On Saturday, Ben Schwartz (Parks & Recreation, Sonic the Hedgehog) took to Instagram to share that one giant leap has been made toward putting boots on the moon with a behind-the-scenes photo from season two of Netflix political comedy Space Force. While Schwartz was not the first cast member to share the photo, it’s only fitting that his post broke the news of the series’ production as he portrays the head of Space Force’s social media, F. Tony Scarapiducci.
Comicbook mentions that the Steve Carrell (The Office, The Big Short)-helmed and co-created Space Force did not see critical success in its first season, however the series “became one of Netflix’s most popular debuts” among viewers. Collider reports that the series managed to “[make] audiences laugh in the middle of quarantine last year.” For this reason, the series received swift renewal in November.
While the Space Force writers’ room was able to convene virtually last summer – prior to the show’s official renewal – production has just gotten underway at the end of May, via Comicbook. Aside from Schwartz, the behind-the-scenes photo includes cast members Diana Silvers (Booksmart, Ma), Jimmy O. Yang (Silicon Valley. Fantasy Island), Tawny Newsome (Star Trek: Lower Decks, Bajillion Dollar Propertie$) and Don Lake (Zootopia, Pup Academy), overlooking scenic sunset in Vancouver. Collider describes the post as “just a fun look at the cast being together again.”
Despite Schwartz’s post breaking the story, Yang shared the same photo on his Instagram week prior. Yang’s post included a second picture of Lake, Schwartz, Newsome and Silvers bundled up, writing “the kids love Vancouver.” Right after Yang posted, Newsome doubled-down by sharing the same photo-set with and additional video of the cast hanging out, via Instagram. “I didn’t know we were doing grid posts but Jimmy [Yang] did so now I can too,” Newsome captioned her Instagram post.
Based on the timeline between Yang and Schwartz’s posts, it seems that season two of Space Force has been in production for at least a week. Since it’s still the early days of production, Netflix has not yet released a timeline for when fans can expect the second season of Space Force to drop.
Comicbook further expanded on the known information about Space Force’s second season such as John Malkovich’s (Being John Malkovich, Dangerous Liaisons) expected – but not yet confirmed – return as Dr. Adrian Mallory and Norm Hiscock’s (King of the Hill, Parks and Recreation) addition as writer and co-showrunner.
Space Force fans will have to keep an eye out for more behind-the-scenes photos now that production on season two has officially gotten underway. Perhaps a glimpse at Carrell, Malkovich or Lisa Kudrow (Friends, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion) on set could be on the horizon.
The reason as to why Kudrow’s character – Maggie Naird – found herself imprisoned is a persisting mystery for Space Force fans, one that many are hoping will be answered in the upcoming second season. Additionally, the series marked one of the last appearances of Fred Willard (Best in Show, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy) before his unfortunate passing last May at age 86, which will likely impact the story of season two. Hopefully, with production now underway, fans will be able to see what obstacles await Space Force boss Mark Naird and his family soon.