Final Space

Plot

Gary Goodspeed, a dim-witted astronaut serving the last days of a five-year sentence aboard the prison spacecraft Galaxy One, meets a mysterious planet-destroying alien. He befriends the alien, naming him Mooncake, and discovers they are pursued by the telekinetic Lord Commander. With the AI HUE and a growing crew, Gary and Mooncake seek to uncover the secrets of Final Space, a realm where the universe ends.

Production

The idea for Final Space originated in mid-2010 when Olan Rogers uploaded the first episode of a planned web-series titled Gary Space to his Facebook channel. The project paused after three episodes, with Rogers citing separate projects for himself and artist Dan Brown. In April 2013, Rogers confirmed a reboot and season of Gary Space episodes. Over two years later, he revealed a new short for the reboot would be pitched to Cartoon Network.

In early 2016, Rogers announced the project was retitled Final Space to avoid similarities with Steven Universe, and posted a pilot on his YouTube channel with voices by himself and Coty Galloway. The video caught Conan O'Brien's attention, who invited Rogers to pitch to TBS and joined as executive producer alongside Rogers and David Sacks. Other executive producers included members of Conaco and New Form. Conaco brought in Sacks as showrunner.

After two weeks working with Sacks and Jake Sidwell, Rogers and Sacks pitched to TBS, Comedy Central, Fox, FX, YouTube, and Fullscreen; all six wanted the series, leading to a bidding war won by TBS. In December 2016, TBS gave a series order. Rogers announced he voices Gary and Mooncake. In July 2017, additional cast included Fred Armisen, Conan O'Brien, Keith David, Coty Galloway, Tom Kenny, Caleb McLaughlin, John DiMaggio, Ron Perlman, Shannon Purser, Andy Richter, David Tennant, and Steven Yeun.

Promotion and release

Olan Rogers first announced that Final Space would appear at San Diego Comic-Con and VidCon in 2017. He personally manages the show's social media, including its Twitter account, describing it as a good way to engage with fans. The series made its debut on Reddit on February 15, 2018, accompanied by an AMA with Rogers, which was a first for any TV network premiering a show on that platform. Later that same day, the first two episodes were made available on TBS's website and app.

A sneak peek aired on TNT on February 17, 2018, following the NBA All-Star Weekend. After its official TBS premiere on February 26, 2018, the pilot episode aired two hours later on Adult Swim, with the rest of the season following that pattern. The first two episodes were released on iTunes on February 20, 2018. Netflix handled international distribution, launching the series on July 20.

In April 2019, Rogers revealed that the show's first-run episodes would move to Adult Swim and be simulcast on TBS, reversing the first season's airing schedule. This was confirmed in June, with the second season premiering on June 24, and TBS airing an encore the following week. Notably, The Cartoon Network, Inc. and Williams Street were not involved in production. A week after the second season concluded, the show was renewed for a third season.

Seasons 1 and 2 arrived on HBO Max on March 1, 2021, ahead of season 3, which was released on November 13, 2021. On July 1, 2022, the series was removed from HBO Max, and related content was taken down from Adult Swim's website and YouTube on June 21. Some episodes remain available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video and YouTube in the United States. Internationally, Netflix carried the series until December 16, 2023, though it remained in Spain, France, Germany, and Belgium until March 18, 2024.

A Blu-ray set containing seasons 1 and 2, along with a soundtrack, were released on August 11, 2020, by Warner Archive Collection and WaterTower Music, respectively.

Reception

The first season of Final Space earned generally favorable notices, with much of the praise aimed at its voice cast, particularly David Tennant's work as the Lord Commander. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds a 70% approval rating from ten reviews, averaging 6.4 out of 10. The site's critical summary notes that while the show does not always succeed, it can serve as a light, brief intergalactic comedy for those seeking one. Metacritic gives the season a score of 60 out of 100 from five critics, which it classifies as mixed or average.

Early episodes drew divided reactions, with several reviewers singling out Gary's humor as a weak point. Collider's Dave Trumbore awarded the series four out of five stars, highlighting its cast, uniqueness, and originality. The Hollywood Reporter was less kind, stating the series misses the mark and will likely drift away into space. The A.V. Club gave it a C+, while Den of Geek rated the first two episodes 3.5 out of 5 stars.

IndieWire offered a B+, and The Daily Beast compared its potential favorably to Adventure Time and BoJack Horseman. Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times commended the space backgrounds and the bond between Gary and Mooncake, but found the show less clever than Futurama, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, or Galaxy Quest, and noted its comedy tends toward what adolescent boys find funny. Screen Rant described it as a very silly comedy, likening Gary to Homer Simpson and Philip J. Fry, and praised TBS for releasing the first two episodes early.

In March 2023, IndieWire ranked Final Space among the best animated series ever, citing its balance of personal and universal themes that make large-scale space stories worthwhile.