Following Steve Carell’s tenure as The Office‘s awkward-but-loveable Michael Scott, the TV sitcom world was left wanting. Indeed, after leaving the popular mockumentary series in the show’s seventh season, Carell would later go on to pursue more dramatic roles in films like 2014’s Foxcatcher and 2015’s The Big Short in lieu of straight-up comedic parts.
Thankfully, Netflix’s latest workplace comedy, Space Force, has reunited The Office co-creator Greg Daniels with Steve Carell in a bid to recapture the magic of those good ol’ Dunder Mifflin days. And while the critics haven’t exactly been over the moon with the show – Space Force currently sits at a 37% critical rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes as of the time of writing – audiences around the globe have been enjoying seeing Carell’s return to a more comedic TV role, which is reflected in the series’ much more positive Audience Score of 72% on the same aggregator site.
In fact, after debuting on Netflix yesterday, lots of fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts about the platform’s latest original production, and here’s what they had to say:
Fuck the critics, I need some Steve Carell tonight!#SpaceForce pic.twitter.com/Il4gyrGJQR
— kim 🏳️🌈 #🟦 🟧 🇺🇦🕊️ (@4_the_babies) May 29, 2020
No idea why the critics hated #SpaceForce so much. Yeah it's a little bumpy but most 1st season's in sitcoms are. I'm sure this will flourish and grow as it goes on. A great way to pass the afternoon! Had me giggling many times! pic.twitter.com/PAQIqZ0B4A
— Cam 🪩🩵 (@Cameron17Harris) May 29, 2020
Took me half a day but I've hinged the whole of #SpaceForce what a funny show, hilarious Steve Carell & John Malkovich are brilliant together and what a cast. pic.twitter.com/yaqzMa9kON
— Matthew M (@MatthewMarkJr) May 29, 2020
https://twitter.com/KhulaniMngomez1/status/1266533436262678529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1266533436262678529&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Ftv-shows%2Fnews%2Fspace-force-fans-love-steve-carells-return-television%2F
5 episodes in. Steve Carell and John Malkovich are great in #SpaceForce pic.twitter.com/fghPImTEXC
— Jon 🎙📼 (@TheComicJon) May 30, 2020
So I watched the first episode of #SpaceForce and oh god.. Mark Naird is so Michael Scott.. and they are based in Colorado.. and his daughter is named Erin.. and there's characters named Kelly and Angela.. it is what you think it is 🤣 pic.twitter.com/kzcPNdFR7b
— Mohit Kudi ♆ 🔰 (@FedererBackhand) May 29, 2020
https://twitter.com/UniverseGet/status/1266560100434616321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1266560100434616321&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Ftv-shows%2Fnews%2Fspace-force-fans-love-steve-carells-return-television%2F
#SpaceForce is actually so fucking funny I don’t know how people aren’t understanding this pic.twitter.com/gWJ7zOELgG
— sasshley (@sassshleyash) May 30, 2020
https://twitter.com/Binary_Daoist/status/1266559094594338817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1266559094594338817&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Ftv-shows%2Fnews%2Fspace-force-fans-love-steve-carells-return-television%2F
Dogstronaut was eaten by a chimponaut who’s now a POW in a Chinese satellite.
Enjoying Space Force a whole lot so far even with its negative reviews. pic.twitter.com/3LdTwDktAD
— @OldManWhoBets (@OldManWhoBets) May 30, 2020
As you can see, the general scuttlebutt from the majority of viewers is overwhelmingly positive. Clearly, Space Force is one of those rare occasions where the critical and audience consensus don’t quite line up. One thing’s for sure, though, and that’s that it’s always hard trying to nail a TV show’s landing in the debut season. Most of the time, series only truly hit their stride in the second season and beyond. In fact, The Office was much the same, right?
For those unfamiliar with it, Space Force is a satirical take on the United States’ Space Force and sees Carell playing a straight-laced general who reluctantly accepts a position to oversee the newest branch of the military. The show boasts an incredibly talented supporting cast as well, including the likes of John Malkovich, Diana Silvers, Ben Schwartz, Jimmy O. Yang, Lisa Kudrow and Tawny Newsom.
Tell us, though, have you tuned in to Space Force yet? If so, was it out of this world? Or were the critics right? Let us know down below.
