Showtime Picks Up Fred Armisen’s Astronaut-Themed Comedy Series “Moonbase 8”

It’s Showtime for Fred Armisen

Showtime has picked up Moonbase 8, a half-hour workplace comedy series from the 53-year-old half-Venezuelan American actor/comedian and his Portlandia co-creator Jonathan Krisel, Tim Heidecker, John C. Reilly and A24.

John C. Reilly, Tim Heidecker, Fred Armisen, MOONBASE 8

The series is slated to premiere this fall.

Co-created by Armisen, Heidecker, and Reilly, who also star, and Krisel, the six-episode series revolves around three subpar astronauts who have high hopes of being chosen to travel to the moon. Set in the isolated desert of Winslow, Arizona at NASA’s Moon Base Simulator, it follows eager astronauts Skip (Armisen), Rook (Heidecker) and their leader Cap (Reilly) as they attempt to qualify for their first lunar mission. While working vigorously to complete their training, a series of unexpected circumstances forces the astronauts to question their own mental sanity, trust in each other and whether or not they’re cut out for space travel.

A24 independently financed the first season of the series, which was first announced in 2018. It was taken out to networks when all episodes were completed.

“In a year when we have all been forced to come to terms with life in close quarters, we are happy to have landed this offbeat take on life in captivity with dreams of escaping to something grander,” said Jana Winograde, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc. “While the show was produced before the pandemic, its subject matter is timely – and thanks to Fred, Tim, John and Jonathan, its humor is timeless.”

Armisen, a two-time Peabody Award winner, was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2002 until 2013.

He’s the bandleader and frequent drummer for the Late Night with Seth Meyers house band, The 8G Band.

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