Television series

Space Force

Name: Space Force
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2020
Cast: John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Diana Silvers, Tawny Newsome, Steve Carell

Satire
Light-hearted

A workplace comedy about the chaotic birth of Space Force, the newest branch of the U.S. military. Steve Carell leads a ensemble cast through bureaucratic absurdity, scientific ambition, and interpersonal disaster. It's sharp, affectionate, and genuinely funny about institutions struggling to do something unprecedented.

TVMaze rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love workplace comedy built on bureaucratic absurdity and deadpan awkwardness, the way The Office found humor in small-minded people with big titles.

Skip it if the jokes lean on pomposity and repetition more than sharp punchlines, and the half-hour episodes can feel thin if you want a story that really moves.

What it asks of you: Episodes run about half an hour in a loose, unhurried rhythm, and its running gags need you to settle into the show's slow pace before they land.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Office2005

If you love Carell's deadpan authority comedy, his performance as Michael Scott remains the gold standard. The documentary-style mockery of institutional dysfunction is Space Force's DNA.

But It's a long commitment—nine seasons—and the later years lose some of the early crispness. American adaptation also lacks the British version's bite.

Parks and Recreation2009

Same DNA as The Office but about government instead of business. Amy Poehler's optimistic bureaucrat leading an ensemble through procedural chaos mirrors Carell's General Naird perfectly.

But Takes a season or two to find its rhythm, and some viewers find the sentimentality that grows in later seasons cloying rather than earned.

Veep2012

Ferocious political comedy where incompetence meets ambition at the highest level. If you want Space Force's satire sharper and meaner, this is it—nothing is sacred.

But Relentlessly dark and cynical; there's no warmth underneath. Also ends on a deliberately bleak note that some found unsatisfying.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Space Force

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

For All Mankind2019

Both are about American institutions trying to do the impossible in space, but For All Mankind treats it as tragedy while Space Force treats it as farce. Together they show how the same material can be either.

Alternate history where the space race never stopped. Serious, sweeping, beautifully shot—the idealistic flip side of Space Force's comedy. Proves the same space-program world can hold genuine drama.

But Ten episodes per season, long runtime, heavily serialized. It's commitment, not background TV. Also frequently grim about Cold War stakes.

Severance2022

Ben Schwartz shines in a different register here—corporate mystery-thriller. Proves the cast isn't trapped in comedy. Architecturally brilliant and genuinely unsettling.

But It's slow, meditative sci-fi, nothing like Space Force's jokes. Also incomplete; the payoff depends on a second season.

30 Rock2006

Fast, absurdist workplace comedy with Alec Baldwin as a pompous executive. The joke density and institutional satire will feel familiar if you loved Space Force's bite.

But The humor is deliberately random and layered; some find it exhausting rather than clever. Also very much a product of 2006.

Silicon Valley2014

Tech-world workplace comedy about brilliant people failing upward. Sharp writing about institutions, ambition, and the gap between mission and reality.

But Gets progressively darker and meaner; the early charm gives way to something crueler. Also cancelled on a cliffhanger.

Succession2018

Corporate power struggle with actual stakes. If you want the ensemble-cast workplace dynamics elevated to prestige drama, this is the masterclass.

But It's heavy and bleak—no lightness, minimal humor. Demands active attention; you cannot half-watch it.

Godless2017

Western town run entirely by women features the same dry ensemble dynamics. Michelle Dockery and Jeff Daniels are superb. Smaller, focused, wildly entertaining.

But Only one season. Some find the premise more interesting than the execution, and the tone wobbles between comedy and drama.

Schitt's Creek2015

A wealthy family loses everything and rebuilds in a small town they buy as a joke. Warm ensemble chemistry and genuine character growth, done with surprising heart.

But Starts broad and silly; takes two seasons to become actually good. If you want immediate sharpness, it's a slow burn.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb1964

Both use comedy to expose how badly institutions fail when given impossible tasks. Strangelove is the ancestor; Space Force is the grandchild, softer but using the same DNA.

Kubrick's masterpiece: military incompetence and institutional absurdity during nuclear standoff. Peter Sellers is genius. It invented the deadpan satirical take on American power that Space Force inherits.

But It's in black-and-white and moves at a 1960s pace. Also deeply uncomfortable—the stakes are existential annihilation, not bureaucratic comedy.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb poster

For Your Consideration2006

Both are about flawed institutions and ridiculous people trying to accomplish something by committee. For Your Consideration is Space Force's closer cousin in tone—gentle, focused on character awkwardness, affectionate even while mocking.

Christopher Guest's mockumentary about a small film desperate for awards season legitimacy. Absurd, character-driven, ensemble-based satire of institutions trying to appear important. Criminally underrated.

But It's a mockumentary without a laugh track—deadpan throughout. If you want obvious comedy bells and whistles, this will feel flat. Also deeply silly in a way some find precious.