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TV REVIEW: The Last Man on Earth Premiere
When I first heard about ​The Last Man on Earth​, I was skeptical. While original, I just didn’t see
how a show could work with its suggested dynamics without becoming tired. However, having
seen the premiere double feature, this show has piqued my interest and actually seems to have a
lot of potential. Written and starring Will Forte, (​Saturday Night Live​, ​30 Rock​) and directed by
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (​The Lego Movie​, ​21 Jump Street​), ​The Last Man on Earth ​may
just have what it takes as it bridges the gap between dark existentialism and witty comedy.
Phil Miller (played by Will Forte) is just an average guy, who happens to be the only living
human being left on earth (to his knowledge) after deadly virus has wiped out the planet’s entire
population. Having just completed a trip across the U.S in a failed search for literally any other
living person, Phil makes himself at home in a large mansion in Tucson, Arizona, spending the
majority of his time building a giant Jenga tower or swimming/drinking in his homemade
margarita pool. However, his crippling loneliness soon gets the better of him and just as he is
about to commit suicide by driving his truck into the side of a rock he sees smoke on the horizon.
Following the smoke he finds Carol Pilbasian (played by Kristen Schaal), and his singular
existence is changed forever. Happy ending, right? Not exactly, as Phil and Carol can’t stand
each other. Carol is obsessed with upholding rules such as stopping at stop signs and parking
only in parking spots, while an exasperated Phil points out, “the whole freaking world is a
parking spot!”. It seems that even in an apocalypse we can still have the nagging
wife/henpecked husband tropes but Forte and Schaal are so hilarious in their performances that
for this show it actually works. I don't think Carol's personality is meant to have anything to do
with her gender, rather I think the show is just playing with the idea of having the only other
person on earth beside yourself being someone who is absolutely unbearable to be around.
The whole post apocalyptic disaster trend has been going on for years now but this is the first
comedy I’ve seen to tackle the genre and it’s a breath of fresh air. Well written and hysterically
acted, ​The Last Man on Earth ​has a lot of promise. The question now is, can they make it last?
The Last Man on Earth ​airs Sundays at 9:30/8:30c on FOX.