Critic Reviews

Avenue 5 is not just good – it’s galactically good.

The satire of Avenue 5 isn’t quite as sharp as some of Iannucci's other shows were right out of the gate, but there’s more than enough good stuff there to keep us curious as to where he’s going to take this story.

Avenue 5 gets sharper with each of the four episodes sent to critics, which bodes well for what lies ahead, when the bulk of the world-building is done. It isn’t Veep, sure, but there are traces of Selina Meyer in Ryan; both are smug, two-faced charlatans entrusted with far more power than they deserve. The show also benefits from Iannucci’s dark, profane, literary sensibility.

The laughs aren’t as rapid-fire as they were in “Veep,” but they are plentiful. Gad perfects that smarmy billionaire; Suzy Nakamura is ideal as his common law assistant. ... Laurie is ideal at the helm – even when the story seems like it’s rudderless. He plays captain in a way you wouldn’t think and handles disaster like Jean-Luc Picard never would. Make it so? “Avenue 5” does.

Avenue 5 packs its half-hour episodes with laughs and a kind of manic absurdity that’s well-positioned to carry this comedy in whatever direction its hapless luxury space liner is pushed in next.

Season two introduces a madcap chat show hosted by a cross between Max Headroom and Janet Street-Porter (Lucy Punch having a blast). It’s very funny, very silly and a welcome addition, but it also calls attention to the fact that the best bits of Avenue 5 are all on the Avenue 5. When it’s earthbound it founders. When it looks to the stars it soars.

Putting aside any expectations for another serving of Iannucci’s savage satire, Avenue 5 is still a sharply-written comedy with a strong cast and an enjoyable mix of highbrow punchlines, broad physical comedy, and silly sight gags, one involving a radiation shield of human excrement.

“Avenue 5” is a surefire hit and will bolster HBO’s reputation as the best place to go to view unique, well-thought-out comedies. Although there were some comedic inconsistencies in the first four episodes I watched, when the humor hits the mark, and it does quite frequently, “Avenue 5” is laugh out loud funny.

Avenue 5, is perhaps best approached — as a comic Poseidon Adventure in space. Such a perspective might benefit the first couple episodes, which don't stumble so much as they unfold and reveal themselves in ways that aren't always quite as funny as they should be, though things become more amusing after chaos starts ensuing.

It wouldn't be wrong to say Iannucci is slightly better with what worked on Veep, but Avenue 5 is plenty funny if you can launch the Veep comparisons out of the airlock. (Besides, let's be fair here, can anything be as good as Veep?) With a strong cast and Iannucci's unpredictable sense of humor, there's real potential that Avenue 5 can go a long way.