It’s been a long journey for Tim Heidecker, Fred Armisen, John C. Reilly, and Jonathan Krisel’s new comedy series Moonbase 8, which was first put into development in April 2018 before finding a home on Showtime in August. The show’s journey to television is now almost over, because today Showtime dropped the trailer for the series and also announced the premiere date.
The six-episode, half-hour series, produced by A24 and Heidecker’s company Abso Lutely, centers on Heidecker, Armisen, and Reilly as three “eager astronauts†at NASA’s Moon Base Simulator in the Arizona desert who “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.†As the trailer reveals, some of the trio’s said “attempts†to qualify for their dream moon mission include confusing the water tank with the urine-recycling machine, not knowing how to properly count down to a launch, and for Heidecker’s character, working toward his life’s mission to “help spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ out into the universe.†Moonbase 8 will make its Showtime debut on Sunday, November 8, at 11 p.m., and if the trailer is any indication, it just might prove that TV comedies set in space in 2020 can, actually, be good.