as Henry Humphrey * Mike Birbiglia as the Time Traveler

Production

In January 2023,

announced that he had filmed a science fiction satire series he was calling ''The Pendulum Project''. It was shot in July and August 2022 between shooting ''

Magic Mike's Last Dance ''Magic Mike's Last Dance'' is a 2023 American comedy-drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh, written by Reid Carolin, and produced by Channing Tatum. It is the third installment in the ''Magic Mike'' trilogy, following ''Magic Mike'' (201 ...

'' and '' Full Circle'' in New York. The show was independently financed by Soderbergh, and it was inspired by Kurt Andersen's book '' Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America: A Recent History''. Andersen co-created the series with former Simpsons writer Larry Doyle. It stars Michael Cera,

, Chloe Radcliffe, JJ Maley, and

. Writers include Andersen, Doyle, Wood Jr, Radcliffe,

Nell Scovell Helen Vivian "Nell" Scovell is an American television and magazine writer, and producer. She is the creator of the television series ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'', which aired on ABC and The WB from 1996 until 2003 and co-author of the book '' ...

, Akilah Hughes, Jiehae Park, and Emily Flake.https://commandzseries.com/episodes/v/8

Release

A secret screening of ''Command Z'' was held on June 16, 2023, at the

Metrograph The Metrograph is an independent two-screen movie theater at 7 Ludlow Street in the Dimes Square neighborhood on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It opened in 2016 with two theatres, a bookstore, a "curated" concession stand, and a restaurant. ...

in New York City before the series' release. It was officially released on July 17, 2023—the same date that the characters must travel back in time to in the show's universe. The series was made available for purchase on the website of Soderbergh's production company, Extension 765, and proceeds from the series are donated to Children's Aid and the

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

Center for Antiracist Research.

Reception

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...

'' critic Nick Schager wrote that "Soderbergh’s direction is snappy, playful, and efficient, and so too are the series’ scripts," writing that "nicely marries socio-political sharpness and jaded absurdity" to "deliver goofy laughs," yet "without ever resorting to sermonizing." Shannon Connellan at ''

Mashable Mashable is a digital media platform, news website and entertainment company founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005. History Mashable was founded by Pete Cashmore while living in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 2005. Early iterations of the site were a ...

'' found the series to be a "superbly acted" thought-provoking series about how small changes can improve the future. "If you're looking for top-tier political, social, and economic commentary on how fucked up the world is, this is the bunch." Chase Hutchinson at '' Collider'' gave the series a B−, feeling that the series was sometimes charming but also feeling like Soderbergh used it more as an exercise that he wasn't taking seriously.

Episodes

References

External links

* * {{Steven Soderbergh Television shows filmed in New York City 2020s American science fiction television series 2020s American comedy television series Television series created by Steven Soderbergh