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The Last Man on Earth (TV series)

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The Last Man on Earth
Genre
Created byWill Forte
Starring
ComposerMark Mothersbaugh
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes14 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
ProducerChris Plourde
CinematographyChristian Sprenger
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkFox
ReleaseMarch 1, 2015 (2015-03-01) –
present

The Last Man on Earth is an American post-apocalyptic comedy television series created by and starring Will Forte.[2] The series premiered on the American broadcast network Fox on March 1, 2015.[2] The pilot episode was written by Forte and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.[2] On April 8, 2015, the show was renewed for a second season,[3] which premiered on September 27, 2015.[4]

Plot

The year is 2020, Phil Miller (Will Forte) is seemingly the only human left on Earth after a deadly virus swept the planet one year earlier.[5] An average man "who likes Star Wars, Twinkies, and sex",[6] Phil searches North America in his RV for other survivors. After a long journey, Phil returns to his hometown of Tucson, Arizona believing that he is Earth's last surviving human. Just before he attempts suicide out of loneliness and a desire for a female companion, his prayers are answered, and he meets Carol Pilbasian (Kristen Schaal), an irritating and obnoxious woman.[7]

At Carol's insistence, they marry in order to repopulate the Earth, only for Phil to learn a day later that there is another woman alive named Melissa, a very attractive woman for whom he can barely restrain his longing. Phil, Carol, and Melissa then meet another surviving man named Todd, but Phil grows jealous after Todd and Melissa develop a romantic relationship.[7] As the series progresses, more survivors appear, searching for the author of Phil's "Alive in Tucson" signs. One man they encounter along the journey turns out to be also named Phil Miller, who makes it a point to calmly assert his masculinity and dominance over the other two men.

Cast

Main

  • Will Forte as Philip Tandy[8] "Phil" Miller, who is living on Earth after a virus wiped out nearly the entire population in 2019, believing he is the last person left. He lives in his hometown of Tucson, Arizona, having already searched North America for signs of other living people. Out of loneliness, he talks to various sports balls on which he has drawn faces and adopted as "buddies." He paints "Alive in Tucson" on billboards during his trip in the hope that others might see the message. Throughout the series, he "is a selfish person who sometimes borders on being a flat-out sociopath".[9]
  • Kristen Schaal as Carol Andrew Pilbasian, an eccentric woman from Delaware who sees Phil's "Alive in Tucson" sign and travels to Tucson. She pressures Phil to marry her so they can work towards repopulating the Earth with "legitimate" children. Carol is shown to be compassionate and is good friends with Melissa and Todd but can hold grudges.[10] Alexandra Daddario portrays a dream sequence version of Carol.
  • January Jones as Melissa Shart, a former real estate agent who met Phil and Carol after they crashed their pickup truck into her limousine. Like Carol, she had seen the original Phil's "Alive in Tucson" sign and traveled to Tucson. Phil harbors a massive crush for her and frequently vies for her affection despite the fact that she doesn't like or trust him. She begins a romantic relationship with Todd after he joins the group.[11]
  • Mel Rodriguez as Todd. While on his way to Mexico, Todd spots some fireworks set off by Phil and is able to find him and the rest of the group. Kind and selfless, Todd's nature leads to him becoming the most likable member of the group, much to Phil's increasing annoyance. He and Melissa become very close and begin a romantic relationship shortly after they meet.[11]
  • Cleopatra Coleman as Erica, an Australian woman and self-described "political nerd." After the outbreak of the virus, she met Gail at the White House, and the two became traveling companions. They later discovered Phil after they spotted a fire he started. Erica and Gail move in with the rest of the survivors.

Recurring

  • Mary Steenburgen as Gail, a chef and former restaurant owner. After the outbreak of the virus, she met another woman named Erica, and the two became traveling companions (it is implied that the two women experimented with homosexuality during their time alone).[12] Gail mentions having had a husband but does not reveal what happened to him.[13]
  • Boris Kodjoe as another Phil Miller, is a former member of the Special Forces from North Carolina. He discovers the rest of the survivors after finding the original Phil sunburnt and unconscious on a billboard. Also a former contractor, his skills with construction – as well as his good looks – soon make him a favorite among the women in the group.[14]

Episodes

Main article: List of The Last Man on Earth episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
113March 1, 2015 (2015-03-01)May 3, 2015 (2015-05-03)
218September 27, 2015 (2015-09-27)May 15, 2016 (2016-05-15)
318September 25, 2016 (2016-09-25)May 7, 2017 (2017-05-07)
418October 1, 2017 (2017-10-01)May 6, 2018 (2018-05-06)

Background and production

The show originated from the writing team of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who had the idea initially for a feature film. They approached longtime collaborator and former Saturday Night Live cast member Will Forte with the premise, who "took a spark to it and took it in his own direction", according to Miller.[18] He was partially inspired by the series Life After People. "I love comedy where there's a lot of tension and even though it's very far-fetched, it seems very relatable", said Forte of the premise.[19] Forte's treatment for the series, crafted over a weekend, was pitched around Hollywood to positive responses. They mainly pitched to cable and Internet services, as Forte believed a broadcast network would be stricter on content.[18] In their pitch, much of the outline of the series' first season was formulated.[20] Fox, the show's eventual distributor, was instead doing "something different" and specific to his vision, according to Miller.[18]

Forte spoke on the show's creative freedom in a 2015 interview:

I think we always saw this as more of a cable show, to be honest. They claimed from the get-go that they didn't want to change the tone of the show, and I think I went in with an eyebrow raised, thinking, okay, well when's it going to come out that we have to change it around? And they were great. They stuck by their pledge and let us make this different type of show. We're so happy to have had this experience. It was just a great, great experience with Fox.[20]

Filming the series was challenging. For example, maintaining silence and not picking up sounds of cars in the distance made it difficult.[19] In addition to Forte's fascination with Life After People, similar films bandied about while writing the show included The Omega Man, I Am Legend, and 28 Days Later.[20] Fox particularly appreciated the heart of the story, with its universal theme. According to Lord, "We always talked about that this is a person who is very flawed, and a person who maybe needed the entire world to end in order for him to become his best self. [...] That was our big thought, well here's a guy who maybe he wasn't the best guy in the regular world, but if you took the regular world away, could he eventually get back to being the person that all of us hope that we can be."[20]

The name of the main character, Phil Miller, is based on the names of the two executive producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.[6] According to Miller, "there are no zombies" in the series.[21]

For the second season, Dan Sterling joined as executive producer and took over the role of showrunner from Forte, who was the showrunner for the first season.[22]

Reception

Ratings

For its one-hour premiere, The Last Man on Earth received 5.75 million viewers with an average 2.4 rating among adults 18–49, making it the highest-rated broadcast series of the evening in that demographic.[23] While ratings declined overall, the show did well enough with young men to justify renewal.[24]

Season Timeslot (ET) Episodes Premiered Ended TV season Rank Viewers
(in millions,
including DVR)
Date Premiere viewers
(in millions) 		Date Finale viewers
(in millions)
1 Sunday 9:30 pm 13 March 1, 2015 5.75[23] May 3, 2015 3.51[25] 2014–15 93[26] 6.07[26]
2 TBA September 27, 2015 3.14[27] TBA TBA 2015–16 TBA TBA

Critical reception

My recommendation comes with a caveat: there is no roadmap for this kind of show, and it could easily fall apart quickly. But I will say this for The Last Man on Earth: it does not seem like the sort of thing that would be a primetime network sitcom. And that's precisely why it should be one.

James Poniewozik of Time[28]

The Last Man on Earth has received generally positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 based on reviews from critics, the show has a score of 72, based on 30 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[29] Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter called the show "a genre-busting breakout that's creative, nuanced and inspired".[30] Robert Bianco of USA Today praised Forte's "audacity, inventiveness and achievement".[31] Hank Stuever of The Washington Post called it "a charming and intelligent sendup of pop culture's obsession with the end of everything".[32] Slate's Willa Paskin called the program "well-made, polished, odd, surprisingly funny".[33] "For a show that shouldn't really work at all, Last Man works pretty well", remarked Margaret Lyons of Vulture.[34]

Entertainment Weekly's Jeff Jensen called it "profoundly funny", and sustainable if it continues the "ingenuity, surprises, and craftsmanship".[6] "I was impressed by The Last Man on Earth, and hope it can continue to spin stories and character development out of its somewhat narrow premise", wrote Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe.[35]

However, several critics, such as Maureen Ryan of The Huffington Post[36] and David Hinckley of the New York Daily News, have questioned the show's future.[37] Mike Hale of The New York Times deemed the show "well made, meticulous in its comic details and pleasantly acted", though noting that part of the show's appeal "dissipates" past the pilot episode.[38] Brian Lowry of Variety opined that "the premise calls for a level of creativity from the producers that these episodes don't consistently deliver. That's not to say 'I wouldn't watch him if he were the last man on Earth.' But like the fate of humanity within the series, while the future certainly isn't hopeless, neither does it look particularly bright."[7]

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipients Result
2015 Critics' Choice Television Award[39] Best Actor in a Comedy Series Will Forte Nominated
Primetime Emmy Award[40] Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Will Forte Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Will Forte for "Alive in Tucson" Nominated
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series Phil Lord and Christopher Miller for "Alive in Tucson" Nominated
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series Stacey Schroeder Nominated
EWwy Award Outstanding Comedy Series[41] The Last Man on Earth Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series[42] Kristen Schaal Nominated

Home media

The first season was released on DVD in region 1 on September 22, 2015. The set contains audio commentaries for "The Elephant in the Room" and "Screw the Moon"; The Last Man on Earth Q&A Panel; "Survival of the Funniest: Creating The Last Man on Earth" featurette; deleted scenes; and a gag reel.[43]

References

  1. ^ "Shows A-Z – last man on earth, the on fox". the Futon Critic. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (February 12, 2014). "Fox Orders Will Forte Comedy 'Last Man On Earth' To Series For Midseason 2015". Deadline.com. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  3. ^ Ausiello, Michael (April 8, 2015). "Last Man on Earth Scores Super-Quick Season 2 Renewal at Fox". TVLine. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  4. ^ Ausiello, Michael (June 25, 2015). "Fox Premiere Dates: Scream Queens' Big Bow, Bones/Sleepy Combo Lands October Launch and More". TVLine. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  5. ^ "The Last Man on Earth". TV Guide. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  6. ^ a b c Jensen, Jeff (February 25, 2015). "The Last Man on Earth: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c Lowry, Brian (March 22, 2015). "Why 'The Last Man on Earth' Is a Comedy Dinosaur (SPOILERS)". Variety. Retrieved March 24, 2015. Cite error: The named reference "variety" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Moved to Tampa". The Last Man on Earth. Season 1. Episode 11. April 19, 2015. 17:39 minutes in. Fox. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |serieslink= (help); Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ Philips, Ian (May 4, 2015). "Why you should be watching Fox's excellent 'The Last Man on Earth'". Business Insider. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  10. ^ Ryan, Maureen (March 2, 2015). "The Problem With 'Last Man On Earth' No One Is Talking About". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  11. ^ a b O'Connell, Michael; Goldberg, Lesley (December 1, 2014). "January Jones Joins Fox Comedy 'The Last Man on Earth'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  12. ^ Phelan, Paige (April 12, 2015). "'Last Man on Earth' Postmortem: Inside the Fox Comedy's Latest Twist". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 13, 2015. There was a lot of innuendo surrounding your character's relationship with Erica. How much will we learn about that relationship and see it develop as the show goes on? – There's definitely other references to it. They didn't know anyone existed but each other so that was part of that but they genuinely like each other and, as buddies who have been through all types of stuff together (laughs), they each will have their own unique reactions to this new world that they enter.
  13. ^ Keveney, Bill (January 17, 2015). "Will Forte is Fox's 'Last Man on Earth'". USA Today. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  14. ^ Prudom, Laura (February 5, 2015). "Boris Kodjoe Joins Fox's 'The Last Man on Earth'". Variety. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  15. ^ Fox (August 10, 2015). "You heard right. Jason Sudeikis will be appearing in season 2 as Mike Miller!". Twitter. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  16. ^ Snierson, Dan (May 4, 2015). "The Last Man on Earth finale: Will Forte on that 'bonkers' twist ending—and what happens next". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  17. ^ Schwartz, Ryan (March 2, 2015). "Last Man on Earth: Will Forte Weighs In on That Cameo You Might've Missed". TVLine. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  18. ^ a b c Murphy, Mekado (March 1, 2015). "Phil Lord and Chris Miller on Maintaining Mystery in 'The Last Man on Earth'". The New York Times. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  19. ^ a b Owen, Rob (February 26, 2015). "Making Fox's 'Last Man on Earth'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  20. ^ a b c d Terrones, Terry (February 26, 2015). "Q&A: Will Forte and show producers discuss "The Last Man on Earth"". The Gazette. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  21. ^ Bricker, Tierney (January 17, 2015). "The Last Man on Earth Just Cast Another Human Being...and Zombies?!". E! News. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  22. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 6, 2015). "Dan Sterling Inks Overall Deal At 20th TV, Joins 'Last Man On Earth' As Showrunner". Deadline.com. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  23. ^ a b Bibel, Sara (March 3, 2015). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Last Man on Earth' & 'Dateline' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 3, 2015. Cite error: The named reference "Premiere" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  24. ^ Owen, Rob (August 7, 2015). "TV Q&A: 'America's Got Talent,' 'Mythbusters' and 'Life Below Zero'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  25. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 5, 2015). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Family Guy' & 'Secrets and Lies' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  26. ^ a b "Full 2014-2015 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline. August 23, 2014.
  27. ^ Dixon, Dani (September 29, 2015). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Bob's Burgers' Adjusted Down, '60 Minutes' Adjusted Up + 'Sunday Night Football'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  28. ^ Poniewozik, James (February 27, 2015). "Review: The Last Man on Earth Is One of a Kind". Time. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  29. ^ "The Last Man on Earth Reviews". Metacritic (CBS Interactive). Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  30. ^ Goodman, Tim (February 27, 2015). "'The Last Man on Earth': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  31. ^ Bianco, Robert (February 26, 2015). "'Last Man on Earth' stands alone". USA Today. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  32. ^ Stuever, Hank (February 27, 2015). "Fox's 'Last Man on Earth': A guy who is truly in his own element". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  33. ^ Paskin, Willa (February 26, 2015). "Last Man on Earth". Slate. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  34. ^ Lyons, Margaret (February 27, 2015). "TV Review: The Last Man on Earth Makes a Lasting Impression". Vulture. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  35. ^ Gilbert, Matthew (February 26, 2015). "In 'Last Man', nothing to do, no one to do it with". Boston Globe. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  36. ^ Ryan, Maureen (March 2, 2015). "The Problem With 'Last Man On Earth' No One Is Talking About". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  37. ^ Hinkley, David (February 28, 2015). "'The Last Man on Earth' review: TV series starring Will Forte makes you wish you were dead". Daily News. New York. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  38. ^ Hale, Mike (February 27, 2015). "Review: Fox's 'The Last Man on Earth' Stars Will Forte". The New York Times. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  39. ^ Li, Shirley (May 6, 2014). "The Critics' Choice TV Awards 2015: And the nominees are..." Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  40. ^ Hipes, Patrick (July 16, 2015). "Emmy Nominations 2015 – Full List". Deadline.com. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  41. ^ "EWwy Awards 2015: Meet Your Winners". Entertainment Weekly. August 11, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  42. ^ "EWwy Awards 2015: Meet Your Winners". Entertainment Weekly. August 11, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  43. ^ Lambert, David (August 3, 2015). "The Last Man on Earth - 'The Complete 1st Season' on DVD: Date, Cost, Extras, More!". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved August 4, 2015.


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