1x02 And Then He's Gonna Shoot Off...

@alexnader Have you seen Veep or The Thick of It? Think of it more like that. It's not a typical sitcom, and definitely don't think of it as science fiction, it just happens to be set in space. It's a satire of corporate incompetence set in an outlandish - yet not too unlikely - scenario. It's set in contrast to the sort of 'real' science fiction TV shows that purport to show the future, yet are really nothing more than fantasy. This is the dark window into a more likely future, showing that very little is likely to change. Humans will manage to do amazing things, yet somehow we'll still be utter idiots as we do it. Power, greed, and stupidity will continue to infect every boardroom and hall of power. You'd think the massive futuristic space cruise ship would be staffed by professional and competent experts, but just like real life it's still idiot humans just trying to get by. It all seems unbelievable until you realise that nothing in Veep was more ridiculous and unbelievable than what is happening right now.

The characters aren't meant to be likeable, in the same way nobody was truly likeable in Veep. You end up understanding them deeply, maybe even root for people in certain circumstances, but never truly like them. It's not some kind of feel-good American sitcom, this is from the darkly satirical mind of Brit Armando Iannucci. They're caricatures of the worst kinds of people that exist in companies like this. In every character you're supposed to see people you know and work with in real life, but dialled up a bit. They'll come down to earth a little as the series goes on, but while all the characters don't really know each other they'll keep clashing until they work their problems out.

I don't think it's botched at all, this has been amazing so far. I just think it's not quite for you because you are judging it based on misplaced expectations. Give it a season to bed in and it should be all up from there.

@jaw72 Wow, thank you so much for this comment.

Unfortunately, no, I haven't seen Veep or Thick of It yet, but have heard great things about Veep, and I'm glad that you changed my expectations of it before giving it a try.

I'll definitely shift my view of the show away from Sci-Fi adventures, and typical American comedy, before next week's episode.

I had no idea Armando was a Brit, as they do usually go for a more "the worst that can happen will happen" type of humor. That reminds me a lot of how Peep Show did things.

I'm actually a little excited to see next weeks episode knowing all this now.

@alexnader I hope I didn't come across too strong, I just really like Iannucci and have enjoyed his work since his days on BBC radio. I felt like this fits in very well with everything he's done in the past so I could settle straight into it as I think I can get inside his head quickly. That makes me biased as I'm already a fan coming into it, so I'm not going to say it's the greatest thing ever or that you will definitely like it.

Even though Veep is very well regarded now, when it first started I remember a lot of Americans having the same sort of reaction to it as is happening here with this. They came in expecting maybe something like The West Wing and instead were handed a comedy so dry and subtle that at first glance it just seemed like a shitty drama. I think it took a season for Veep to get good, and I think it also took a season for newcomers to 'get' it. Jokes in his writing rarely come from traditional setup and punchline.

Take for example the Herman Judd character constantly complaining about communication delays. It's not the strongest joke, but it's something that's very relatable in the workplace. In my real life I work for a boss that understands very little, yet demands a lot, and some of it isn't physically possible simply because he's rich and he's never had to actually work in the positions the rest of us are in. Judd is so disconnected from reality because of his sheltered life, wealth, and power that he'll regularly ask for the laws of physics to be broken to accomplish things, and everyone just accepts that and 'works' on it. This sort of scenario plays out all around the world everyday, and that is the joke. The dead horse will keep being beaten because the system they live in doesn't let them get off the horse. Like I said, it's not the best he's written so it's a bit of a weak example, it's just the first that comes to my mind.

It's very likely you will just not like it because it's not your sort of thing, and that's fine. I commented because I think a lot of people here were picturing something like The Orville with more jokes or something like that, and it's really not. I don't think the promos and trailers have helped that, neither the sci-fi setting with it being an infamously... toxic... genre.

On another note, if you haven't tried it already Succession was written by Peep Show co-writer Jesse Armstrong, he has a kind of similar outlook in the way he writes to Iannucci so you might like that as well.

@jaw72 Love your comments on this as a fellow fan of Iannucci's work, but I have to disagree with you on Veep - it was brilliant right from the start, and stayed brilliant right until the switch in showrunner changed not only all the main characters but also the show's whole character. Great finale though!