What’s better than a workplace comedy? A workplace comedy [big echo voice] in spaaaaace! According to The Hollywood Reporter, Silicon Valley’s Zach Woods will be joining the cast of Avenue 5, a brand-new comedy from Veep’s Armando Iannucci. Woods will play Matt Spencer, a kind nihilist and head of customer relations who set his entertainment career aside years ago and is eagerly awaiting a promotion to a desk job on Earth. The one and only Hugh Laurie will also star in the series as Ryan Clark, the suave captain of a space cruise ship called Avenue 5. The pilot will film in London and will also star Suzy Nakamura and The Thick of It’s Rebecca Front.
Update, April 23: Avenue 5 is officially a go. The project, which has been in the works at HBO since 2017, was ordered to series by the network this week, according to Variety. In addition to Woods, Laurie, Nakamura, and Front, the cast will also include Josh Gad, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Lenora Crichlow, and Ethan Phillips. Iannucci directed the pilot and will serve as showrunner.