Avenue 5


Avenue 5 is a science fiction comedy television series created by Armando Iannucci that premiered on HBO in the United States on January 19, 2020. It stars Hugh Laurie and Josh Gad in lead roles as captain and owner of a fictional interplanetary cruise ship Avenue 5. In February 2020, HBO renewed the series for a second season.

Premise

Avenue 5 has been described as "set in the future, mostly in space." On board the interplanetary cruise ship, the Avenue 5, a momentary loss of artificial gravity and accidental death of its Chief Engineer sends the titular vessel a few degrees off course. It's estimated it will take the ship three years to return to Earth, and with only enough supplies to sustain her many passengers for the intended eight-week long cruise, the crew of the Avenue 5 must struggle to maintain order and return the craft safely.

Cast and characters

Main Cast

Production

Development

On September 25, 2017, it was announced that HBO had given a pilot order to a new comedy series created by Armando Iannucci, who was also set to serve as writer and executive producer. In addition to the pilot order, the network also reportedly ordered backup scripts. In April 2019, a series pickup was commissioned by HBO. On February 13, 2020, the series was renewed for a second season, which was expected to be released in early 2021.

Casting

In August 2018, it was announced that Hugh Laurie and Suzy Nakamura had been cast in the pilot's lead roles. On November 7, 2018, it was reported that Rebecca Front had joined the pilot's cast in another leading role. In February 2019, Zach Woods, Josh Gad, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Lenora Crichlow were cast as series regulars. Himesh Patel was added in June.

Filming

Principal photography for the pilot took place in 2018 in London, England. While filming was taking place at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in July 2019, a fire damaged one of the show's sets.

Release

The series premiered on January 19, 2020. In New Zealand, the series is distributed by Sky satellite television provider's SOHO2 channel and Neon streaming service.

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 65% based on 46 reviews, with an average rating of 6.31/10. The website's critical consensus states, "If Avenue 5 maiden voyage isn't as smooth as its creative clout implies, it's still a hilarious step in a completely new—while still enjoyably caustic—direction for creator Armando Iannucci." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Ratings