It has been a long time since I last started watching a completely new show. The truth is, many modern shows just really struggle to capture my attention. Far too many seem to stick to more serious themes with lengthy episodes, and a lot of the time I just can't seem to care for such stories. I tend to prefer shorter shows, with more comedic elements to them. Shows that focus on very idiotic characters and setups that are somewhat dark, allowing for more comedy to seep through. Shows like this are a bit of rarity now. It seems as if Hollywood has lost its ability to laugh for the most part, and insists on throwing out serious productions with heavily inflated budgets that just aren't necessary. Shows like The Office, What We Do in the Shadows, and even Trailer Park Boys have incredibly large followings for a reason, yet they seem so few and far between that there is never really anything capable of filling their gaps between seasons. I'm always on the hunt for new shows like these, though it seems as if you have to look beyond Hollywood to find them, into the international scene.
Avenue 5 is one of the unfortunate victims of the absolute shitshow that is the modern era of television. A show that had absolutely nothing wrong with it yet saw the axe at the hands of money-hungry HBO that felt the need to cancel a plethora of its successful lineup for no reason other than to strip away some production costs and make shareholders happy. Oddly at the expense of pissing off its existing subscribers that they insist pay more and more every few months while cancelling more and more of their original productions. This is the present era for television, unfortunately. And a show like Avenue 5 is a rarity that only proves that it's not worth subscribing to HBO Max at any point in the future. Avenue 5 didn't deserve the fate it was handed. And HBO didn't deserve the talent that went behind making such a fun, unique show. By now, with this first impressions post, you may already know that I'm giving quite high praise to the show, Avenue 5 was a pleasant surprise from the very start, though I'm still going through the few seasons that managed to get out.
There aren't a lot of shows that are capable of actually making me laugh beyond a light chuckle, and Avenue 5 has managed to do it in almost every episode I have seen. Let's get into how that was done!
Unlike the vast majority of space television series, Avenue 5 has very little serious about it. This isn't a show about intergalactic politics, aliens and the chaos of future mankind as it traverses through unknown galaxies, but it does hold some chaos in the fact that Avenue 5 itself is a tourist ship for the elites that has suddenly come to a series of unfortunate events that now delay its return home by several months. Funnily, as things begin to crumble, this time back home begins to lengthen. From six months, to three and a half years, to eight years. With these issues are the ways in which a fully unequipped crew attempt to manage the ship and keep it operational alongside the passengers. Our main character is played by Hugh Laurie, a supposed highly regarded captain that has an American accent and flowing grey hair. The reality is, he's nothing but an actor wearing a wig to hide his balding, patchy hair, and is in fact British. He's not even really the captain. The real captain is actually dead and now orbiting the ship. As people come to discover this, the chaos grows. So much so, that it becomes clear to even the fake captain that not even the crew are real. All of this was an illusion to make the passengers feel more safe. So nobody is really in control of this situation.
The comedy comes in their interactions together. How not a single person seems to be mature or remotely serious about anything. They're all a group of idiots that are pooled together. Even the owner of the ship himself is nothing but a rich guy with no capable understanding of what's going on or even how to talk to people, a simple man-child, pretty much. I absolutely love these characters, each one of them is loveable in their own idiotic ways. Down from how they dress to how they speak. Their line deliveries are hilarious, especially when secrets become known and their reactions are seen. There's one episode in which passengers believe they're in a reality television show and that they aren't really in space. They can just leave the air lock at any moment. The person supposedly responsible for PR/HR is a total mess himself, and simply adds to the problem. And no matter how many people leave and get frozen before their very eyes, they continue the theory of it being something like impressive VFX. This buffoon is played by the great Zach Woods, who many may remember from Silicon Valley. He plays pretty much the same character here, and in most things. So you can get an idea of how he is in this.
Though we don't just see the perspectives of things from the crew, a lot of what shines in the show is the addition of passengers in the story which have equal weight. How they come in with their own stories and problems and giving the show some weight to it. Despite all of the comedy, we see how these characters are still in fact human, with their own struggles that they aim to resolve while stuck on this ship that is constantly being sent off its course throughout space. The look of the luxury cruise spaceship adds to the fun of things, it's a modern/futuristic look that gives off the cruise ship aesthetic, and the contrast of smart alongside dumb is quite a fun setting. Nobody looks like they're ever in control at any moment, and to some degree I think it gives off a commentary on where we are heading in the future: as AI develops and takes over, and how mankind is pushed aside. Though many wouldn't feel safe with AI taking control of things, and how we'd give the illusion of power over certain things by somewhat having humans around. The breakdowns of characters as this is revealed is hilarious, as it seems things grow more and more chaotic for them. The idiocy over how this ship is controlled only continuing with each episode.
And it's all very well made. The directing mixes up from handheld and shaking shots to give the feeling of fast-paced decision making for places like NASA, while more fixed shots in which the characters on the ship are talking to each other. I think this works really well in mixing things up, not allowing the show to seem too repetitive, showing different perspectives from those contributing to the efforts of saving the ship and its population. I like how this works in showing how things continue to worsen for the characters, how the show and each episode is paced with character developments and greater problems. It doesn't seem to slow down or get boring ever. A rare instance of a show really being about the comedy and being capable of juggling everything is a neat manner. What's more surprising is Will Smith's credit as the executive producer. It's clear that those behind the camera have really put thought into this show, managing it well and really creating something that stands out, it's just a shame it was under the horror that is HBO and couldn't be saved.
Though I will continue to watch it until the very end. Certain I won't get a conclusion to it. But the effort put in is far too great to be passing up. If you haven't heard of this show yet, I still recommend checking it out. Just don't go subscribing to HBO to watch it.
I am going to give this show a try tonight.
Have you seen People of Earth as of yet?
I really enjoyed that one, recently, and there's only 2 seasons.
I saw that way back, I was so annoyed that it got cancelled. Alongside a few other shows, some got picked up by Netflix, most were left to die. I actually rewatched it a few months ago.
It's one of the funniest shows I've seen in ages.
Nowadays we need more comedy shows because our reality is full of drama.
Reading your post, I remembered a very famous Mexican show in Latin America that I loved, I will talk about it later.
I had not heard of your show, it must be very good @namiks 😉
It seems that everything has become so boring, there is no longer that desire to produce quality, everything is focused on winning without making a greater effort.
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