The guy behind Veep is making a sci-fi comedy starring Hugh Laurie
By Dan Selcke
Of all the HBO shows currently airing new seasons, my favorite it obviously Game of Thrones. Shocker. But the easy runner-up is Veep, the network’s hilarious takedown of power-hungry, ideologically vacuous politicians. The insults alone are worth the price of admission.
Like Game of Thrones, Veep is also in its final season, so HBO will need another fast-talking foul-mouthed comedy to replace it. And because genre is all the rage now, it’s coming in the form of Avenue 5, a comedy about space tourism set 40 years in the future dreamt up by Veep creator Armando Iannucci. Because if there’s one thing Veep is missing, it’s sci-fi elements. At last, all is well.
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The cast is looking pretty good, too. Hugh Laurie, who starred on Veep as the deceptively folksy Senator Tom James (also Dr. House on House and a million other things), plays Ryan Clark, the captain of the titular space cruise ship. Josh Gad, probably best known as the voice of Olaf the snowman in Frozen, plays Herman Judd, the billionaire financing the Avenue 5 and other space tourism ventures.
Other not-quite-as-famous people round out the ensemble. Zach Woods is Matt Spencer, Head of Customer Relations for Judd’s empire. Nikki Amuka-Bird is Rav Mulcair, Head of Judd Mission Control on Earth. Rebecca Front is “a born leader” who boards Avenue 5 using her sister’s non-transferable ticket, Lenora Crichlow is the ship’s second engineer, Suzy Nakamura is Judd’s right-hand woman and Ethan Phillips is an elderly former astronaut and current alcoholic.
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If Iannucci brings the razor-sharp satirical edge he brought to shows like Veep and In The Think Of It, this could definitely be a show to watch. Between the cast and the crew and the concept, I sort of love it already. There’s no release date yet, but Avenue 5 should fit in well with the rest of HBO’s genre offerings, which also include a show based on Alan Moore’s Watchmen, new offerings from Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams, and of course, the Game of Thrones prequel.
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h/t Deadline