'Office' fans may finally embrace Steve Carell's 'Space Force'

What TV critic Neal Justin is watching this week.

February 18, 2022 at 1:00PM
SPACE FORCE (L TO R) STEVE CARELL as GENERAL MARK R. NAIRD in episode 103 of SPACE FORCE Cr. AARON EPSTEIN/NETFLIX ' 2020
In “Space Force,” Steve Carell plays the four-star Gen. Mark Naird who faces budget cuts and bad press. (Aaron Epstein, Netflix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

'Space Force'

I understand why fans of "The Office" didn't initially fall in love with the Netflix sitcom even though it stars Steve Carell and features John Malkovich as a very Dwight-like scientist. The show was often too ambitious for its own good, spending way too much time on an international conflict with the Chinese government. But Season 2 feels like a relaunch. It is much more of a workplace comedy, with budget cuts, prank wars and interoffice romance. Watching Carell's character try to manipulate a pair of chopsticks at a high-pressure dinner will bring back fond memories of Michael Scott bumbling his way through a date. Rolls out Friday, Netflix

'LBJ: Triumph and Tragedy'

If you want to learn about President Lyndon Johnson, there's no substitution for books, especially if that reading list includes Robert Caro's ongoing series. But this four-part docuseries has something you can't get on the written page: the chance to hear the 36th president's actual voice, cajoling, bullying and whining through both triumph (civil rights acts) and defeat (Vietnam War). 8 p.m. Sunday & Monday, CNN

'The Endgame'

I can't tell whether this cat-and-mouse game between a gritty FBI agent (Ryan Michelle Bathe) and a smug terrorist (Morena Baccarin) is an attempt to copycat "Killing Eve" or "The Blacklist." Either way, the first couple of episodes reek of desperation. When the action moves at such a fast and furious pace, it's usually a sign that the creators are worried that their concept isn't strong enough to keep our attention without throwing in an explosion or a kidnapping every three minutes. In this case, they may be right. Debuts 9 p.m. Monday, KARE, Ch. 11

'The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder'

Those who have fond memories of the animated series from the early 2000s will be delighted by this reboot featuring most of the voices from the original cast. New episodes largely deal with Penny's (Kyla Pratt) transition into womanhood, a change that has her dad (Tommy Davidson) hitting the roof — sometimes literally. The show may come from Disney, but the characters' over-the-top slapstick reactions are pure Looney Tunes. Debuts Wednesday, Disney Plus

'Race: Bubba Wallace'

You don't have to be a NASCAR fan to get engrossed in this documentary about one of the few Black drivers to make it to the top of the auto racing world. Much of the one-hour profile deals with Wallace re-evaluating his public stance on social issues in the wake of George Floyd's death. Tuesday, Netflix

about the writer

about the writer

Neal Justin

Critic / Reporter

Neal Justin is the pop-culture critic, covering how Minnesotans spend their entertainment time. He also reviews stand-up comedy. Justin previously served as TV and music critic for the paper. He is the co-founder of JCamp, a non-profit program for high-school journalists, and works on many fronts to further diversity in newsrooms.

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