SERIES PREMIERE: This new series is co-created by Greg Daniels, who already scored an out-of-this-world home run this month with Amazon’s
Upload, and Steve Carell, his former star of NBC’s
The Office. Carell also stars here, playing the newly appointed head of the new Space Force arm of the armed forces. It’s a little too much like HBO’s
Avenue 5, which also transplanted bureaucratic clashes and egos to outer space. In
Space Force, the characters are earthbound at first, with turf wars that may follow them all outside our atmosphere. Co-stars include John Malkovich, Lisa Kudrow, Noah Emmerich from
The Americans – and Fred Willard, whose supporting role here is his final screen performance. Willard, who died earlier this month, plays Carell’s father here – but it’s not Willard’s first
Space Force role. His resume includes a TV movie comedy, also titled
Space Force, in which he starred, playing the ship’s captain, Thomas Woods. And that was way back in 1978.
For a full review, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower.