10 Hilarious TV Comedies Set In Space

Deep space isn’t just a place to battle vicious aliens and to get caught up in mind-bending tales of terror. Quite a few television series use what Star Trek refers to as the final frontier as a backdrop for sitcoms and satires. Many of these deep space comedies are just as entertaining as their more dramatic counterparts.

Whether animated or live-action, the best comedies set in space play on humanity’s obsession with exploring the unknown, whether it’s to capitalize off of what’s found or to simply discover something new. They also play on sci-fi tropes and astronomical knowledge to generate laughs.

10 Avenue 5 (2019 – Present)

Armando Iannucci, known for helming Veep, launched his latest HBO comedy in 2019. Avenue 5 follows the crew of an interplanetary cruise ship in the future as they deal with one setback after another.

Hugh Laurie leads this ensemble comedy as Ryan Clark, the captain of the titular ship. His hilarious performance is uplifted by supporting actors Josh Gad, Zach Woods, and Rebecca Front — to name a few.

9 Rick And Morty (2013 – Present)

Rick And Morty is one of the more successful animated shows to come out of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim programming block. It follows the intergalactic misadventures of a mad scientist named Rick Sanchez and his 14-year-old grandson Morty Smith.

When Rick and Morty aren’t doing normal family stuff near Seattle, Washington, they use Rick’s flying car to visit other planets and multiple dimensions. After airing for four seasons, Rick and Morty is set to continue for at least 70 more episodes.

8 The Jetsons (1962 – 1963; 1985 – 1987)

“Man in space!” Hanna-Barbera Productions meld mid-century situational family comedy with futuristic space colonization in its iconic animated series The Jetsons. George and Jane Jetson live in Orbit City with their children Judy and Elroy; they also have a live-in robotic maid named Rosie.

While The Jetsons maintains “traditional” family values, it also includes many creative imaginings of technological advancement. It originally aired for one season in 1962 and then returned for two more syndicated seasons in 1985.

7 Other Space (2015)

A short-lived web series, Other Space comes from the mind of comedy director Paul Feig. Developed for the now-defunct service Yahoo! Screen, the show follows a group of space explorers stuck in a wormhole aboard the ship Cruiser.

This ensemble comedy set in 2105 digs into commercial space exploration, as well as the isolating effects of space missions on crew members. It stars Deadpool‘s Karan Soni as the ship’s captain, Stewart Lipinski.

6 Red Dwarf (1988 – Present)

Red Dwarf is a long-running British sci-fi comedy that maintains a huge cult following. Airing for 12 seasons so far, it centers around the last remaining human — a technician who wakes up on board the titular ship after being in suspended animation for three million years.

The technician, Dave Lister, discovers a hologram of a deceased crewmate and a humanoid feline creature named Cat. A new Red Dwarf feature-length special, The Promised Land, will hit the airwaves sometime in 2021.

5 Hyperdrive (2006 – 2007)

Another British space comedy, Hyperdrive draws some hilarious conclusions about how the British government handles itself with foreign relations. It stars Nick Frost as Michael Henderson, the Space Commander of the HMS Camden Lock — a vessel on a mission to protect British interests across the universe.

As they traverse different planets circa 2151, the Camden Lock crew encounters one alien race after another. Hyperdrive lasted two seasons on the BBC.

4 Space Ghost Coast To Coast (1994 – 2008)

It doesn’t get much more hilarious than reimaging a ’60s Hanna-Barbera Productions superhero as a modern talk show host. In Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Space Ghost awkwardly interviews guests while his bandleader Zorak and producer Moltar watch on with hatred from the sidelines.

Surreal and satirical, the studio in Space Ghost Coast to Coast is located in space. Considered Cartoon Network’s first original series, it went on to influence the tone and style of shows later produced for Adult Swim.

3 The Orville (2017 – Present)

The Orville is one of those television series that, despite its status as a critical failure, retains a large -enough fan following to keep it on the air. From the mind of Family Guy‘s Seth MacFarlane, the show revolves around the crew of a spaceship jumping from planet to planet in the 25th century.

MacFarlane also stars in The Orville as Captain Ed Mercer, who works for an intergalactic alliance known as the Planetary Union. The series pays homage to Star Trek while adding plenty of jokes for contemporary audiences.

2 Futurama (1999 – 2003, 2008 – 2013)

Matt Groening jumps into the 31st century with Futurama, a sci-fi cartoon that played on Fox before being revived on Comedy Central. Futurama‘s main character is a cryogenically preserved human named Fry who works in the show’s present as an interplanetary delivery man.

With his colleagues, the one-eyed Turanga Leela and the robot Bender, Fry makes a fool of himself across the universe. Darkly comedic and at times surreal, Futurama set the standard for slapstick, animated space operas.

1 Final Space (2018 – Present)

First airing on TBS and then transitioning to Adult Swim, Final Space is a current cartoon about a cosmic prisoner who teams up with an alien to uncover what “Final Space” really is. The prisoner, Gary Goodspeed, meets the alien aboard the jail spaceship Galaxy One.

After discovering the alien is capable of destroying planets, Gary renames him Mooncake. Eventually, Gary is freed and the pair begin their journey together while fending off the terrifying Lord Commander.

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