The Last Man on Earth (TV series)

The Last Man on Earth
Genre
Created by Will Forte
Starring
Composer(s) Mark Mothersbaugh
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 39 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Producer(s) Chris Plourde
Cinematography Christian Sprenger
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time 22 minutes
Production company(s)
Distributor 20th Television
Release
Original network Fox
Picture format
Original release March 1, 2015 (2015-03-01) – present
External links
Website

The Last Man on Earth is an American post-apocalyptic comedy television series created by and starring Will Forte.[2] The series premiered on Fox on March 1, 2015.[2] The pilot episode was written by Forte and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.[2] On April 8, 2015, the show was renewed for a second season,[3] which premiered on September 27, 2015.[4] On March 24, 2016, the show was renewed for a third season,[5] which premiered on September 25, 2016.[6]

Plot

Almost a year after a deadly virus spreads across Earth, Phil Miller (Will Forte) is seemingly the only human survivor in late 2020. While he searches for others and paints signs stating he is alive in his hometown of Tucson, Arizona, he finds no one. However, before attempting suicide, he discovers another survivor, Carol Pilbasian (Kristen Schaal).[7] Despite being annoyed by each other, Carol and Phil marry for re-population purposes. Over the season, more survivors arrive, but Phil's increasingly irritating attitude towards them leads him and Carol to search for a new home after he is banished from Tucson.

In Season 2, Phil and Carol continue their road trip in the middle of 2023.[8] They soon discover the group has relocated to Malibu, California and travel there to reunite with the group and rebuild trust. Meanwhile, Phil's astronaut brother Mike Miller (Jason Sudeikis) crashes down to Earth and finds his way to Malibu, where he joins the survivors briefly before possibly being infected by the virus.

After being threatened by Pat Brown (Mark Boone Junior) in season 3, the survivors seek a new home and settle at a self-sustaining office building outside of San Francisco, while Pat leaves for an unknown destination.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Guests

Background and production

The show originated from the writing team of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who had the idea initially for a feature film. They approached longtime collaborator and former Saturday Night Live cast member Will Forte with the premise, who "took a spark to it and took it in his own direction", according to Miller.[24] He was partially inspired by the series Life After People. "I love comedy where there's a lot of tension and even though it's very far-fetched, it seems very relatable", said Forte of the premise.[25] Forte's treatment for the series, crafted over a weekend, was pitched around Hollywood to positive responses. They mainly pitched to cable and Internet services, as Forte believed a broadcast network would be stricter on content.[24] In their pitch, much of the outline of the series' first season was formulated.[26] Fox, the show's eventual distributor, was instead doing "something different" and specific to his vision, according to Miller.[24]

Forte spoke on the show's creative freedom in a 2015 interview:

I think we always saw this as more of a cable show, to be honest. They claimed from the get-go that they didn't want to change the tone of the show, and I think I went in with an eyebrow raised, thinking, okay, well when's it going to come out that we have to change it around? And they were great. They stuck by their pledge and let us make this different type of show. We're so happy to have had this experience. It was just a great, great experience with Fox.[26]

Filming the series was challenging. For example, maintaining silence and not picking up sounds of cars in the distance made it difficult.[25] In addition to Forte's fascination with Life After People, similar films bandied about while writing the show included The Omega Man, I Am Legend, and 28 Days Later.[26] Fox particularly appreciated the heart of the story, with its universal theme. According to Lord, "We always talked about that this is a person who is very flawed, and a person who maybe needed the entire world to end in order for him to become his best self. [...] That was our big thought, well here's a guy who maybe he wasn't the best guy in the regular world, but if you took the regular world away, could he eventually get back to being the person that all of us hope that we can be."[26]

The name of the main character, Phil Miller, is based on the names of the two executive producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.[27] According to Miller, "there are no zombies" in the series.[28]

For the second season, Dan Sterling joined as executive producer and took over the role of showrunner from Forte, who was the showrunner for the first season.[29]

The main recording location for the series is a 20th Century Fox studio in Chatsworth, California.[30][31][32]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
113March 1, 2015 (2015-03-01)May 3, 2015 (2015-05-03)
218September 27, 2015 (2015-09-27)May 15, 2016 (2016-05-15)
318[33]September 25, 2016 (2016-09-25)TBA

Reception

Ratings

For its one-hour premiere, The Last Man on Earth received 5.75 million viewers with an average 2.4 rating among adults 18–49, making it the highest-rated broadcast series of the evening in that demographic.[34] While ratings declined overall, the show did well enough with young men to justify renewal.[35]

Season Timeslot (ET) Episodes Premiered Ended TV season Rank Viewers
(in millions,
including DVR)
Date Viewers
(in millions)
Date Viewers
(in millions)
1 Sunday 9:30 pm 13 March 1, 2015 5.75[34] May 3, 2015 3.51[36] 2014–15 93[37] 6.07[37]
2 18 September 27, 2015 3.14[38] May 15, 2016 2.23[39] 2015–16 114[40] 4.23[40]
3 18 September 25, 2016 2.23[41] 2016–17

Critical reception

My recommendation comes with a caveat: there is no roadmap for this kind of show, and it could easily fall apart quickly. But I will say this for The Last Man on Earth: it does not seem like the sort of thing that would be a primetime network sitcom. And that's precisely why it should be one.

James Poniewozik of Time[42]

The Last Man on Earth has received generally positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 based on reviews from critics, the show has a score of 72, based on 30 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[43] Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter called the show "a genre-busting breakout that's creative, nuanced and inspired".[44] Robert Bianco of USA Today praised Forte's "audacity, inventiveness and achievement".[45] Hank Stuever of The Washington Post called it "a charming and intelligent sendup of pop culture's obsession with the end of everything".[46] Slate's Willa Paskin called the program "well-made, polished, odd, surprisingly funny".[47] "For a show that shouldn't really work at all, Last Man works pretty well", remarked Margaret Lyons of Vulture.[48]

Entertainment Weekly's Jeff Jensen called it "profoundly funny", and sustainable if it continues the "ingenuity, surprises, and craftsmanship".[27] "I was impressed by The Last Man on Earth, and hope it can continue to spin stories and character development out of its somewhat narrow premise", wrote Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe.[49]

However, several critics, such as Maureen Ryan of The Huffington Post[13] and David Hinckley of the New York Daily News, have questioned the show's future.[50] Mike Hale of The New York Times deemed the show "well made, meticulous in its comic details and pleasantly acted", though noting that part of the show's appeal "dissipates" past the pilot episode.[51] Brian Lowry of Variety opined that "the premise calls for a level of creativity from the producers that these episodes don't consistently deliver. That's not to say 'I wouldn't watch him if he were the last man on Earth.' But like the fate of humanity within the series, while the future certainly isn't hopeless, neither does it look particularly bright."[52]

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipients Result Ref.
2015 Critics' Choice Television Award Best Actor in a Comedy Series Will Forte Nominated [53]
Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Will Forte Nominated [54]
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Will Forte for "Alive in Tucson" Nominated
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series Phil Lord and Christopher Miller for "Alive in Tucson" Nominated
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series Stacey Schroeder Nominated
EWwy Award Outstanding Comedy Series The Last Man on Earth Nominated [55]
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Kristen Schaal Nominated [56]
68th Writers Guild of America Awards New Series The Last Man on Earth Nominated [57]
Episodic Comedy Will Forte ("Alive in Tucson”") Nominated
2016 6th Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Comedy Series The Last Man on Earth Nominated [58]
Best Actor in a Comedy Series Will Forte Nominated
68th Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Will Forte Nominated [59]

Home media

The first season was released on DVD in region 1 on September 22, 2015. The set contains audio commentaries for "The Elephant in the Room" and "Screw the Moon"; The Last Man on Earth Q&A Panel; "Survival of the Funniest: Creating The Last Man on Earth" featurette; deleted scenes; and a gag reel.[60]

References

  1. "Shows A-Z – last man on earth, the on fox". the Futon Critic. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Andreeva, Nellie (February 12, 2014). "Fox Orders Will Forte Comedy 'Last Man On Earth' To Series For Midseason 2015". Deadline.com. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  3. Ausiello, Michael (April 8, 2015). "Last Man on Earth Scores Super-Quick Season 2 Renewal at Fox". TVLine. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  4. Ausiello, Michael (June 25, 2015). "Fox Premiere Dates: Scream Queens' Big Bow, Bones/Sleepy Combo Lands October Launch and More". TVLine. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  5. Snierson, Dan (March 24, 2016). "Last Man on Earth, Brooklyn Nine-Nine renewed". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  6. Holloway, Daniel (June 16, 2016). "Fox Sets Fall Premiere Dates for 2016-17 Season". Variety. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  7. Lowry, Brian (March 22, 2015). "Why 'The Last Man on Earth' Is a Comedy Dinosaur (SPOILERS)". Variety. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 "Dead Man Walking". The Last Man on Earth. Season 2. Episode 3. October 11, 2015. 00:27 minutes in. Fox.
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External links

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