“There is dickery afoot in Beacon.”
Take a look at this trailer for People of Earth.
I‘ve been lucky enough to see the pilot episode of People of Earth twice now … once at San Diego Comic Con and last week at New York Comic Con. I say lucky because the show is kind of strangely hypnotizing, like you aren’t sure why you are laughing when the substance seems silly and the lives of the characters seem bleak, but you are anyway. Lucky because I love behavioral comedies, and I’m excited that this one may actually stay on the air.People of Earth is premiering on Halloween on TBS. It’s a half-hour comedy from David Jenkins and produced by (The Office and Parks and Recreation creator) Greg Daniels and Conan O’Brien. It’s got a comedy slate of all-stars helming it. But the good news is, they know what they are getting into.
ALIENS WHAT?
Little grey aliens with big eyes. 9-foot tall Ryan Gosling look-alikes. Reptilians who pose as powerful humans (and every president ever).
Trying to sell the sci-fi element of this show could make an audience that thinks it’s super sophisticated (you aren’t, by the way, liking Game of Thrones doesn’t make you above half hour comedies about reptile aliens) turn off pretty quickly. Sure, there’s a niche market for bad special fx monsters (looking at you, Whovians), but Greg Daniels and Conan aren’t exactly in the habit of making that kind of show.
At NYCC, David Jenkins sold the sci-fi aspect this way: they’re playing it straight so it doesn’t come off as campy. Aliens can say the funny lines and come off as kind of ridiculous if then there is something straight from the more regular drama of the human characters. And that’s what they are doing…making a behavioral show about interesting and complex characters, including their backstories and their time in group that has these weird sci-fi elements surrounding it. The show itself is about the Greys or the Reptilians or the Goslings.
The Experiencers
In Beacon, the town where the support group meets and the cast of characters live and experience their abductions, calling someone an abductee is like slut-shaming. They use the term, “experiencers.” And while that sounds like just a line, it’s a real thing that showrunners discovered when researching these types of groups.
And that research is what makes this cast of characters so interesting. Ana Gasteyer, Oscar Nunez, Luka Jones, and Brian Huskey are all names (or at least faces) that we recognize that are bringing comedic clout to the cast. But it’s rounded out nicely with some theater-cred folks like Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Tracee Chimo. I loved hearing them discuss the blended cast – comedy and theater – at the NYCC panel.
But above all, Wyatt Cenac as Ozzie Graham, the skeptical reporter, who you probably know best from The Daily Show, brings this open-ended long dose of reality to an otherwise unbelievable premise. The audience is getting their empathy for this group of misfits from him, and it’s super easy to do.
People of Earth premieres October 31st at 9/8CST on TBS. So have it on while you’re opening the door for the neighbor kids and the horrible teenagers who still troll for Snickers.
