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.[1]

Avenue 5
Genre	Comedy Science fiction Black comedy
Created by	Armando Iannucci
Starring	Hugh Laurie Josh Gad Zach Woods Rebecca Front Suzy Nakamura Lenora Crichlow Nikki Amuka-Bird Ethan Phillips
Music by	Adem Ilhan
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	9 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Kevin Loader Will Smith Tony Roche Simon Blackwell Armando Iannucci
Producer(s)	Steve Clark-Hall
Cinematography	Eben Bolter
Editor(s)	Gary Dollner
Running time	28–29 minutes
Production company(s)	Dundee Productions
Release
Original network	HBO
Original release	January 19, 2020 (2020-01-19) – present (present)
External links
Website

Premise

Avenue 5 has been described as "set in the future, mostly in space."[2] 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.[3] 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.[3]

Cast and characters

Main Cast

• Hugh Laurie as Ryan Clark, the captain of Avenue 5.
• Josh Gad as Herman Judd, billionaire owner of Avenue 5.
• Zach Woods as Matt Spencer, Head of Customer Relations for Avenue 5.
• Rebecca Front as Karen Kelly, a passenger aboard Avenue 5.
• Suzy Nakamura as Iris Kimura, an associate owner of Avenue 5.
• Lenora Crichlow as Billie McEvoy, second engineer on Avenue 5.
• Nikki Amuka-Bird as Rav Mulcair, head of Mission Control for Avenue 5.
• Ethan Phillips as Spike Martin, a former astronaut who is now a womanizing alcoholic on Avenue 5.

Recurring Cast

• Himesh Patel as Jordan Hatwal, a stand up comedian who takes up an eight-week residency on Avenue 5.
• Jessica St. Clair as Mia, a passenger and Doug's wife.
• Kyle Bornheimer as Doug, a passenger and Mia's husband.
• Andy Buckley as Frank, a passenger and Karen's husband.
• Matthew Beard as Alan Lewis, Rav's assistant on Earth.
• Daisy May Cooper as Sarah, bridge crew.
• Adam Pålsson as Mads, bridge crew.
• Julie Dray as Nadia, bridge crew.
• Neil Casey as Cyrus, an engineer.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date [4]	U.S viewers (millions)
1	"I Was Flying"	Armando Iannucci	Teleplay by : Armando Iannucci & Simon Blackwell & Tony Roche Story by : Armando Iannucci	January 19, 2020 (2020-01-19)	0.571[5]
Avenue 5 is the luxurious passenger ship owned by eccentric billionaire Herman Judd, which is heading back to Earth. A malfunction on the ship causes it to go off course, and it will now take three years to get home. After the main engineer is killed, captain Ryan Clark tries to figure out a way to fix the situation, but he was originally hired only to reassure passengers and not to captain a ship, a fact he initially hides from Judd, engineer Billie McEvoy, and associate owner Iris Kimura. Meanwhile, passenger service employee Matt Spencer attempts to calm the passengers who have discovered that they will not get home for three years.
2	"And Then He's Gonna Shoot Off..."	Natalie Bailey	Teleplay by : Georgia Pritchett & Will Smith Story by : Armando Iannucci & Georgia Pritchett & Will Smith	January 26, 2020 (2020-01-26)	0.500[6]
3	"I'm a Hand Model"	Natalie Bailey	Teleplay by : Peter Fellows & Ian Martin Story by : Armando Iannucci & Peter Fellows & Ian Martin	February 2, 2020 (2020-02-02)[lower-alpha 1]	0.297[8]
4	"Wait a Minute, Then Who Was That on the Ladder?"	Natalie Bailey	Teleplay by : Peter Fellows & Ian Martin Story by : Armando Iannucci & Peter Fellows & Ian Martin	February 9, 2020 (2020-02-09)	0.275[9]
Realizing that he might have to keep up the charade of being a captain for longer than he thought, Clark begins to contemplate studying up on the spacecraft and interacting with the real engineers. He has Billie make introductions and while the bonding session with the crew seemingly goes well it distracts them from their real duties with disastrous consequences.
5	"He's Only There to Stop His Skeleton from Falling Over"	Annie Griffin	Teleplay by : Peter Baynham Story by : Armando Iannucci & Peter Baynham	February 16, 2020 (2020-02-16)	0.386[10]
Thanks to Billie's efforts the ship is saved but Clark is declared the hero much to Billie's annoyance. Blame for the initial accident is placed on Frank who is distracted from the increasing anger towards him by his fellow passengers by suspicions that the captain is trying to seduce his wife. Meanwhile the rest of the passengers and crew gather to celebrate what should have been the voyage's half-way point.
6	"Was It Your Ears?"	Peter Fellows	Teleplay by : Jon Brown Story by : Armando Iannucci & Jon Brown	February 23, 2020 (2020-02-23)	0.371[11]
A woman goes into labour onboard the ship and her baby causes Judd to have an identity crisis. Meanwhile Billie and Clark try to track down the source of a mysterious beeping which they come to realize might be a sign that the ship is leaking oxygen. On Earth, Rav tries to use the goodwill incurred by Clark's daring heroics in order to secure government funds for a rescue mission.
7	"Are You a Spider, Matt?"	Becky Martin	Teleplay by : Charlie Cooper & Daisy Cooper Story by : Armando Iannucci & Charlie Cooper & Daisy Cooper	March 1, 2020 (2020-03-01)	0.400[12]
Frank thinks he sees an image of Pope John Paul II in the debris orbiting the ship. Harrison, a trillionaire onboard the ship, threatens to sue Judd into oblivion, compromising a potential rescue. Back on Earth, the public becomes aware that Rav's negotiation for government rescue funds has potentially put lives on the line.
8	"This is Physically Hurting Me"	David Schneider	Teleplay by : Georgia Pritchett & Will Smith Story by : Armando Iannucci & Georgia Pritchett & Will Smith	March 8, 2020 (2020-03-08)	0.384[13]
An argument between Judd and Ryan leads to Ryan being de-captained. After Ryan accidentally reveals to the passengers that he isn't American and is wearing a toupee they begin questioning whether their situation is real or whether they are part of a prank reality show. Meanwhile Rav realizes that her rash decision to board a vessel bound for Avenue 5 is likely to have unhappy consequences.
9	"Eight Arms But No Hands"	William Stefan Smith	Teleplay by : Ian Martin & Peter Fellows and Sean Gray Story by : Armando Iannucci & Sean Gray and Ian Martin & Peter Fellow	March 15, 2020 (2020-03-15)	0.415[14]
A guilt-ridden Matt decides to go into hiding for the next three-and-a-half years, and changes the codes to access the airlocks. The crew go looking for him in order to enact a plan to shorten the journey time to six months by jettisoning unnecessary objects totalling the equivalent weight of 500 non-essential personnel. However, due to a misunderstanding on Karen's part, the excess weight is jettisoned out of the portside airlocks rather than those at the rear as intended, resulting in Avenue 5's journey time being extended from three-and-a-half years to eight. And, after squabbling over the supply shuttle's only other seat, Iris is accidentally sent back to Earth early, leaving Rav aboard.

1. The episode was first made available on January 31, 2020, through HBO's digital platform.[7]

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.[2] In April 2019, a series pickup was commissioned by HBO.[15] On February 13, 2020, the series was renewed for a second season,[1] which was expected to be released in early 2021.[16]

Casting

In August 2018, it was announced that Hugh Laurie and Suzy Nakamura had been cast in the pilot's lead roles.[17][18] On November 7, 2018, it was reported that Rebecca Front had joined the pilot's cast in another leading role.[19] In February 2019, Zach Woods, Josh Gad, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Lenora Crichlow were cast as series regulars.[20][21][22][23] Himesh Patel was added in June.[24]

Filming

Principal photography for the pilot took place in 2018 in London, England.[2] While filming was taking place at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in July 2019, a fire damaged one of the show's sets.[25]

Release

The series premiered on January 19, 2020.[26] In New Zealand, the series is distributed by Sky satellite television provider's SOHO2 channel and Neon streaming service.[27]

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 67% based on 51 reviews, with an average rating of 6.34/10. The website's critical consensus states, "If Avenue 5's 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."[28] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[29]

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of Avenue 5

No.	Title	Air date	Rating (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	DVR (18–49)	DVR viewers (millions)	Total (18–49)	Total viewers (millions)
1	"I Was Flying"	January 19, 2020	0.2	0.571[5]	N/A	0.296	N/A	0.867[30]
2	"And Then He's Gonna Shoot Off..."	January 26, 2020	0.1	0.500[6]	0.1	0.385	0.2	0.885[31]
3	"I'm a Hand Model"	February 2, 2020	0.1	0.297[8]	0.1	0.358	0.2	0.655[32]
4	"Wait a Minute, Then Who Was That on the Ladder?"	February 9, 2020	0.1	0.275[9]	0.1	0.347	0.2	0.622[33]
5	"He's Only There to Stop His Skeleton from Falling Over"	February 16, 2020	0.1	0.386[10]	0.1	0.292	0.2	0.678[34]
6	"Was It Your Ears?"	February 23, 2020	0.1	0.371[11]	0.1	0.302	0.2	0.673[35]
7	"Are You a Spider, Matt?"	March 1, 2020	0.1	0.400[12]	0.1	0.336	0.2	0.736[36]
8	"This is Physically Hurting Me"	March 8, 2020	0.1	0.384[13]	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
9	"Eight Arms But No Hands"	March 15, 2020	0.1	0.415[14]	0.1	0.236	0.2	0.651[37]

References

1. Petski, Denise (February 13, 2020). "'Avenue 5' Renewed For Season 2 By HBO". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
2. Andreeva, Nellie (September 25, 2017). "'Veep' Creator Armando Iannucci Gets HBO Pilot Order For Space Comedy". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
3. Kleinman, Jake. "'Avenue 5' review: Iannucci's sci-fi sitcom is the funniest thing on HBO". Inverse. Archived from the original on 2020-01-03. Retrieved 2020-01-03.
4. "Avenue 5 – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
5. Metcalf, Mitch (January 22, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.19.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 24, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
6. Metcalf, Mitch (January 28, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.26.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
7. Young, Alex (January 31, 2020). "HBO releases new episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Outsider, and Avenue 5 early". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
8. Metcalf, Mitch (February 4, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.2.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 4, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
9. Metcalf, Mitch (February 11, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.9.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
10. Metcalf, Mitch (February 19, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.16.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 10, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
11. Metcalf, Mitch (February 25, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.23.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
12. Metcalf, Mitch (March 3, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.1.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
13. Metcalf, Mitch (March 10, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.8.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
14. Metcalf, Mitch (March 17, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.15.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
15. Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (April 22, 2019). "Armando Iannucci's 'Avenue 5' Space Comedy Gets Series Order At HBO". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
16. Spencer, Samuel (March 16, 2020). "'Avenue 5' Season 2: Everything We Know About the Next Season of the HBO Series". Newsweek. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
17. Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (August 22, 2018). "Hugh Laurie To Star In Armando Iannucci's HBO Comedy Pilot 'Avenue 5'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 23, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
18. Petski, Denise (August 24, 2018). "Suzy Nakamura Joins Hugh Laurie In Armando Iannucci's HBO Comedy Pilot 'Avenue 5'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
19. Andreeva, Nellie (November 7, 2018). "'Avenue 5': Rebecca Front To Star In Armando Iannucci's HBO Comedy Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
20. Ausiello, Michael (February 20, 2019). "Silicon Valley's Zach Woods Joins Veep Creator Armando Iannucci's Sci-Fi Comedy Pilot Avenue 5 at HBO". TVLine. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
21. Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (February 21, 2019). "'Avenue 5': Josh Gad To Star In Armando Iannucci's HBO Comedy Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
22. Petski, Denise (February 25, 2019). "'Avenue 5': Niki Amuka-Bird To Star In Armando Iannucci's HBO Comedy Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
23. Hipes, Patrick (February 26, 2019). "Lenora Crichlow Joins Cast Of HBO's 'Avenue 5' Pilot From Armando Iannucci". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
24. Petski, Denise (June 18, 2019). "'Avenue 5': Himesh Patel Joins Armando Iannucci's HBO Space Comedy Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 26, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
25. Wiseman, Andreas (July 11, 2019). "HBO's 'Avenue 5' Set Damaged In Fire At Warner Bros' Leavesden Studios In UK – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 29, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
26. Schwartz, Ryan (December 8, 2019). "Avenue 5: Hugh Laurie Space Comedy Gets January Premiere Date at HBO". TVLine. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
27. Brooks, Sam (January 23, 2020). "Space satire Avenue 5 is brilliant, even as it meanders off course". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
28. "Avenue 5: Season 1 (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
29. "Avenue 5: Season 1". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 1, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
30. Pucci, Douglas (January 24, 2020). "Live+3 Weekly Ratings: 'Ink Master' Tops Percentage Gains in Adults 18-49, '68 Whiskey' Series Debut is Total Viewer Percentage Leader". Programming Insider. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
31. Pucci, Douglas (January 31, 2020). "Live+3 Weekly Ratings: 'The Bold Type' and 'Good Trouble' Lead Percentage Gains". Programming Insider. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
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33. Pucci, Douglas (February 14, 2020). "Live+3 Weekly Ratings: 'Grey's Anatomy' and Series Premiere of 'Lego Masters' Top All Telecasts in Adults 18-49 Lifts". Programming Insider. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
34. Pucci, Douglas (February 21, 2020). "Live+3 Weekly Ratings: 'Survivor: Winners at War' Season Premiere as Runner-Up Among Non-Scripted Fare in Raw Adults 18-49 Gains". Programming Insider. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
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External links

• Official website
• Avenue 5 on IMDb