Avenue_5

<i>Avenue 5</i>

Avenue 5

2020 sci-fi comedy television series


Avenue 5 is a science fiction comedy television series created by Armando Iannucci that premiered on HBO in the United States on 19 January 2020. It stars Hugh Laurie and Josh Gad in lead roles as captain and owner of a fictional interplanetary cruise ship Avenue 5. HBO produced the series in the United States and Sky UK in the United Kingdom. In February 2020, just days before the COVID-19 pandemic led to worldwide lockdowns, the series was renewed for a second season;[1] filming moved forward in late 2021, with a release date of 10 October 2022.[2][3] In February 2023, the series was cancelled after two seasons.[4]

Quick Facts Avenue 5, Genre ...

Premise

Avenue 5 has been described as "set in the future, mostly in space."[5] On board the interplanetary cruise ship, the Avenue 5, a momentary loss of artificial gravity and accidental death of its chief engineer sends the titular vessel 0.21 degrees off course.[6] It's estimated it will take the ship three years to return to Earth, and with only enough supplies to sustain her many passengers for the intended eight-week long cruise, the crew of the Avenue 5 must struggle to maintain order and return the craft safely.[6]

Cast and characters

Main

  • Hugh Laurie as Ryan Clark, the captain of Avenue 5[7][8]
  • Josh Gad as Herman Judd, billionaire owner of Avenue 5
  • Zach Woods as Matt Spencer, Head of Customer Relations for Avenue 5
  • Rebecca Front as Karen Kelly, a passenger aboard Avenue 5
  • Suzy Nakamura as Iris Kimura, an associate owner of Avenue 5[8]
  • Lenora Crichlow as Billie McEvoy, second engineer on Avenue 5
  • Nikki Amuka-Bird as Rav Mulcair, head of mission control for Avenue 5 back on Earth, later (episode 8 onward) is onboard Avenue 5
  • Ethan Phillips as Spike Martin, a former astronaut and first (or fifth) Canadian on Mars, who is now a womanizing alcoholic on Avenue 5

Recurring

Episodes

Series overview

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Season 1 (2020)

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Season 2 (2022)

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Production

Development

On 25 September 2017, it was announced that HBO had given a pilot order to a new comedy series created by Armando Iannucci, who was also set to serve as writer and executive producer. In addition to the pilot order, the network also reportedly ordered backup scripts.[5] In April 2019, a series pickup was commissioned by HBO for nine episodes.[20] On 13 February 2020, the series was renewed for a second season,[1] which would also consist of nine episodes.[21] In October 2022, Iannucci told Entertainment Weekly that there are plans for a third season, saying that HBO was "very keen".[22] On 10 February 2023, HBO canceled the series after two seasons.[4]

Casting

In August 2018, it was announced that Hugh Laurie and Suzy Nakamura had been cast in the pilot's lead roles as Captain Ryan Clark and Iris Kimura.[7][8] On 7 November 2018, it was reported that Rebecca Front had joined the pilot's cast in another leading role as Karen Kelly.[23] In February 2019, Zach Woods, Josh Gad, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Lenora Crichlow were cast as series regulars Matt Spencer, Herman Judd, Rav Mulclair, and Billie McEvoy.[24][25][26][27] Himesh Patel was added in June as comedian on the ship Jordan Hatwal.[28] The main cast members were returned for the second season by the time of its announcement.[21]

Writing

By July 2021, the first six episodes of the second season were plotted out, leaving only the final three to be outlined "next month".[29] Iannucci added, "It's basically about people in isolation. So, we're just waiting to see what the mood might be as to how we pitch. Is it going to be bleak despair, or is it going to be very, very silly? Or maybe silly despair? I don't know. We tried to make season one as silly as possible, but it seems to have strangely become a kind of documentary about present-day conditions."[21][29]

Filming

Principal photography for the pilot took place in 2018 in London, England.[5] While filming was taking place at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in July 2019, a fire damaged one of the show's sets.[30] Production for the second season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2021, creator Armando Iannucci confirmed on Twitter that season two would begin filming, "in a matter of days." A post by Josh Gad confirmed the start of filming in August.[31] Another post by Gad also confirmed the end of filming in late November 2021.[32]

Release

The series premiered on 19 January 2020, on HBO.[33] In New Zealand, the series is distributed by Sky satellite television provider's SOHO2 channel and Neon streaming service.[34] The second season premiered on 10 October 2022, on HBO.[3]

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 67% based on 52 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's critical consensus states, "If Avenue 5's maiden voyage isn't as smooth as its creative clout implies, it's still a hilarious step in a completely new—while still enjoyably caustic—direction for creator Armando Iannucci."[35] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[36]

Ratings

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Notes

  1. The episode was first made available on January 31, 2020, through HBO's digital platform.[11]

References

  1. Petski, Denise (February 13, 2020). "'Avenue 5' Renewed For Season 2 By HBO". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  2. Andreeva, Nellie (May 27, 2022). "'Avenue 5' Likely Ending With Season 2, Cast Of Armando Iannucci's HBO Space Comedy Has Been Released". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  3. "HBO Comedy Series AVENUE 5 Returns For Its Second Season October 10". WarnerMedia (Press release). September 14, 2022. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  4. White, Peter (February 10, 202). "'Avenue 5' Canceled At HBO After Two Seasons". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  5. Andreeva, Nellie (September 25, 2017). "'Veep' Creator Armando Iannucci Gets HBO Pilot Order For Space Comedy". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  6. Kleinman, Jake (January 2, 2020). "'Avenue 5' review: Iannucci's sci-fi sitcom is the funniest thing on HBO". Inverse. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  7. Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (August 22, 2018). "Hugh Laurie To Star In Armando Iannucci's HBO Comedy Pilot 'Avenue 5'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 23, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  8. Petski, Denise (August 24, 2018). "Suzy Nakamura Joins Hugh Laurie In Armando Iannucci's HBO Comedy Pilot 'Avenue 5'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  9. Metcalf, Mitch (January 22, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.19.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 24, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  10. Metcalf, Mitch (January 28, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.26.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  11. Young, Alex (January 31, 2020). "HBO releases new episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Outsider, and Avenue 5 early". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  12. Metcalf, Mitch (February 4, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.2.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 4, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  13. Metcalf, Mitch (February 11, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.9.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  14. Metcalf, Mitch (February 19, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.16.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 10, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  15. Metcalf, Mitch (February 25, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.23.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  16. Metcalf, Mitch (March 3, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.1.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  17. Metcalf, Mitch (March 10, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.8.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  18. Metcalf, Mitch (March 17, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.15.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  19. Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (April 22, 2019). "Armando Iannucci's 'Avenue 5' Space Comedy Gets Series Order At HBO". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  20. "Avenue 5 Season 2 release date, plot, cast & what we know more | Entertainment". Devdiscourse. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  21. Collis, Clark. "Avenue 5 creator says show is not canceled: 'Everyone wants to do more'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  22. Andreeva, Nellie (November 7, 2018). "'Avenue 5': Rebecca Front To Star In Armando Iannucci's HBO Comedy Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  23. Ausiello, Michael (February 20, 2019). "Silicon Valley's Zach Woods Joins Veep Creator Armando Iannucci's Sci-Fi Comedy Pilot Avenue 5 at HBO". TVLine. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  24. Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (February 21, 2019). "'Avenue 5': Josh Gad To Star In Armando Iannucci's HBO Comedy Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  25. Petski, Denise (February 25, 2019). "'Avenue 5': Niki Amuka-Bird To Star In Armando Iannucci's HBO Comedy Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  26. Hipes, Patrick (February 26, 2019). "Lenora Crichlow Joins Cast Of HBO's 'Avenue 5' Pilot From Armando Iannucci". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  27. Petski, Denise (June 18, 2019). "'Avenue 5': Himesh Patel Joins Armando Iannucci's HBO Space Comedy Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 26, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  28. "Avenue 5 Season 2: First 6 episodes already mapped; production halted for pandemic | Entertainment". Devdiscourse. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  29. Wiseman, Andreas (July 11, 2019). "HBO's 'Avenue 5' Set Damaged In Fire At Warner Bros' Leavesden Studios In UK – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 29, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  30. Schwartz, Ryan (December 8, 2019). "Avenue 5: Hugh Laurie Space Comedy Gets January Premiere Date at HBO". TVLine. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  31. Brooks, Sam (January 23, 2020). "Space satire Avenue 5 is brilliant, even as it meanders off course". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  32. Pucci, Douglas (January 24, 2020). "Live+3 Weekly Ratings: 'Ink Master' Tops Percentage Gains in Adults 18–49, '68 Whiskey' Series Debut is Total Viewer Percentage Leader". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  33. Pucci, Douglas (January 31, 2020). "Live+3 Weekly Ratings: 'The Bold Type' and 'Good Trouble' Lead Percentage Gains". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  34. Pucci, Douglas (February 7, 2020). "Live+3 Weekly Ratings: 'The Masked Singer' Post-Super Bowl Telecast Leads in Raw Adults 18–49 Boosts". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  35. Pucci, Douglas (February 14, 2020). "Live+3 Weekly Ratings: 'Grey's Anatomy' and Series Premiere of 'Lego Masters' Top All Telecasts in Adults 18–49 Lifts". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  36. Pucci, Douglas (February 21, 2020). "Live+3 Weekly Ratings: 'Survivor: Winners at War' Season Premiere as Runner-Up Among Non-Scripted Fare in Raw Adults 18–49 Gains". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  37. Pucci, Douglas (February 29, 2020). "Live+3 Weekly Ratings: AMC Dramas 'The Walking Dead' and 'Better Call Saul' Lead Scripted Cable Telecasts in Adults 18–49, 18–34 and 25–54". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  38. Pucci, Douglas (March 6, 2020). "Live+3 Weekly Ratings: 'Jersey Shore: Family Vacation' Tops Non-Scripted Cable Telecasts in Raw Adults 18–49 Gains". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  39. Pucci, Douglas (March 20, 2020). "Live+3 Weekly Ratings: 'Dave' Leads All Prime Time Comedies in Adults 18–49 Percentage Gains". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.

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