SPACE FORCE

Netflix

Houston, we’ve had a problem. Comedies set in space have hardly covered themselves in glory lately. Armando Iannucci’s Avenue 5 underwhelmed, while Red Dwarf’s reunions are hit-and-miss. Thankfully, Netflix’s new entry in the genre bucks the trend. The slick, smart 10-parter comes with impeccable credentials. It’s co-created by sitcom supremo Greg Daniels (The US Office, Parks & Recreation) and actor Steve Carell. Comedy stalwarts such as Lisa Kudrow, Noah Emmerich and Jane Lynch are joined by a heavyweight thesp in John Malkovich, to lend further class.

Carrell stars as General

Mark R Naird, a decorated pilot who dreams of running the Air Force. Much to his displeasure, he instead finds himself leading the newly formed sixth branch of the US military: Space Force. Relocating his reluctant family to a remote Colorado base, he meets the eccentric team tasked with getting American boots on the Moon (again) by 2024. It’s all a spoof of President Trump’s galactic ambitions, while Naird is a parody of his real-life equivalent,

John W Raymond. The performances ooze class and it is effortlessly funny. It’s also the last work of the late great Fred Willard. Michael Hogan

Ground control: Steve Carell stars as General Mark R Naird

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