Netflix had an Office problem when the insanely popular series left the streamer for NBC’s upcoming Peacock, so they went out and did what they always do: spend a lot of money. They spent that money wooing Steve Carell and Greg Daniels, who adapted the British The Office for the U.S., to make them a new show. That new show is Space Force, which you can see the first images for below.
Think of Space Force as The Office but with space! The full cast, which was announced alongside a May 29 release date, includes John Malkovich, Diana Silvers, Tawny Newsome, Ben Schwartz, Lisa Kudrow, Jimmy O. Yang, Noah Emmerich, Alex Sparrow, and Don Lake. Netflix clearly didn’t skimp on pulling in some of the funniest people working for the series, and with Carell back in the literal boss’s seat, the show could be something special and hilarious.
The series follows four-star general Mark R. Naird (Steve Carell), who is tapped to lead the newly formed sixth branch of the U.S. Armed Forces: Space Force. Per Netflix: “Skeptical but dedicated, Mark uproots his family and moves to a remote base in Colorado where he and a colorful team of scientists and ‘Spacemen’ are tasked by the White House with getting American boots on the moon (again) in a hurry and achieving total space dominance.” Kudrow will star as Maggie Naird, Mark’s wife, who has spent the last 20 years following her husband’s career but may not be too happy with that anymore.
Obviously, the idea is playing on President Trump’s launch of an actual branch of the military that is really and actually called Space Force and the inherently humorous context around it. How it will work as an office comedy and if it can entice the massive numbers that The Office pulled on Netflix are the two big questions remaining.