What to watch on Netflix this week: Have a laugh with Hannah Gadsby: Douglas and Space Force

Space Force

The United States Space Force was founded December 20, 2019, as an independent branch of the U.S. military, so what better way is there to celebrate its almost 6 months of infancy than tuning into Greg Daniels and Steve Carell’s Space Force?

The Space Force has fallen prey to memes and jokes, and now it must bow to parody. Steve Carell plays General Mark R. Naird, the branch’s first Chief of Space Operations. It falls to him to achieve the President’s directive to get boots on the Moon by 2024.

Naird’s task is made difficult by the political pressure he’s under and the limited technology Space Force has been allotted. His bickering team consisting of scientist Dr. Adrian Mallory (played by John Malkovich)and social media director F. Tony Scarapiducci (played by Ben Schwartz) is not helping matters.

Dr. Mallory won’t let Naird hand wave the scientific importance of their mission, and Scarapiducci wants to promote people on the branch’s social media that look like heroes but being an actual hero is optional. There’s also the tangled web of bureaucracy to consider, competition between international space agencies, and interference from other branches of the military.

As Naird said himself before Congress, “Space is hard.”

Space Force will be available to stream May 29.

What else should we put on our Netflix watch list this week? Serve up your selections in the comments below!