'Space Force' Season 2 Officially Ordered For Blast Off At Netflix
The first season of the Netflix's comedy series Space Force starring Steve Carell feels like it premiered years ago, but it only hit the streaming service back at the end of May this year. Netflix doesn't often take long to renew their hit shows, but in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, it seems like maybe some numbers needed to be crunched to figure out whether the show was worth bringing back for a second season. That's probably why the series will be moving production to Vancouver instead of Los Angeles now that Netflix has officially ordered Space Force season 2.
The Hollywood Reporter exclusively reported news of Space Force season 2 getting ordered at Netflix. Since this is a high-concept series focusing on the workplace antics of the new branch of the military tasked with establishing a presence on the moon, it's more expensive than your average comedy series. Considering how much more pricey it is to shoot shows in Los Angeles right now as the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the United States, the second season shooting in Vancouver is a smarter and safer decision all around.
Though there was a lot of hype around the first season of Space Force, critics were not impressed. The show garnered a 38% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, but others weren't so disappointed with the show earning a 75% audience score. Here's what I wrote in my review back in May:
"Veep is clearly the show that Space Force seems to be trying to emulate the most. But the show isn't quite sharp or clever enough in its comedy to match the consistent and frequent gut-busting laughs that come from the Veep's snappy dialogue and venomous insults. That's not to say the show doesn't come with a lot of laughs, because there are some truly great lines and recurring gags here and there. But it still falls short of having hitting as hard or being as memorable as other comedies in the same vein, such as Silicon Valley or even the unfortunately short-lived Enlisted."
It appears that even the producers of the show realized that they needed to make some changes behind the scenes. Norm Hiscock is being added to the series as a co-showrunner along with The Office creator Greg Daniels. The two have a history working together with Hiscock's previous efforts including Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Parks and Recreation, People of Earth, and King of the Hill. On top of that, cast member Jimmy O. Yang is joining the writing staff. It's hoped that the series will be able to find itself and settle into a groove in the same way that Daniels finessed The Office when it returned for a second season, especially since Daniels has plans to keep the show going for at least a few seasons.
The first season also starred John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Tawny Newsome, Diana Silvers, and Lisa Kudrow, and presumably they'll all be returning since they're part of the primary ensemble. The finale left everyone in a precarious position with a couple big dangling plot threads, and hopefully a second season can pick them up and take the series in a more engaging direction that allows the comedy and the high-concept premise to co-exist more harmoniously.
Space Force season will start shooting next year, but it's not clear when it will arrive on Netflix.