The Sci-Fi Series On Streaming Everyone Is Sleeping On

Fired On Mars was adapted for streaming by writing and producing duo Nate Sherman and Nick Vokey, based on their 2016 short film of the same name. The pair are relative newcomers in the media landscape, with only a few IMDb credits to their names as various ‘additional crew’ members on films such as Bridesmaids and This Is 40. The series was produced for Max by Sherman and Vokey, alongside Cartoon Network’s Brian A. Miller and series lead Luke Wilson.

Like the short film that inspired it, Fired On Mars centers on a colony of human beings who have pledged themselves to take a one-way trip to the big red planet while working for an Earth-based conglomerate called Mars.ly. Luke Wilson leads the cast as Jeff Cooper, a graphic designer who frequently finds solace hyper-fixating on minor menial tasks and habitually following rules. As the series progresses over the course of 8 half-hour episodes, Jeff is fired, put in a sleep tank, hired in a myriad of new roles as the company struggles to find an appropriate culture fit, and ultimately tested on moral and ethical grounds like never before.

Also joining the cast are recognizable voice talents, such as Victor & Valentino‘s Frankie Quinones, Bojack Horseman‘s Cedric Yarbrough, and The Ghost and Molly McGee‘s Pamela Adlon. Several comedy legends also round out the voice talent of Fired On Mars, such as Tim Heidecker, Stephen Root, Leslie David Baker, and Pete Davidson, though Davidson’s credits are mysteriously absent from the IMDb listing of the show. The actor who voiced Jeff in the original short, Sean Wing, joins the cast in a new role, as Brandon, the Earth-bound manager, is constantly bombarding Mars.ly workers with trendy buzz-words and nebulous platitudes.

The series has flown almost completely under the radar, which is a true shame because it covers so many topics and themes that are present in our everyday lives. Currently, Fired On Mars touts an 83 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, though it lacks enough critical attention to even have a critic score at all. The existing first season ends on a hopeful note, seeing a number of characters take hold of their destiny against the grain of their corporate overlords, though it leaves a number of questions unanswered.

Currently, Fired On Mars has not received any official cancellation from Max but has also not been picked up for a second season. With a growing base of fans demanding answers for the future of Jeff and his band of rag-tag coworkers, it seems clear that a Season 2 announcement would be quite welcome by those familiar with the show. For now, the first season of Fired On Mars is available to stream in full on Max.