'Moonbase 8' Trailer: John C. Reilly, Fred Armisen, And Tim Heidecker Train For A Space Journey – And Things Go Very Wrong

A24 and Showtime are teaming up for a new comedy series called Moonbase 8, which stars three hilarious actors: John C. Reilly (Step Brothers), Fred Armisen (Saturday Night Live), and Tim Heidecker (Tom Goes to the Mayor). Now the first teaser trailer has arrived, and it hints at what happens when a space training mission goes horribly, horribly wrong.

I like how this trailer subverts expectations as it goes along. At first, it looks like any other mission-to-space story – the kind that we've seen a hundred times. But as President John F. Kennedy's speech comes to a conclusion, the footage takes a hard turn from standard images of equations on whiteboards and exercise regimens to heightened insanity, culminating with Armisen holding a pair of pliers and seemingly preparing to yank his own tongue out of his mouth. Here's hoping the show itself has that same level of manic energy.

Moonbase 8 was created by Reilly, Armisen, Heidecker, and Emmy nominee Jonathan Krisel, who worked closely with Armisen on the acclaimed IFC series Portlandia and with Heidecker on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!. Krisel, whose credits also include Baskets, Kroll Show, and Man Seeking Woman, is directing all six episodes of this series, which is being produced by indie darling studio A24.

Perhaps it's the fact that the United States is literally on fire right now, or that we're in the midst of a global pandemic that's still raging, or that the past three years have been spent under the most corrupt political administration in American history, but it certainly seems like there's been a resurgence in telling stories that are about the quest to get off of this planet. First Man, The Right Stuff, Space Force, Lost in Space, Ad Astra...the list goes on. I look forward to seeing what deranged spin these creators put on that concept when this series debuts on Showtime.

Here's the show's official synopsis:

Set in the isolated desert of Winslow, Arizona at NASA's Moon Base Simulator, MOONBASE 8 follows eager astronauts Skip (Fred Armisen), Rook (Tim Heidecker) and their leader Cap (John C. Reilly) as they attempt to qualify for their first lunar mission. While working vigorously to complete their training, a series of unexpected circumstances forces the astronauts to question their own mental sanity, trust in each other and whether or not they're cut out for space travel.

Moonbase 8 premieres on Showtime sometime in Fall 2020.