Premiering March 1st at 9pm for back to back episodes comes FOX's newest comedy The Last Man on Earth, starring Will Forte. The year is 2020, and after a deadly virus has swept the planet only one man is left on earth: Phil Miller. The show takes places in Tuscan and does a good of job of presenting itself as an empty city with waste lying everywhere, a dozen cars parked in the middle of nowhere, it looks authentic enough for the viewer to believe that he is the only man on earth.
The biggest question I had going into the première was can Will Forte carry the show, I am still undecided on that. For the most part of the première episode he spends wandering around the streets of Tuscan trying to build his own fortress of solitude by stealing (well technically not stealing anymore) items such as paintings, artefacts, and other interesting items. He finds his dream house which he decides to make his home base after spending a lot of time driving around the world trying to find other survivors, sadly there wasn't any.
Phil Miller spends a lot of time during the episode trying to entertain himself as much as possible, whilst some of the things he did were entertaining, ultimately I felt once a good scene came around the scene that followed it wasn't nearly as good. There was little in terms of dialogue, which was fairly obvious going into the première episode, but when he did speak I found him less entertaining and humorous than when he didn't. The show for me works best as a silent comedy as it truly captures Phil's loneliness.
When he did speak though the jokes fell flat, and I felt as if I had already heard them all before, so I felt a bit of a been there done that vibe to the show. There was also various scenes that were meant to come across as entertaining, but I just found them weird and extremely awkward to see, such as him making out with a mannequin was not a particular highlight of the episode.
The show does have potential, but it lacks creativity and original jokes. A show based on 1 man was always going to be difficult to pull off, and I applaud FOX for taking the risk, but I just don't think it's for me.
However, that was just the première episode, and as we all know they are never a shows brightest, and best episodes. The second episode was much more thrilling and enjoyable because the show introduced something at the end of the first episode that changed the show entirely. The show was much more tolerable, and I started to warm to the show and the character that is Phil Miller. He was much more entertaining to watch, and I even broke into laughter on a few occasions. Sadly I can't talk about what happened, as it's a massive spoiler/plot line for the show. All I can do is strongly recommend you check out the second episode of the show.
Summary
The first episode is a hit and miss, but I strongly urge you to watch the second episode, as once you see the big reveal at the end of the first episode you will understand why/how the show gets better.
1.01 Alive in Tuscan 5/10
1.02 The Elephant in the Room 8.5/10
As always, thank you for reading! Be sure to tune in March 9th for the
Thanks for your review.
ReplyDeleteI am super curious about this one. I agree that it is a very hard concept to pull off but there is a lot of potential in an idea like this so i am willing to be patient if i find something to hold on to in the show. We shall see.
ReplyDeleteWell this is certainly a tough one to sell. Let's see how the show unfolds itself.
ReplyDeleteSome websites are listing "The Elephant in the Room" and "Raisin Balls and Wedding Bell" as the series premiere. Maybe Fox is dropping "Alive in Tuscan" because of poor reviews?
ReplyDeleteEver since FOX ordered this to series, I wasn't sure this could work as a show, but it actually quite surprised me. The first episode was okay, but the second one was quite good.
ReplyDeleteNot according to the press release FOX sent out last night: http://www.spoilertv.com/2015/02/last-man-on-earth-series-premiere-press.html
ReplyDeleteI've been looking forward to seeing how they pull this off so i'm happy you and Babar liked the second episode. I'll definitely be watching this.Thanks for the preview Robert!
ReplyDeleteAh. Thanks for the link sir!
ReplyDeleteIt is, I didn't know what to say about it. On one hand he was funny on the other he left me feeling awkward, and occasionally creeped out.
ReplyDeleteThanks! The second episode is definitely worthwhile. You may end up liking the first episode, It just wasn't as funny as it could have been for me personally.
ReplyDeleteI love Will Forte and the team behind this show is great so I'm definitely gonna try it out for a few weeks
ReplyDeleteHmmm I guess this poster have never heard of Tucson?
ReplyDeleteNope, I've never even heard of it.
ReplyDeleteI chose not to read this until I watched because I didn't want to go into it with any preconceived ideas...well, I shouldn't have worried. This show was loathsome. Of course there had to be another survivor and of course she had to be the most annoying woman on the face of the earth. If I had been Phil, I would have driven her someplace and just left her and hoped someone else came along. Generally, I really like Kristen Schaal but this role makes her quirky voice seem like fingernails on a chalkboard. But that's not even my biggest issue with the show...how in the world did he ever get enough gas to drive that RV to all 50 states, not to mention that truck for more than 5 months?! I will go back to finding stuff to watch on On Demand, Amazon, Hulu or Netflix, I will not be watching this show again.
ReplyDeleteHa, yep it was fairly obvious he wouldn't be the only one in the show. When she got introduced I think it made the show much better, her voice, I agree does sound like "fingernails on a chalkboard" but I could probably put up with it. Even though I've no plans to continue watching the show.
ReplyDelete