Television series

Avenue 5

Name: Avenue 5
Genre: Comedy, Science Fiction
Released: 2020
Cast: Hugh Laurie, Suzy Nakamura, Rebecca Front, Zach Woods, Josh Gad

Avenue 5 is a sci-fi comedy about a luxury space cruise ship gone catastrophically wrong. Set 40 years hence, it's Armando Iannucci's showcase for ensemble chaos: panicked passengers, incompetent crew, Hugh Laurie's charming con-man captain trying to fake his way through a genuine crisis. Absurdist, fast-talking, for people who loved The Thick of It in zero gravity.

TVMaze rating

3.1

If you liked this

The Thick of It2005

Armando Iannucci's original masterpiece of institutional incompetence and razor-edged profanity. If you love Avenue 5's DNA—the rapid-fire dialogue, the way smart people behave stupidly under pressure—this is where it was born. Addictively vicious.

But Relentlessly British, very profane, and the comedy comes from watching good intentions crumble. No heart, just schadenfreude. Some episodes feel slight.

Veep2012

Another Iannucci-adjacent ensemble comedy about beautiful failures navigating impossible situations. Sharp, funny, structurally brilliant. If Avenue 5's chaos appeals to you, Veep's tighter execution and darker edge will click immediately.

But Less whimsy, more bile. The characters are harder to like. Runs seven seasons and some viewers feel it outstays its welcome.

For All Mankind2019

An alternate-history space exploration drama with genuine humour, spectacle, and character work. It takes its universe seriously while allowing for fun. The technical detail and ambition feel like Avenue 5's inverse—the same world, played straight.

But Slower-paced and more earnest. Lacks the comedic density. If you want laughs per minute, this won't deliver them.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Avenue 5

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Ghosted2016

Both are ensemble comedies about absurd situations where incompetent people must improvise under pressure. The chaos in Ghosted mirrors Avenue 5's philosophy: when everything goes wrong, sometimes funny people failing is better than smart people succeeding.

A scrappy, wildly inventive action-comedy about two strangers mistaken for spies and thrown into international espionage. Fast, funny, gloriously stupid in the best way. Maximalist filmmaking that trusts the audience to keep up.

But Low budget shows everywhere. The plot doesn't hold up to scrutiny and the romance is an afterthought. Critics hated it. Some laughs land in thin air.

Severance2022

A high-concept sci-fi premise handled with intelligence and dark comedy. Ben Stiller's direction is assured, the cast is excellent, and the mystery unfolds with genuine intrigue. Different genre, same quality of ambition.

But Genuinely unsettling and bleak. The tone is austere rather than funny. Only one season so far—you'll be left waiting and theorizing.

Russian Doll2019

A high-concept comedy that doesn't play it safe. Natasha Lyonne is magnetic, the premise is clever, and it balances humour with real emotional stakes. Infinitely rewatchable, visually inventive, tight.

But Gets stranger and more philosophical as it goes. Some viewers find the second season self-indulgent. The dark humour won't land for everyone.

Atlanta2016

Donald Glover's genre-hopping, tonal masterpiece. Comedy, drama, surrealism, all in the same episode. Inventive, funny, and genuinely surprising. The cast is brilliant and the ambition is visible throughout.

But Inconsistent on purpose—some episodes deliberately feel thin or odd. The comedy can be obscure. Not always satisfying in a traditional sense.

Lodge 492018

A cult-adjacent mystery-comedy-drama hybrid about a fraternal lodge. Warm, funny, genuinely strange, with an ensemble cast that actually feels like a found family. It commits fully to its own weird logic.

But Cancelled after two seasons on a cliffhanger. Deliberately dreamlike and oblique—if you need clear plot progression, you'll frustrate. Slow burn that doesn't always land.

The Flight Attendant2020

Kaley Cuoco in a dark-comedy thriller about a flight attendant caught up in international intrigue. Visually stylish, funny in unexpected ways, and genuinely propulsive. Genre-blending done right.

But The framing device gets tedious. Tonal whiplash between comedy and thriller can feel jarring. Some plot threads feel forced or undercooked.

Raised by Wolves2020

Ridley Scott's high-concept sci-fi about androids raising human children on a strange planet. Visually stunning, philosophically ambitious, and genuinely unsettling. Takes big swings with genuine weirdness.

But Cancelled on a cliffhanger. Uneven in tone and pacing. The human characters are thin compared to the android leads. Some episodes prioritize spectacle over coherence.

Cosmos1980

Avenue 5 jokes about solar-system tourism in the future; Cosmos shows you the actual solar system in breathtaking detail. One fantasizes about space travel, the other makes you understand why it matters. A perfect tonal counterpoint.

Neil deGrasse Tyson's visually gorgeous exploration of space, science, and our place in the universe. Scientifically rigorous but accessible, with genuine wonder and humour. Carl Sagan's spiritual successor, beautifully made.

But Not comedic at all—it's earnest and sometimes slow. If you want laughs, you won't find them. Some science is oversimplified; others find it patronizing.

Synecdoche, New York2008

Both are about grand systems—one a spaceship, one a life-sized simulation—collapsing under human chaos and ambition. Both are interested in scale and control, and how people lose their minds when trapped in impossible architecture. One's a comedy, the other tragic, but they share a fascination with contained worlds that become prisons.

Charlie Kaufman's dizzyingly ambitious fever dream about a theatre director constructing a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse. Surreal, heartbreaking, intellectually playful, unforgettable. A singular work of art that rewires how you think about scale and meaning.

But Willfully obscure and structurally abstract. You may have no idea what's happening and never quite understand it. Long, sometimes feels like self-indulgent New York navel-gazing. Not for literal-minded viewers.