Moonbase 8

Last updated

Moonbase 8
Moonbase 8.jpg
Genre Comedy
Created by
Directed byJonathan Krisel
Starring
  • John C. Reilly
  • Tim Heidecker
  • Fred Armisen
Composer Steven Drozd [1]
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • Fred Armisen
  • Tim Heidecker
  • Jonathan Krisel
  • John C. Reilly
  • Dave Kneebone
CinematographyCarl Herse
Editors
  • Micah Gardner
  • Michael Giambra
  • Stacy Moon
Production companies
Original release
Network Showtime
ReleaseNovember 8 (2020-11-08) –
December 6, 2020 (2020-12-06)

Moonbase 8 is an American comedy television series created and written by Fred Armisen, Tim Heidecker, Jonathan Krisel and John C. Reilly, starring Armisen, Heidecker and Reilly in the lead roles. It premiered on November 8, 2020, on Showtime. [2] [3]

Contents

Premise

Moonbase 8 follows three subpar astronauts in one of several NASA Moon base training simulators located in Winslow, Arizona, hoping to be the crew selected by NASA to travel to the actual Moon Base, whose construction is nearing completion. [4]

Cast

Main

Guest

Episodes

No.Title  [6] Directed by  [7] Written by  [8] Original air date  [6] U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Dry" Jonathan Krisel Fred Armisen & Tim Heidecker & Jonathan Krisel & John C. Reilly November 8, 2020 (2020-11-08)0.090 [9]
2"Rats"Jonathan KriselFred Armisen & Tim Heidecker & Jonathan Krisel & John C. ReillyNovember 15, 2020 (2020-11-15)0.061 [10]
3"Quarantine"Jonathan KriselFred Armisen & Tim Heidecker & Jonathan Krisel & John C. ReillyNovember 22, 2020 (2020-11-22)0.057 [11]
4"Visitors"Jonathan KriselFred Armisen & Tim Heidecker & Jonathan Krisel & John C. ReillyNovember 29, 2020 (2020-11-29)0.033 [12]
5"Move the Base"Jonathan KriselFred Armisen & Tim Heidecker & Jonathan Krisel & John C. ReillyDecember 6, 2020 (2020-12-06)0.144 [13]
6"Beef"Jonathan KriselFred Armisen & Tim Heidecker & Jonathan Krisel & John C. ReillyDecember 6, 2020 (2020-12-06)0.102 [13]

Production

Development

On April 24, 2018, it was announced that A24 had begun production on a comedy television series titled Moonbase 8 that they independently funded. Executive producers include Fred Armisen, Tim Heidecker, Jonathan Krisel, John C. Reilly, and Dave Kneebone. Krisel directed all six episodes. Production companies involved with the production include A24 and Abso Lutely Productions. A24 began shopping the series to networks once production concluded. [4] [14] [15] The series premiered on November 8, 2020, on Showtime. [3] The entire first season became available on-demand to Showtime subscribers on November 8, 2020. [16]

The series is scored by Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips, his first time scoring a project. [1]

Casting

Alongside the series announcement, it was confirmed that Armisen, Heidecker, and Reilly would star in the series. [4] [15]

Reception

Reviews of the series have been mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 57% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 6.16/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Despite a talented central trio and a few great moments, Moonbase 8's portrait of monotonous mediocrity may be too low-key for some viewers to achieve comedic lift off—though that may be exactly the point." [17] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 18 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [18]

In reviewing the series in contrast to the other "work-space" comedies of 2020, Avenue 5 and Space Force , Danette Chavez of The A.V. Club stated that Moonbase 8 has the most potential to continue as a comedy on its own merits, beyond the stunt of the space setting. [5] Ben Travers of IndieWire praised the show while saying it still has room to grow, writing "there’s room for creative expansion in future seasons, but this is a small-scale mission that’s off to a solid start". [19]

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References

  1. 1 2 131. Dr. Michael Greger, Steven Drozd (The Flaming Lips), Skinner, Mikey Kampmann
  2. ↑ Petski, Denise (August 20, 2020). "Showtime Orders 'Moonbase 8' Comedy Series From Fred Armisen, Tim Heidecker, John C. Reilly & Jonathan Krisel". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Iannucci, Rebecca (September 15, 2020). "Moonbase 8: Showtime's Fred Armisen Comedy Gets November Premiere Date". TVLine . Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Petski, Denise (April 24, 2018). "'Moonbase 8' Comedy From Fred Armisen, Tim Heidecker, Jonathan Krisel & John C. Reilly In Works By A24". Deadline. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Chavez, Danette (November 3, 2020). "'The light-hearted office comedy of Moonbase 8 actually works". The AV Club. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Moonbase 8 – Listings". The Futon Critic . Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  7. ↑ Ferguson, LaToya (November 5, 2020). "'Moonbase 8' Mines Space Exploration for Understated Workplace Comedy: TV Review". Variety. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Moonbase 8". Writers Guild of America West . Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  9. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (November 10, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.8.2020". Showbuzz Daily . Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  10. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (November 17, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.15.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  11. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (November 24, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.2.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  12. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (December 2, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.29.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  13. 1 2 Metcalf, Mitch (December 8, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.6.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Fred Armisen, Tim Heidecker, John C. Reilly Announce New Comedy Series "Moonbase 8"". pitchfork.com. April 26, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  15. 1 2 "Fred Armisen, Tim Heidecker, and John C. Reilly are dumb astronauts in new A24-produced series". Consequence of Sound. April 26, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  16. ↑ Evangelista, Chris (October 30, 2020). "'Moonbase 8' Premiere Episode Will Stream for Free, Whole Season Will Be Available at Once". /Film . Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Moonbase 8: Season 1 (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Moonbase 8: Season 1". Metacritic . Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  19. ↑ "'Moonbase 8' Review: Showtime's Silly Space Simulation Is Brisk, Disposable Fun". Indiewire. November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
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