Why ‘The Office’ Fans Will Enjoy Steve Carell’s New Comedy ‘Space Force’
[Warning: The below may contain spoilers for Space Force.]
If you’re an NBC’s The Office fan, you likely wondered, “how the heck did Michael Scott go from Dunder Mifflin regional manager to four-star general, and who put him in charge of an entire branch of the military?” when you first heard about the new Netflix show Space Force.
The streaming service’s first announcement in January that The Office creator Greg Daniels and star Steve Carell were collaborating again sent fans of the multi-Emmy Award-winning workplace comedy into a frenzy.
With the nine-season show leaving Netflix at the end of 2020, Space Force provides grieving subscribers with a new, fresh and hilarious start, while giving off a familiar warm feeling, similar to the heart flutters you feel when listening to The Office‘s opening piano theme and watching your favorite Dunder Mifflin employees flash across the screen in the opening credits.
Check out the gallery below to see how fans of The Office and others can laugh and launch into orbit with Space Force.
Space Force, Season 1, Streaming Now, Netflix
General Mark Naird is Bootcamp Michael Scott
Mark Naird’s (Carell) serious mug and his military demeanor leave plenty of room for Michael Scott type mannerisms, sub-par celebrity impressions, and painfully awkward interactions with women. But Naird’s relationship with his rebellious teenage daughter Erin (Diana Silvers) and complicated marriage with his incarcerated wife Maggie (Lisa Kudrow) have Carell brandishing that big Michael Scott heart that we know and love.
Space Force Characters and Dunder Mifflin Employees Would Get Along (Or Not)
The parallels to draw between the two shows’ characters are limitless. You will find yourself wondering what pranks Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Space Force social media director F. Tony Scarapiducci (Ben Schwartz) would think up if they knew each other, or what kind of heated scientific debate Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) and Space Force chief scientist Dr. Adrian Mallory (John Malkovich) would get into—and who would win.
Same Edgy Humor, But More Netflix Freedom
You can always tell the difference between a Netflix show and a network one from the type of humor and mainly how many specific four letter words are used. The Office is known for its quick humor, biting one liners, and not exactly politically correct jokes. Being on Netflix gives Space Force an opportunity to be a little edgier with its humor, provide some more socially diverse commentary through its comedy, and add some shock value with some of the language in some punchlines (parents, definitely cover the kids’ ears).
Space Force and Dunder Mifflin Are Clear Underdogs
Remember how on The Office there was an unspoken understanding among Dunder Mifflin employees about how a paper company has zero potential for a future in a paperless world? Well, picture that on Space Force, but instead you have an entire new branch of the military that is constantly being bullied by POTUS and reminded by various members of government and military officials of its lack of importance.
Rivalries, Romances, and Random Friendships
Even with only one season, Space Force has already started developing great relationships between characters. Think Pam (Jenna Fischer) and Dwight’s (Rainn Wilson) secret friendship or Kevin (Brian Baumgartner) and Oscar’s (Oscar Nunez) accounting alliance. Sometimes the best moments on The Office came from odd pairs who got along and had parallel development. Space Force definitely follows suit.
Characters That Keep You on Your Toes
One thing’s for sure: The Office had its fair share of a variety of characters with weird storylines and unpredictable actions like Creed Bratton (played by himself) that made the developments and conflicts in the show twice as interesting and uncanny. Space Force does as well, with quirky characters that certainly do not leave their personal lives and bizarre behaviors at home before coming into work.
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