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a Will Will Forte’s
By Jacqueline Spendlove TV Media
Christmas break and then some!
It’s been almost three months since “The Last Man on Earth” closed off the first half of its sophomore season, and it’s time to get some answers.
As of the episode that aired Sunday, Dec. 13, more than one character has either died or probably died (it’s a comedy, I swear!), and at least one astronaut (hint: the only astronaut) was last seen plummeting to Earth to almost-certain doom. Or maybe he survives? The improbable keeps happening in this unpredictable series, and, as I said, we need some answers. Here’s hoping they’re forthcoming when the post-apocalyptic comedy returns from hiatus Sunday, March 6, on Fox.
Contrary to the show’s title, Phil Miller (Will Forte, “Saturday Night Live”), the show’s central character, is not, in fact, the last man on Earth. The series opener sees him scouring the continent for other survivors of a virus that has wiped out most of humanity, and just after giving up, he meets the good-hearted (albeit profoundly irritating) Carol Pilbasian (Kristen Schaal, “Gravity Falls”).
Not long into the first season, the pair is joined by fellow survivors Melissa (January Jones, “Mad Men”) and Todd (Mel Rodriguez, “Getting On”). More survivors continue to trickle into the fold, bringing the number as of the season 1 finale to seven — plus Phil’s estranged astronaut brother, Mike (Jason Sudeikis, “We’re the Millers,” 2013), who’s stranded out in space, unbeknownst to anyone.
If your thought is that the struggle to survive in a devastated world doesn’t really sound like a comedic premise, you’re not alone. The idea of a global pandemic or zombie apocalypse wiping out most of humanity has certainly been put to the screen before, but it’s generally in a much more dramatic venue. That, of course, is part of the appeal of the hilarious “The Last Man on Earth,” and what makes it stand out.
“We’re at a time where people are willing to embrace things that aren’t just the same thing you’ve seen a million times,” executive producer Chris Miller said in a Details magazine in-