Space Force Review: Steve Carell’s Netflix Comedy Series is Thoroughly Enjoyable!

Created by Greg Daniels and Steve Carell, Space Force, also starring Carell in the lead role, is an entertaining take on the themes of space exploration and aerospace production while taking playful jabs at a few real-life situations and personalities. Accompanied by a large ensemble of cast, this ten-episode sitcom-style comedy, for the most part, manage to generate wacky humor, complemented by some satisfactory writing and terrific performances from the entire cast.

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The narrative of Space Force is structured like a sitcom—where each episode has its unique premise. It starts with General Mark R. Naird (Steve Carell) being appointed by the council as the Cheif of Space Operations at Space Force, projected as the contemporary of Air Force. As Mark settles in his position, things go south within a year with the much-awaited satellite launch turn into a disaster by their adversaries.

Beginning with the launch of their most prestigious satellite project to conducting a paintball-type Space Flag competition and battling their competitors on the moon, Space Force manages to keep the fun vibe going through and through. They’re ridiculous efforts and the comical mess-ups at something very campy alongside the recurring characters inside the establishment (some based on real-life personalities), maintain the momentum substantially.

Furthermore, outside of the entertainment aspect of the show, Space Force also succeeds in showcasing the emotional beats between the characters decently. The numerous subplots, primarily the struggling relationship between Naird and his imprisoned wife, combined with him not able to bond or spend time with his teenage daughter sufficiently, were narrated well within the show in brief subplots. In parallel with his family relationship, the tough love, and the flustering affinity, between him and John Malkovich’s character created a myriad of wholesome moments that balanced out the full-bore ‘fun and games’ tenor of the show flawlessly.

While the comedic aspects of the show worked, for the most part, there is no denying the fact that Space Force suffered sporadically, attributable to a few issues that could’ve been sorted out with better writing and fine-tuning. And this should be the primary reason why Space Force might not match-up with its predecessors like The Office (2005) considering the inconsistent characteristics of the show as far as the humor and pacing are concerned.

The performances from the entire cast also helped elevate the narrative as far as entertainment is concerned. Steve Carell, the main protagonist of the show guarantees that his charming screen presence is felt through and through and recaptures his comedic stableness after playing a series of serious roles in the recent past. Furthermore, his humor also works to a great degree because of his co-stars, beginning with John Malkovich who is the perfect adversary, or the opposite of Carell’s character in the show.

The mindless banter between them both, and the amateurish verbal fights were an absolute delight to watch cause it felt like watching two brothers fighting to prove that the other one is wrong. The others, especially Tawny Newsome and Jimmy O. Yang stood out from the rest of the gang with their commendable performances and are offered multiple moments to shine and entertain throughout the entire show. Watch ‘Space Force’ on Netflix here.

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Overall, the gigantic hype and expectations (which is natural when it’s coming from the creator of The Office), might disappoint you a little bit when you sit back and watch the entire product. However, for a viewer (like me) who appreciates simple things in life, Space Force is a delight and is thoroughly enjoyable predominantly. Steve Carell’s chucklesome performance and his humorous delivery brought a smile on my face regardless of all the issues the show suffered consistently.

Rating – 3/5 | Grade – B

Images via Netflix