On Wednesday (April 8) morning, FOX renewed the spring comedy success “The Last Man on Earth” for a second season.
“We knew we had something special with 'The Last Man on Earth,'” states FOX Entertainment President Dave Madden. “It”s one of those rare shows that continues to add depth and dimension to its unique premise, week after week. We are so thrilled that this incredibly bold, original and inventive series has been embraced by both fans and critics, and we cannot wait to see where the creative genius and inspired vision of Will, Phil and Chris take us in Season Two.”
With another hour-long block of “The Last Man on Earth” airing this Sunday, FOX is boasting that the Will Forte-created comedy is the season's top new comedy among adults 18-34 and men 18-49.
In addition to Forte, the series is executive produced by pilot directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord and while we initially pretended Forte was the only star, we now know “Last Man” features Kristen Schaal, January Jones and Mel Rodriguez as part of its growing ensemble.
As a 20th Century Fox TV production, “Last Man on Earth” has long seemed like a no-brainer for renewal, especially with the instant failure of “Weird Loners” and the recent renewal for “New Girl,” which has now hit series lows in consecutive weeks, falling below The Mulaney Line (a 1.0 in the 18-49 demo) in its most recent airing.
[Critical aside: I loved the first three “Last Man on Earth” episodes and gave the show an A- review, but I've had a lot of recent conversations with people who feel like Will Forte's Phil Miller has been pushed to be so unlikable that the show is difficult to watch. I agree completely that the writers have gone all-in on Phil's self-absorption and that they haven't softened the character in the way that, for example, “Community” has always softened Jeff Winger, who has similarly unlikable superficial traits. I don't blame the show for sticking to its guns and unlike some folks, I'm able to distinguish between a show's depiction of a misogynistic and misanthropic main character and a show having a misogynistic and misanthropic POV. “Last Man on Earth” doesn't endorse Phil's behavior and it doesn't encourage viewers to. But it's not as comfortable to watch as perhaps we might have expected it to be based on the early episodes. Do I think it's a worthy perspective that a man isolated from humans for several years might become awkward and unpleasant in the interim, especially if that's the way the guy was already trending previously? Sure. But I get why people aren't loving Phil. I think that there's bound to be gradual character course correction as we progress and the show's longevity probably hinges on that. I think this is still an unusually sharp and original comedy and I'm glad we're getting more of it.]
You pleased with this renewal?