Fred Armisen, Tim Heidecker and John C. Reilly Astronaut Comedy ‘Moonbase 8’ Ordered at Showtime

Will Thorne
·2 min read

Showtime is up for some astronaut antics.

The cable network has picked up half-hour comedy series “Moonbase 8,” starring Fred Armisen, Tim Heidecker, and John C. Reilly, for six episodes.

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“Moonbase 8,” which has been in the works at A24 since 2018 and is slated to launch sometime in the fall, is described as a workplace comedy that follows three subpar astronauts living at NASA’s Moon Base Simulator with high hopes of being chosen to travel to the moon. The show was created, written and executive produced by the main acting trio, alongside “Baskets’ co-creator Jonathan Krisel.

News of the pick up notable comes less than three months after Netflix’s launched a space-related workplace comedy of its own in Steve Carrell’s “Space Force.”

Set in the isolated desert of Winslow, Arizona, “Moonbase 8” follows eager astronauts Skip (Armisen), Rook (Heidecker) and their leader Cap (Reilly) as they attempt to qualify for their first lunar mission. While working vigorously to complete their training, a series of unexpected circumstances forces the astronauts to question their own mental sanity, trust in each other and whether or not they’re cut out for space travel.

The pick up was announced by Jana Winograde, president of entertainment at Showtime.

“In a year when we have all been forced to come to terms with life in close quarters, we are happy to have landed this offbeat take on life in captivity with dreams of escaping to something grander,” said Winograde. “While the show was produced before the pandemic, its subject matter is timely – and thanks to Fred, Tim, John and Jonathan, its humor is timeless.”

The series is produced by A24 and Abso Lutely Productions, and also counts Dave Kneebone, Eric Wareheim, and A24’s Ravi Nandan and Inman Young among its EPs.

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