STILL OUT THERE
Survivors band together in the wake of a virus that devastated the world’s population in a new episode of “The Last Man on Earth” airing Sunday.
Will Forte (“Saturday Night Live”) has long been an staple of the comedy world. A consistent underdog, Forte’s comedy is his very own, a particular blend of silly and crass absurdism that has a tendency to fall flat with broader audiences as often as it succeeds. Forte, however, has officially hit his stride, and despite any previous swings and misses, his current television series is on fire.
A new episode of “The Last Man on Earth” airs Sunday, Dec. 11, on Fox and Citytv. Now well into its third season, critics and viewers alike are singing its praises — the series has even been nominated for five Emmys in its short life, and Forte has worked hard for this success, as he told Indiewire:
“I’m part of the writing and part of the editing, too, and I can’t do that stuff during the week while I’m acting. I have to act, and then I write afterward, so it’s like seven days a week. I catch up on the editing on weekends, and the writing on weekend nights.”
The show has come a long way in its two-and-a-half seasons to date. At the beginning, viewers watched as Forte’s character, Phil, wandered a deserted America one year after a virus killed off almost everyone on the planet. Being alone for long periods of time can drive anyone a little mad, and the choices Phil made with no one around to judge him were hilarious to observe, and even caused many viewers to contemplate what they’d be like under similar circumstances.
But that aloneness was shortlived. Along came Carol (Kristen Schaal, “Bob’s Burgers”), a shrill, strange woman, just as weird a Phil, but somehow in total conflict with his personality. Being, to their knowledge, the only two people on Earth, they set aside their differences and began to build a life together, even getting married (as married as you can get with no clergy or government officials left on the planet) to seal the deal. And then the gorgeous Melissa (January Jones, “Mad Men”) rolled into town.
And that’s how the series does it: it reels you in with a delightful setup that makes you think you know where things are going, then delivers a punchline that sets the show on a different track entirely. Executive producer Chris Miller told Indiewire: “We don’t wanna do something that feels extra safe because why bother? ... I think audiences appreciate that you are pushing the boundaries of what a TV show can do. I’m really excited about where the show is going now and how fun and daring and funny it is.”
Besides Forte, Schaal and Jones, the series stars Mel Rodriguez (“Getting On”) as Todd, a sweet, giving man whose niceness woos Melissa and other women, but annoys Phil; Cleopatra Coleman (“Neighbours”) as Erica, an Australian political nerd with a surprisingly criminal background; and Mary Steenburgen (“Justified”) as Gail, Erica’s travelling companion and a chef in her pre-virus life.
These survivors band together in an effort to make this post-apocalyptic world bearable, and, of course, hilarity ensues. Whether it’s love triangles, divorce, surprising backstories, road trips or attempts at social justice, everything this group does is tinged with Forte’s signature absurdity. Phil’s name, for example, is changed when, in season 2, another Phillip (Boris Kodjoe, “Code Black”) arrives on the scene. The two compete for exclusive rights to the name, and the original Phil loses, causing the group to declare that he will forever be addressed using his middle name: Tandy.
And Tandy it is for the rest of the series, even after Phil No. 2 departs (I won’t tell you how — spoilers! — but it’s oh so dramatic). I would argue that it’s the fun unpredictability that draws in the calibre of guest stars the show enjoys as much or more than the Emmy nominations or the show’s general popularity.
Oh, didn’t I mention the guest stars? Since Alexandra Daddario’s (“True Detective”) appearance in the very first episode as Tandy’s literal dream girl, there have been more great casting surprises: Forte’s former “SNL” castmate, Jason Sudeikis (“Son of Zorn”), for example — he showed up in seasons 1 and 2 as Mike, Tandy’s astronaut brother, who has been in orbit since before the virus struck. Kenneth Choi’s (“The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”) Lewis, a gay arborist, arrived this season, and he’s been a very funny addition to the core crew of survivors.