Sheltered In Shenanigans: Avenue 5

Well, it has been a while since I last updated this blog and a lot has happened since my last post which was in August of 2019. One of the major updates is that I finally started a podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Another very important happening since the last time I posted is that outside is now closed. COVID 19 has uprooted our way of life and the world has been trying to figure out how to continue to exist and function in quarantine. I have been coping one of the only ways I know how, by watching copious amounts of television. I have decided that I will be writing posts about the shows I’ve been watching since being quarantined in my apartment. The first up is Avenue 5. 

HBO

Avenue 5 airs on HBO and was created by Armando Iannucci. Iannucci is best known for being the creator of Veep, an award-winning comedy led by Julia Louis-Dreyfus that also aired on HBO.  Avenue 5 is about a group of awful rich people on a spaceship cruise slated to return to Earth in six months; however, after being knocked off course the trip has to be extended 3 years. Avenue 5 is set in a distant future where leisure space travel is an option and thruples can be legally married. There are also two presidents in this future, one of which is AI. Hugh Laurie plays the captain of this spaceship, which was definitely one of the selling points for me. I used to love House so when I saw a familiar face in a preview for this show I was sold. Fun fact, Hugh Laurie had a recurring role in Veep so there was already a connection there with the show creator. Avenue 5 also stars Zach Woods, known (by me) for his role as Jared in Silicon Valley and Gabe Lewis in The Office, as an employee on the spaceship whose job I believe is to boost morale (honestly I don’t know what his job it because one minute he’s just a hype man and the next he’s a couple’s counselor). He was also in three episodes of Veep (this show is full of Veep alumni). Another familiar face in this show is Josh Gad, the voice of Olaf from Frozen, he plays the role of the extremely rich, narcissistic, guy that owns the spaceship. 

Avenue 5 is riddled with chaotic energy. Sometimes that chaos is great, but sometimes it’s just too much. Everyone and everything is constantly falling apart. Marriages are deteriorating, the ship ends up surrounded by a ring of human feces and dead bodies, wigs come off, and death is not a foreign concept to this show. The stakes are always so high while also being so low at the same time. This show is utterly ridiculous by nature but I still wanted to see how it would play out. I know that I have written exclusively about the White men of the show thus far, but there are also women of color in this show and they are the perfect counterparts. The women of the show are equally as neurotic and entertaining. Billie, the lead engineer, played by Lenora Crichlow is a personal favorite of mine. 

HBO

Avenue 5 is a quick watch with truly funny moments. It’s so easy to accidentally watch 4 episodes with each episode being roughly 30 minutes. So far there has only been one season with nine episodes, but it is confirmed for season two. If you would like to watch, it’s available on HBO Go and HBO Now. It’s also available on Prime Video and Hulu if you have the HBO add on.

Stay safe and stay inside,

T