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CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION | ||
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Positive:
13
Mixed:
20
Negative:
11
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Critic Reviews
May 28, 2020
Season 1 Review:
Among the enchanting aspects of “Space Force”, and they’re countless, is its capacity to seem what it decidedly is not. ... Wit-drenched series. ... The series is rich in skilled performances, among them Jimmy O. Yang as the unshakably poised Dr. Chan Kaifang, who steals more than a few scenes, and Noah Emmerich as Gen. Kick Grabaston, Gen. Naird’s enemy. The highest accolades belong, of course, to the writers of this comedy of sparkling
sophistication, chimpanzees included, and wit that runs deep.
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ColliderMay 26, 2020
Season 1 Review:
There are characters that work better than others, and it takes a few episodes for the series to find the right tone (satire ain’t easy), but by the end of the 10-episode first-season run I found myself endeared to this disparate ensemble and deeply invested in what happens next. So, you know, a Greg Daniels show.
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TV Guide MagazineJun 5, 2020
Season 1 Review:
An earnestly amusing show that isn't afraid to wear its heart on its star-spangled sleeve. [8 - 21 Jun 2020, p.4]
Feb 16, 2022
Season 2 Review:
Much Trump-era political comedy seems drawn from the very specific genre of “you gotta laugh or you’ll cry,” a flavor of humor you can only ever tolerate for so long. By shedding that sensibility and refocusing on its own unique humor, Space Force did the most valuable thing it could: Make us want more.
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May 28, 2020
Season 1 Review:
While “Space Force” benefits from Carell’s impeccable comedic timing and his uncanny ability to play yet another character who’s often an insufferable buffoon with not a speck of self-awareness, the humor is hit-and-miss, the big-budget slapstick set pieces are mildly funny when they should be Mel Brooks funny. ... Don’t get me wrong; I enjoyed “Space Force.” The roughly half-hour episodes zip by and elicit a steady stream of smiles and chuckles. It’s just with all the credentials of the main contributors, we hoped for greatness and got … pretty good.
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IndieWireMay 26, 2020
Season 1 Review:
Space Force is a diversionary delight at best. Missed opportunities abound (whether it’s under-developed characters or first-draft jokes), and anyone expecting a “Veep”-level satire or “Office”-like innovation may be disappointed. Season 2, which seems inevitable given the talent involved, could easily go haywire or refine itself into something better. As it stands, “Space Force” is clearly made with joy. Maybe it won’t fill the “Office”-sized hole in Netflix subscribers’ hearts when the series leaves the service later this year, and perhaps it could serve a greater purpose than silly fun.
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RogerEbert.comMay 28, 2020
Season 1 Review:
The show proves much quicker with its droll dialogue than the dramatic force involving America trying to take over space. And yet after seeing all of season one I am still recommending this show, in part because adjusting expectations does make it more enjoyable, and it simply is funny enough to warrant a look.
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May 28, 2020
Season 1 Review:
Despite a rough start, “Space Force’s” impressive pedigree hints at its considerable potential and, after six episodes, provided plenty of clues that it will gradually find its way. An excellent cast and moments of sincere hilarity make this a comedy worth taking a chance on.
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Jun 1, 2020
Season 1 Review:
The good news is that this is not the worst space parody ever. In fact, it rockets off the pad with a fall-down-funny pilot episode. From there, though, it hits turbulence. ... The best thing about Space Force is Carell and Kudrow. ... Unfortunately, because of the absurdity of their situation, Carell and Kudrow get precious little screen time together. That leaves this show at the mercy of John Malkovich, who is determined to give us one of those peculiar Malkovichian characters.
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The IndependentMay 27, 2020
Season 1 Review:
Carell dilutes his buffoonery with humanity, and Naird is more likeable than he ought to be. There are a few good one-liners. ... But the series struggles to get out from under the biggest joke of all, which is that it is based on a real US government department. It’s material for a sketch, rather than a whole series, and it would be funnier if it wasn’t true.
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The TelegraphMay 26, 2020
Season 1 Review:
Daniels knows how to handle an ensemble cast and the Space Force team are deftly drawn. ... Dramatic detours are part of the problem with Space Force, especially during its serious mid-series dip. It’s tense at times, tender at others and often feels more like a comedy drama than out-and-out sitcom. The dialogue has zing and bite but doesn’t elicit enough laughs.
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May 26, 2020
Season 1 Review:
There’s an immense amount of talent on screen in Space Force, from the main ensemble to the recurring cast, which includes Jane Lynch, Patrick Warburton, Diedrich Bader, Fred Willard, Ben Schwartz, Dan Bakkedahl, and Jessica St. Clair. What the show lacks is any kind of comedic vision, or even a fully-formed concept.
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Feb 16, 2022
Season 2 Review:
Yet for all this fine-tuning, the series as a whole still feels remarkable only in how underwhelming it is. The plotting remains lax and lumpy. ... I’d say Space Force needed more time to flesh out some of these narratives, but given how much of the time it does have feels wasted, I don’t know that it’d actually help.
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Jun 3, 2020
Season 1 Review:
By turns winningly silly, curiously flat, and hauntingly off-key, the series presents a case study in the artistic perils of trying simultaneously to present a fresh satire of the military-industrial complex and a comfort-food buffet of workplace-sitcom commonplaces. It seems stranded between the caustic and the cutesy.
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May 29, 2020
Season 1 Review:
Reuniting Steve Carell and "The Office" producer Greg Daniels, Space Force carries such an impressive payload -- from the star-heavy cast to the concept -- it's a shame the actual show isn't better. As is, this too-broad parody has sporadic moments but consistently feels like it's trying way too hard to achieve liftoff, like an "Airplane!" movie gone wrong.
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May 28, 2020
Season 1 Review:
One could almost write the jokes in one’s sleep. Unfortunately, that seems to be precisely what co-creators Greg Daniels and Steve Carell have done with their disappointingly clunky new Netflix comedy series, “Space Force,” which spends a lot of effort just trying to get off the ground. ... To some extent it does [get better], more than midway through this batch of episodes.
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May 26, 2020
Season 1 Review:
Space Force just isn't close to consistent — especially in the first half of the season, the misses outweigh the hits — and even as it settles into itself a little more, it's hard to buy all the eventual smoothing out of characters and plot lines from that choppy beginning.
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Movie NationMay 29, 2020
May 29, 2020
Season 1 Review:
Space Force is unhelpfully sprawling, taking place on a vast base in the middle-of-nowhere New Mexico, with a sneakily huge cast. ... The show wants to be acid and cutting but there’s a streak of toothless gentleness that turns the whole thing, unwelcome as a dash of sweet cream in a jar of pickle juice. ... Space Force is not exactly embarrassing—everyone involved is too talented— but it is shockingly unfunny for a show made by people who are so talented.
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May 26, 2020
Season 1 Review:
Space Force is exactly what you’d expect from a show conceived around a conference table, then executed by two network TV veterans with a budget befitting their track record but no personal connection to the premise. ... There are so many characters, it takes more than half the season to get to know anyone besides Naird and Mallory. ... Things can get repetitive when you watch more than one [episode] at a time.
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The Daily BeastMay 26, 2020
Season 1 Review:
The first episode was bad. The second episode was sort of mystifying. ... Space Force is largely unfunny, has no sense of perspective or tone, and, outside of a pleasant, somewhat adorable Odd Couple friendship between Carell and Malkovich’s characters, offers little to warrant a recommendation. Schwartz and St. Clair deliver good performances, too, so there’s that? I guess?
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May 28, 2020
May 26, 2020
Season 1 Review:
It takes a special kind of project to make Steve Carrell unfunny. ... Think of the Simpsons episode where NASA puts Homer in the cockpit to drum of some PR and hot ink. There’s your damned Space Force. Here’s a comedy for people either desperate for new Office content, or who still find “covfefe” funny.
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