Steve Carell Will Create and Star in a ‘Space Force’ Workplace Comedy for Netflix
Steve Carell suddenly has a very full TV plate. Just weeks after signing on to Apple’s Mimi Leder morning show drama (that has Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, and still no title), Carell is diversifying his streaming portfolio by creating a new series for Netflix.
In a return to TV comedy, Carell will create and star in “Space Force,” a series set against the backdrop of the new military branch created last summer by the current administration. Judging by the teaser below, a major part of the show will be its characters figuring out what exactly this new organization is supposed to be doing in the first place. (As mandated by space comedy law, Netflix’s official announcement came with a teaser set to “Thus Spoke Zarathustra.”)
.@SteveCarell will star in a new workplace comedy series he co-created with #TheOffice’s Greg Daniels about the people tasked with creating a sixth branch of the armed services: the Space Force! pic.twitter.com/6GEFNgP18w
— Queue (@netflixqueue) January 16, 2019
The co-creator on “Space Force” is Greg Daniels, who previously served as the showrunner on “The Office.” (Daniels will also take on showrunning duties with this new show as well.) With this reunion between the two on the horizon, Carell’s reticence for an official “Office” revisit makes a little more sense. In addition to his upcoming Apple role, Carell is also the executive producer on the TBS series “Angie Tribeca,” which aired a surprise Season 4 marathon at the end of 2018.
“Space Force” joins a growing list of announced Netflix comedies for the foreseeable future. There’s “Hoops,” an animated series about a high school basketball coach starring the voice of Jake Johnson. Fellow animated comedy “Tuca & Bertie,” the latest from “BoJack Horseman” creative force Lisa Hanawalt, will feature the voices of Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong. “Russian Doll” is next up on the platform’s confirmed comedy list. The Natasha Lyonne-led eight-episode season, directed by Leslye Headland, Jamie Babbit, and Lyonne, debuts on Friday, February 1.
