Moonbase 8

American comedy television series

  • Fred Armisen
  • Tim Heidecker
  • Jonathan Krisel
  • John C. Reilly
Directed byJonathan KriselStarring
  • John C. Reilly
  • Tim Heidecker
  • Fred Armisen
ComposerSteven Drozd[1]Country of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishNo. of seasons1No. of episodes6ProductionExecutive producers
  • Fred Armisen
  • Tim Heidecker
  • Jonathan Krisel
  • John C. Reilly
  • Dave Kneebone
CinematographyCarl HerseEditors
  • Micah Gardner
  • Michael Giambra
  • Stacy Moon
Production companies
  • Antigravico
  • Interesting Situations
  • Harlequitten Inc
  • Top Drawer Entertainment Inc.
  • Abso Lutely Productions
  • A24
Original releaseNetworkShowtimeReleaseNovember 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]

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

  • John C. Reilly as Robert "Cap" Caputo, a former helicopter tour pilot who claims to be a military veteran[5]
  • Tim Heidecker as Professor Scott "Rook" Sloan, a Christian who wants to spread "the Gospel of Jesus Christ out into the universe"[5]
  • Fred Armisen as Dr. Michael "Skip" Henai, the son of an astronaut[5]

Guest

  • Travis Kelce as himself, a piece of "stunt casting" by NASA for the astronaut program[5]
  • Adam Lambert as Billy
  • Thomas Mann as Cooper
  • Alia Shawkat as Alix

Episodes

No.Title [6]Directed by [7]Written by [8]Original air date [6]U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Dry"Jonathan KriselFred Armisen & Tim Heidecker & Jonathan Krisel & John C. ReillyNovember 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]

References

  1. ^ a b 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. ^ a b Iannucci, Rebecca (September 15, 2020). "Moonbase 8: Showtime's Fred Armisen Comedy Gets November Premiere Date". TVLine. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b c d e Chavez, Danette (November 3, 2020). "'The light-hearted office comedy of Moonbase 8 actually works". The AV Club. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "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.

External links

  • Moonbase 8 on A24
  • Moonbase 8 at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  • v
  • t
  • e
Paramount+ with Showtime original programming
Current and upcoming
Current
  • The Chi (since 2018)
  • The Curse (since 2023)
  • Couples Therapy (since 2019)
  • Dreaming Whilst Black (since 2023)
  • A Gentleman in Moscow (since 2024)
  • Super Pumped (since 2022)
  • Yellowjackets (since 2021)
Former
1980s debuts
1990s debuts
2000s debuts
2010s debuts
2020s debuts
See also
Paramount+
Showtime (OTT)