It’s hard to imagine Fox’s funny, entertaining and pretty original “Last Man on Earth” becoming a hit, but the same could have at one time been said about “The Lego Movie” and the screen version of “21 Jump Street,” so you never can tell. Writers Chris Miller and Phil Lord had a hand in all three, and it’s fair to say if you liked their movies, you’ll probably dig this new TV comedy, too.
Created and written by “Saturday Night Live” vet Will Forte – and directed/executive produced by Miller and Lord – “Last Man” stars Forte as the title character, who at the start appears to be the only person in 2020 to have survived a virus that wiped out the rest of humanity.
The first episode airing in Sunday night’s back-to-back premieres tracks this last man (aka Phil Miller, a melding of the names of the show’s executive producers) as he tries to find another living human, raids the world’s museums and brings his booty back to a McMansion he squats in outside Tucson, Ariz.
“I have news for you, Tom Hanks,” he says while watching “Castaway.” “I would never, ever talk to a volleyball.”
But a few months later poor Phil is not only talking to a volleyball he has named Gary, but also he has created a whole bar full of “friends” made from other types of sports balls – and he has memorized all their names.
In the early going, Phil is carefree as he goes bowling (using fish tanks as bowling pins), turns his home pool into a “toilet pool” and then basically devolves into a suicidal guy living in his own filth.
When he finally gets his wish and learns he’s not the only human left alive, “Last Man” turns funnier and more purposeful as it explores domestic disharmony between a mismatched pair.
It’s wise for Fox to debut “Last Man” with two episodes. The first half-hour is all setup, and while entertaining in its own way, with just one character, it’s insular and unlike anything else on TV, which is always a tough sell for viewers conditioned to expect more of the same.
The second episode gives Phil a much-needed sparring partner, which is funnier than the gags during his solitary existence.
Creatively, there’s no question “Last Man on Earth” is a winner, a unique comedy in a sea of sitcoms viewers have seen before. But being original is also risky. “Last Man” does not hew to the expected TV comedy rhythms. Whether viewers tune in and make it a “Lego Movie”-like unexpected hit or are scared off by Forte’s unkempt beard remains to be seen.
“Last Man on Earth”
9 and 9:30 p.m., Sunday, Fox
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