Final Space
Final Space is an adult animated space opera comedy drama television series created by Olan Rogers and developed by Rogers and David Sacks. The series involves an astronaut named Gary Goodspeed and his immensely powerful alien friend Mooncake, and focuses on their intergalactic adventures as they try to save the universe from certain doom.
| Final Space | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action Adventure Comedy drama Science fantasy Space opera |
| Created by | Olan Rogers |
| Developed by | Olan Rogers David Sacks |
| Voices of | |
| Theme music composer | Shelby Merry |
| Composers |
|
| Country of origin | United States Canada |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 36 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Tobias Conan Trost (S3) |
| Running time | 21 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | TBS (2018) Adult Swim (2019–2021) |
| Release | February 26, 2018 – June 14, 2021 |
The series aired on TBS on February 26, 2018.[1] It then moved to Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim, started with the second season on June 24, 2019, followed by the third and final season on March 20, 2021.[2]
On September 10, 2021, Rogers announced that Adult Swim cancelled the series after three seasons[3][4] due to the proposed merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. announced that year.[5] In September 2022, Rogers stated on Twitter that the series would be written off for taxes. The series was internationally removed from Netflix on December 16, 2023, though the series remained available in Spain, France, Germany and Belgium until March 18, 2024.[6][7]
An upcoming graphic novel titled Final Space: The Final Chapter is set to be released in late 2024, as a continuation and end of the television series.[8][9]
Plot edit
Gary Goodspeed is an energetic yet dim-witted astronaut who, in the midst of working off the last few days of his five-year sentence aboard the prison spacecraft Galaxy One, encounters a mysterious planet-destroying alien. He befriends the alien, naming him Mooncake, and then discovers that they are being pursued by the sinister, telekinetic Lord Commander. Together, Gary and Mooncake embark on a quest to save the universe, with help from the artificial intelligence HUE and a growing crew of shipmates, each with their own personal troubles – all while trying to uncover the secrets surrounding Final Space, a bizarre realm where the universe ends.
Cast edit
| Character | Voiced by | Seasons | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Main characters | ||||
| Gary Goodspeed | Olan Rogers | Main | ||
| Mooncake | Main | |||
| Jack the Lord Commander | David Tennant | Main | Recurring | Main |
| Avocato | Coty Galloway | Main | Recurring | Main |
| Little Cato | Steven Yeun | Main | ||
| HUE | Tom Kenny | Main | ||
| Quinn Ergon | Tika Sumpter | Main | Recurring | Main |
| Nightfall | Recurring | Main | Guest | |
| KVN | Fred Armisen | Main | ||
| Ash Graven | Ashly Burch | Main | ||
| Sheryl Goodspeed | Claudia Black | Main | ||
| Fox | Ron Funches | Main | ||
| Clarence Polkawitz | Conan O'Brien | Recurring | Main | Guest |
| AVA | Jane Lynch | Main | Guest | |
| Bolo | Keith David | Guest | Recurring | Main |
| Invictus | Vanessa Marshall | Recurring | Main | |
| Recurring characters | ||||
| Tribore Menendez | Olan Rogers | Recurring | ||
| John Goodspeed | Ron Perlman | Recurring | Guest | |
| SAMES | Tom Kenny | Recurring | ||
| Hushfluffles / Todd H. Watson | Alan Tudyk | Recurring | Guest | |
| Quatronostro | Oscar Montoya | Recurring | ||
| Kevin Van Newton | Tom Kenny | Recurring | ||
| Biskit | Olan Rogers | Recurring | ||
- Olan Rogers as Gary Goodspeed, Mooncake, Tribore Menendez, Biskit, David Dewinter, Jeff, Fraskenhaur, Digital Gary, Additional voices[10]
- Fred Armisen as KVN, Eduardo, Overlord, Groom, Evil KVNs, Mega KVN, Queen of Galang-22, Key Guardian, Kevin Van Newton, Additional voices[11]
- Tom Kenny as HUE, SAMES (Carl, Hank, Orson, Noodles, Rob, Boobs), Dewinter Son, Helper Stevil, Septim, Molelito, Thud, Time Swap Sammy, Phil, Ziznack, Kevin Van Newton, Additional voices[12]
- David Tennant as The Lord Commander/Jack[13]
- Tika Sumpter as Quinn Ergon, Nightfall, Fake Nightfall, Cookie Wife, Harp Graven, Melanie Dewinter, Additional voices
- Steven Yeun[11] as Little Cato, Meat Street Vendor, Infinity Guard Captain, Helper Assistant, Death Cookies, Mr. Graven, The Blade, Officer, Grateful Alien, Additional voices
- Coty Galloway as Avocato, Viro, Lord Commander's Officer, Additional voices[14]
- Caleb McLaughlin as Young Gary[11]
- Ron Perlman[15] as John Goodspeed, Burner Tribe Leader
- John DiMaggio[11] as Terk, Dr. Bluestein, Superior Stone, Lord Commander's Soldier, Mooncake's Voice Box, Arachnitects, Sal the Bartender, Super Molelito, Additional voices
- Gina Torres as Helper Hula (season 1), Infinity Guard AI, Infinity Guard Announcer, Additional voices
- Shannon Purser[11] as Shannon Thunder
- Keith David[11] as Bolo
- Andy Richter[11] as Gatekeeper
- Conan O'Brien as Clarence Polkawitz, Chuck[11]
- Ashly Burch as Ash Graven
- Ron Funches as Fox
- Jane Lynch as AVA, Dartricio, Mrs. Graven, Bride
- Alan Tudyk as Hushfluffles/Todd H. Watson, Frostbears, Additional voices
- Claudia Black as Sheryl Goodspeed
- Christopher Judge as Oreskis
- Vanessa Marshall as Invictus, Helper Hula (season 2)
- Tobias Conan Trost as Nightfall's Ship AI, Werthrent, Richard, Catoloupe, Henry, Additional voices
- Oscar Montoya as Quatronostro
- Phil LaMarr as Arachnitects, Additional voices
- Brett Driver as King of Ventrexia
- Mike Falzone as Shopkeeper
- Krystal Joy Brown as Avery Ergon
- Debra Wilson as Commander Ergon
- Jasmin Savoy Brown as Evra
Episodes edit
Production edit
Development edit
The idea for the show originated in mid-2010. Olan Rogers uploaded the first episode of a planned ten-part animated web-series titled Gary Space to his personal Facebook channel.[16] The project went on hiatus three episodes in, and Rogers eventually explained on Facebook that both he and the series' artist, Dan Brown, were tending to separate projects at the time, but were in talks of continuing.[17] On April 30, 2013, Rogers confirmed that he was rebooting and producing a season of Gary Space episodes to release at once.[18] Over two years later, Rogers revealed that a new short for the reboot for Gary Space was planned to be pitched to Cartoon Network, in addition to premiering the episode at Buffer Festival if nothing came from the pitch.[19]
In early 2016, Rogers announced that his project had been retitled Final Space – to avoid similarities with Steven Universe[20] – and revealed screenshots of the short via a vlog on his YouTube channel.[21] The pilot for Final Space was posted on Rogers' YouTube channel[22] with voices by himself and a friend of his, Coty Galloway; Galloway had collaborated with Rogers in a Star Wars fan film called The Scarlet Lance.[23] The video caught the attention of Conan O'Brien, who invited him to Los Angeles to pitch Final Space to TBS as a full series and also joined production as an executive producer alongside Rogers and 3rd Rock from the Sun writer and producer David Sacks. Other members of O'Brien's company, Conaco (David Kissinger, Larry Sullivan and Jeff Ross), and members of New Form who executive produced the pilot short (Kathleen Grace, Melissa Schneider and Matt Hoklotubbe) joined as executive producers as well. To balance out Rogers' inexperience in the industry, Conaco brought in Sacks to also serve as the showrunner for the series.[24][25] After two weeks of working with Sacks and Jake Sidwell (co-composer of the series alongside Shelby Merry)[26] on the pitch, Rogers and Sacks pitched the show to TBS; as well as Comedy Central, Fox, FX, YouTube, and Fullscreen; all six companies wanted the series and resulted in a bidding war between the studios over the series, with TBS acquiring the series. On December 2, 2016, it was announced that the channel had given a series order.[27][28]
Casting edit
Rogers announced in December 2016 that he voices the main characters, Gary and Mooncake.[citation needed] In July 2017, an additional cast list of Fred Armisen, Conan O'Brien, Keith David, Coty Galloway (reprising from the pilot), Tom Kenny, Caleb McLaughlin, John DiMaggio, Ron Perlman, Shannon Purser, Andy Richter, David Tennant, and Steven Yeun was revealed.[29]
Animation edit
Animation for the series is handled by ShadowMachine in Los Angeles and outsourced to Canadian studio Jam Filled using the Toon Boom Harmony software. The show uses NASA space imagery for the space backgrounds.[30]
Future edit
When asked on Twitter about the series' longevity, Olan Rogers had stated that he had at least six seasons' worth of material thought up for the show, including an ending for Final Space in case the series gets cancelled in the future.[31]
On September 10, 2021, Rogers posted a video to his YouTube account stating that season 3 would be the show's last season.[32]
On April 10, 2022, Rogers revealed on his Twitter that there is a chance that the show could be brought back in the future for an hour-long special to wrap up the story.[33] On May 11, Rogers stated that he was still trying to put an end to the series.[34] On June 15, after being unable to reach a deal to conclude the series in any medium, Rogers launched a Kickstarter for a short film titled Godspeed, spawned from unused ideas related to the series. At the end of the campaign, the crowdfund raised $464,438 in total.[35]
On April 24, 2023, Rogers announced that Warner Bros. Discovery gave him a license to write a graphic novel to end the series. The novel, titled Final Space: The Final Chapter, is set to be released in late 2024.[8][9]
Promotion and release edit
When responding to a question on Twitter, Olan Rogers revealed that Final Space would be showcased by TBS at San Diego Comic-Con and VidCon in 2017.[36] Unlike other creators, Rogers runs the social media accounts for the show, including the official Twitter account, calling it a "good opportunity" to connect with fans.[37]
Final Space premiered on Reddit on February 15, 2018, followed by an AMA with Rogers.[38] This would mark a first for a TV network to premiere a series on the site.[38] Later that day, the first two episodes became available on TBS's website and app. TBS's sister network TNT aired a sneak peek premiere of the show on February 17, 2018, right after the 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend.[39] After its official premiere on TBS on February 26, 2018, the pilot aired two hours later on sibling network Adult Swim; the rest of the season also aired on the network in a similar fashion. On February 20, 2018, the first two episodes were released on iTunes.[40] Netflix handles the international distribution to the show and debuted the series on July 20.
On April 7, 2019, Rogers revealed that the show would move first-run airings to Adult Swim and be simulcast on TBS; a reversal of the airing pattern from the first season.[41] The news would be confirmed in June of that year,[42] with the second season premiering on June 24. TBS would air an encore the following week.[43]
The show was renewed for a third season a week after the second finished airing.[44]
The first 2 seasons became available to stream on HBO Max on March 1, 2021, ahead of season 3's premiere.[45] Season 3 was released on HBO Max on November 13, 2021.[46] On July 1, 2022, the series was removed from HBO Max, as well as all content related to the series from Adult Swim's official website and YouTube channel on June 21.[47] Some episodes remain available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video[48] and YouTube[49] in the United States and the series was available on Netflix in international regions until its removal on December 16, 2023, though the series remained available in Spain, France, Germany and Belgium until March 18, 2024.[50]
A Blu-ray and a soundtrack were released on August 11, 2020. The Blu-ray, containing seasons 1 and 2, was released by Warner Archive Collection, while the soundtrack was released by WaterTower Music.
Reception edit
The first season of Final Space received positive reviews,[51] with critics praising the show's cast (especially David Tennant's voice performance as the Lord Commander).[52][53] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 70% based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's critics' consensus reads: "Final Space doesn't always hit its mark, but for those looking for a bite-sized intergalactic comedy it may prove an amusing diversion."[54] On Metacritic season 1 has a score of 60 of 100 based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[51]
Impressions about the first episodes were also mixed, with criticism focused on Gary's humor. Collider's Dave Trumbore gave the series four out of five stars, praising the cast, the series' uniqueness and its originality.[55] The Hollywood Reporter said "the new animated series from TBS misses the mark, and will likely float off into space".[56] The A.V. Club gave the series a C+ grade.[57] Reviewing the first two episodes, Den of Geek gave them a score of 3.5 out of 5 stars.[53] IndieWire gave a B+ grade.[52] The Daily Beast received the series favorably, comparing its potential with Adventure Time and BoJack Horseman.[58] Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times praised the show for the space backgrounds and Gary's relationship with Mooncake, but criticized for being "not as clever as Futurama or The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or Galaxy Quest, series with which it shares certain features" and for the comedy which "leans toward things adolescent boys find funny".[59] Screen Rant wrote favorably of the series, praising TBS' decision to release the first two episodes 11 days before the series premiere, and describing it as a "very silly comedy", comparing protagonist Gary to Homer Simpson and Philip J. Fry.[60]
In March 2023, IndieWire named Final Space one of the best animated series of all time, praising that the show has "that balance between the personal and the universal that make all large-scale space stories worth the journey".[61]
References edit
- ^ Otterson, Joe (January 11, 2018). "TBS Renews 'American Dad' For Two More Seasons, Sets Monday Night Animation Block". Variety. from the original on January 11, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ Greene, Steve (March 19, 2021). "'Final Space' Review: It's Time to Catch Up on One of TV's Animated Sci-Fi Treasures". IndieWire. from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ Perine, Aaron (September 10, 2021). "Final Space Third And Final Season Coming To Netflix". Comicbook. from the original on September 10, 2021.
- ^ Hughes, William (September 10, 2021). "Final Space creator Olan Rogers announces cancelation in emotional video". The A.V. Club. from the original on September 11, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
- ^ Olan Rogers [@OlanRogers] (September 11, 2021). "Discovery and Warner Media merger" (Tweet). from the original on January 19, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Olan Rogers [@OlanRogers] (September 24, 2022). "#renewfinalspace It's a banner that you all have been waving, and it's a rallying cry I can stand behind while I continue into this long dark night chasing an ending for this story. ARMOR UP: https://www.starcadet.com/collections/final-space" (Tweet). Retrieved September 24, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ /https://twitter.com/RegularTweetsUK/status/1761823892123889860
- ^ a b Olan Rogers [@OlanRogers] (April 24, 2023). "I can finish Final Space. This isn't a joke. Warner Brothers Discovery gave me a license for a graphic novel. THE FINAL CHAPTER begins today!..." (Tweet). Retrieved April 24, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b I CAN FINISH FINAL SPACE!!!!. Olan Rogers. April 24, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ Rogers, Olan (December 20, 2016). "[Olan Roger voicing Gary Space & Mooncake]". Twitter. from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Final Space (2018)". Behind the Voice Actors. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
- ^ Rogers, Olan (July 22, 2017). "Tom Kenny announced as HUE in new TV series Final Space". Twitter. from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
- ^ Fullerton, Huw (July 21, 2017). "Doctor Who's David Tennant has been cast in an animated space sitcom". Radio Times. from the original on July 22, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
- ^ Fanal Space • Coty Galloway • New York Comic Con 2017 • interview. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021.
- ^ Rogers, Olan (July 22, 2017). "Ron Perlman Voicing Garry's Dad". Twitter. from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
- ^ Rogers, Olan (May 4, 2010). "[First Gary Space episode]". Facebook. from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- ^ Rogers, Olan (October 13, 2012). "[Olan in talks with artist Dan Brown]". Facebook. from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
- ^ Rogers, Olan (April 30, 2013). "Update on rebooting Gary Godspeed". Facebook. from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
- ^ Rogers, Olan (May 19, 2015). "[New Gary Space planned to be pitched a Cartoon Network]". Facebook. from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
- ^ "from Roger's thread in a Q&A on Twitter –". from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Olan Rogers (February 29, 2016). SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW IN THIS MOMENT IN TIME & THIS IS A LONG TITLE. YouTube. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ^ Olan Rogers (April 5, 2016). FINAL SPACE [ Cartoon Pilot ]. YouTube. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
- ^ Star Wars: The Scarlet Lance – via Youtube.
- ^ Peters, Megan (December 2, 2016). "TBS Orders Animated Series From Youtube Star Olan Rogers, Conan O'Brien". Comicbook. from the original on December 4, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ^ Olan Rogers (December 2, 2016). FINAL SPACE IS A TV SHOW!!!!!!!! [David Sacks]. YouTube. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ^ Sidwell, Jake (December 22, 2016). "[Jake Sidwell co-composing with Shelby Merry]". Twitter. from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
- ^ Olan Rogers (December 2, 2016). FINAL SPACE IS A TV SHOW!!!!!!!! [Pitch and Bidding War]. YouTube. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 2, 2016). "TBS Orders 'Final Space' Animated Series From Olan Rogers & Conan O'Brien". Deadline. from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ^ "IMDb". IMDb.
- ^ "Animated People: Olan Rogers Blasts Off into 'Final Space'". Animation Magazine. March 23, 2018. from the original on May 9, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ Olan Rogers [@OlanRogers] (May 31, 2018). "As of now I have 6 seasons worth of ideas and I know how I would end it if and when it comes to that" (Tweet). from the original on October 23, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ goodbye final space, archived from the original on November 17, 2021, retrieved September 10, 2021
- ^ Olan Rogers [@OlanRogers] (April 10, 2022). "I texted a exec at Warner if he would take a pitch from me on a Final Space special/ hour long ep. or was it a fools dream. He said it wasn't! But there's a lot of restructuring happening over there & can't guarantee anything right now. So keep the faith" (Tweet). from the original on May 11, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Olan Rogers [@OlanRogers] (May 11, 2022). "We were canceled sadly. I would love to put an ending on it and I'm still trying to but yeah Warner Brothers canceled the show due to their merger. Appreciate you watching the show" (Tweet). from the original on May 11, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Final Space Facts [@FinalFacts] (July 4, 2022). "Godspeed fully funded" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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- ^ a b Roettgers, Janko (February 15, 2018). "TBS Premieres 'Final Space' on the Front Page of Reddit (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. from the original on March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
- ^ Coleman, Jill (February 15, 2018). "USA: Season Premiere Sneak Peek Of Final Space On TNT Tonight". Blogger. from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
- ^ Rogers, Olan (February 20, 2018). "[Final Space Chapter Two on iTunes]". Twitter. from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
- ^ Rogers, Olan [@OlanRogers] (April 8, 2019). "It's still going to air on TBS. They are just flipping what that did for S1. S1 premiered on TBS then Adult Swim. S2 will be Adult Swim then TBS. I think they like the show as well and it does well over there. I'm down with it" (Tweet). Retrieved August 19, 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ James, Tito W. (June 1, 2019). "Final Space Returns This June With A New Home At Adult Swim". COMICON. from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
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- ^ Rogers, Olan. "Season 3 Tease". Twitter. Olan Rogers. from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
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- ^ "Season 3 of Final Space comes to HBO Max November 13!". Reddit. October 22, 2021.
- ^ Final Space has been removed from HBO Max July 1, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Watch Final Space Season 2 | Prime Video". www.amazon.com. from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- ^ "Final Space (2018)". www.youtube.com. from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- ^ "'Final Space' Leaving Netflix in December 2023". November 17, 2023.
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- ^ a b "'Final Space' Review: An Impossibly Cute Green Squishy Alien is TV's New Best Friend in Delightful TBS Animated Series". Indiewire. February 26, 2018. from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
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- ^ "Final Space: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ "Final Space' Review: A Dark and Tragic Space Odyssey Disguised as a Comedy Series". Collider. February 26, 2018. from the original on November 3, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ "Final Space': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. February 15, 2018. from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ "Final Space is animated sci-fi comedy with trouble entering warp speed". The A.V. Club. February 26, 2018. from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ^ Han, Karen (February 26, 2018). "Is Final Space the Next Great Animated Series?". The Daily Beast. from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ "'Final Space' mixes insults, melancholy and a weapons-grade-cute alien named Mooncake". The Los Angeles Times. February 25, 2018. from the original on March 7, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ^ Yeoman, Kevin (February 26, 2018). "Final Space Premiere Review: An Enjoyably Silly Space-Faring Comedy". Screen Rant. from the original on December 3, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
- ^ Travers, Ben; Greene, Steve (March 23, 2023). "The Best Animated Series of All Time". IndieWire. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
External links edit
- Final Space at IMDb