The Last Man on Earth
Season 1 Episodes 1 & 2: “Alive in Tucson” and “The Elephant in the Room”
Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Written and created by Will Forte
Starring Will Forte, Cleopatra Coleman, Kristen Schaal, January Jones, and Mel Rodriguez
FOX
Air Date: Sunday, March 1, 2015, 9pm

The Last Man on Earth 1.1 “Alive in Tucson” is the first half hour of this new series created by Will Forte (Saturday Night Live), followed seamlessly by 1.2 “The Elephant in the Room.”

There will be a couple of spoilers below so tread carefully!

Although a comedy, The Last Man on Earth is a very, very dark show with lighthearted moments. How can it not be when there seems to be no one else alive, at least in the United States (there is a crossing out of states in the opening scene).

When Forte’s Phil Miller finally settles in and is “Alive in Tucson,” he decorates his house with all this stolen fine art and other valuables (like a couple of Oscars for the mantle). Phil scoffs at Tom Hanks talking to Wilson the volleyball, but ends up making a variety of “ball” friends. Phil starts losing it in very real ways — his house looks like it could be in an episode of hoarders, except also with the valuables, he drinks a lot of well….everything, bowls with fishtanks, has a toilet pool, and shoots open doors with his gun. That makes up most of the first episode. He talks to God a lot, which I think I would end up doing as well. Who else are you going to talk to?

The second half introduces another character – a woman! Be careful what you wish for Phil! Kristen Schaal is introduced with a very rule-following Carol, who causes Phil to say things like, “Stop signs are there to mediate traffic, and traffic doesn’t exist anymore, so essentially stop signs don’t either.” These two will continue to clash.

The way Phil lives raises the very important question: “Would I ever clean my house if there was nobody to come over to see it?” Probably not. I believe I would just move into the next house. Also, where did all the bodies go? I guess it can’t be a comedy when you expect corpses and skeletons around every turn.

I am going to continue to check out this show to see where they take it. The stuff he (and now she) does is compelling television thus far.

FOX’s press release:

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH chronicles the life and adventures of an average guy – and humanity’s last hope – who discovers what life is like when no one is telling you what you can and cannot do. The year is 2020, and after a deadly virus has swept the planet, only one man is left on earth: Phil Miller. He used to be just an average guy who loved his family and hated his job. Now, in his RV, Phil searches the country for other survivors. He has traveled to every city, every town and every outpost in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and has found no one. As he returns to his hometown of Tucson, Phil comes to the realization that he is almost certainly the last living being on the face of the earth in the series premiere of THE LAST MAN ON EARTH airing Sunday, March 1 (9:00-9:30/9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Now that he’s THE LAST MAN ON EARTH, Phil Miller has mastered pretty much everything. Series Premiere SUN MAR 1 at 9:30/8:30c.

Will Forte discusses a few ways his character is coping with being the last person on Earth.