Future Man: Watch This Show if You Want to Live

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Future Man: Watch This Show if You Want to Live

Don’t judge me for the title – I had to in the context of nostalgia. I think nostalgia is an overused sentiment for things we remember or attempt to remember from the past. As someone who is a borderline millennial the concept of time travel is absolutely one of them. I might have seen every television show and film from the 80s/90s on the subject matter, and frankly I’m not as interested anymore. Enter Future ManFuture Man is the new show premiering on Hulu from the minds of Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Ariel Shaffir that culminates all of our nostalgia. Sure, we have had DC’s Legends of Tomorrow on the CW which has piqued our time traveling interest, but Future Man is in it’s own league. Having had a chance to preview the first half of the season, I can only say this – this is nostalgia times a million.

The show follows our “protagonist” (the air quotes are actually necessary), Josh Futterman (played by the vastly underrated Josh Hutcherson), who finds himself living an incredibly vapid existence of being a janitor at a medical facility. This medical facility, headed by Doctor Kronish (Keith David), specializes in finding a cure for herpes. You see, Doctor Kronish contracted a nasty bout of herpes on his lip in college and has spent his entire existence trying to find a career. Josh not only cleans this lab but also has to deal with Kronish’s asshole second in command, Doctor Stu Camillo (Haley Joel Osment). What does he do in his spare time? He plays a video game that is about future soldiers who take down some evil menace that are biotics. No one has ever beaten this game, until Josh does, bringing the soldiers from the game from the future to find their savior. Yes, they think their savior is Josh. Cue hilarious adventures. Oh yeah, did I mention that the mission is to stop Doctor Kornish from finding a cure for herpes which leads to the downfall of humanity?

Our two valiant future soldiers are Wolf (Derek Wilson) and his superior, Tiger (Eliza Coupe), who easily steal the show. I think from watching the trailers I never got the sense that Josh would be playing second fiddle, but after the first few episodes you actually accept that role for him. The comedic timing is exceptionally on point, as well as the fact that this is Hulu and the dialogue can be as X rated as possible. I am actually happy seeing Hutcherson move into some hard content. I felt he was wasted in The Hunger Games franchise and hasn’t really gotten his just desserts yet. The way he plays the anti social bumbling Josh Futterman is hands down some of his best work. Adding him to the pair of Tiger and Wolf was genius. Derek Wilson’s Wolf has probably one of the most fulfilling arc (if not the most fulfilling arc) of the first half of the show, and seeing him work in tandem with Josh’s dad (Ed Begley Jr.) on his cooking skills was a straight up highlight.

I have to say it’s great to see Eliza Coupe get a really well written script, as she has been sidelined (in my opinion) a lot of her career. This is such a breath of fresh air for her and as a fan, I want to see her tackle more comedy – it suits her. As we round out the first half of the show we see her attempting to find out a bit about her past as well as her ancestors which I can see leading to solid character development as the show progresses.

If you like futurology, Seth Rogen, inappropriate jokes, Hunger Games, and so much more, well this is for you. If you hate puppies, a good time, and Superbad, then don’t watch it. Wait did I mention there is an absurd James Cameron episode? Yeah that was unparalleled. As we had a chance to catch the first half of the season, I am actually excited to see what the second half holds. Fortunately for you all 13 episodes will be dropping tomorrow, November 14th, for your consumption. Make sure to sit back, settle in, get some Kornish balls down your gullet (I will not apologize for this), and enjoy the ride.

Make sure to check out our interview with our cast below

 

Rating: 9.5/10

Future Man stars Josh Hutcherson, Eliza Coupe, Derek Wilson, and Haley Joel Osment. It premieres on Hulu on November 14th. 

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