Parents' Guide to

Final Space

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Space-set animated comedy not that funny, pretty violent.

TV TBS Comedy 2018
Final Space Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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age 13+

Based on 32 parent reviews

baby de joe
baby de joe Parent of 14-year-old
November 27, 2022
age 8+

One of my favourite shows

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
anoddperson
anoddperson Adult
October 29, 2021
age 13+

Excellent adult action cartoon cancelled way too soon

This show was completely out of place on TBS, a network that usually shows repeats of network sitcoms. It would've made way more sense to show this on Toonami, yet the show never aired there, even when the last season had its premieres Saturday nights on Adult Swim. What's this show about? Well, it's set an unspecified amount of time in the future where humans have made contact with aliens around the galaxy and can travel from planet to planet. The starting point for this show is that the protagonist, Gary Goodspeed, is finishing up a five year prison sentence aboard a spaceship, with only an AI named HUE and an annoying robot named KVN for company. Then Gary finds and befriends a little green alien whom he affectionately calls Mooncake. Then an incredibly badass cat-like alien named Avocato comes aboard the ship, warning Gary of an evil despot known simply as Lord Commander, who wants to capture Mooncake and use his power to his own ends. Gary refuses to let go of Mooncake, so the two team up to try to stop Lord Commander. If that description made this show sound cliche, well, that's because this show is the adult equivalent of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Unlike Avatar though, this show isn't drawn anime style; it looks more like Family Guy or Rick and Morty. But what the two shows have in common is that they take the "Hero's Journey" plot type and many of its associated tropes and makes them feel fresh through great execution, namely memorable and complex characters, surprising plot twists and character revelations, suspenseful and intense fight scenes, and stunning animation. This is a good example of a TV-14 show. While language and suggestive humor are on a TV-PG level, the violence can often involve moderate blood, including some bloody deaths. I'd give this show a 12+ if it wasn't for one particular scene in the second episode though. Overall, I give this show a strong recommendation for teens and adults, particularly if they like sci-fi and/or action cartoons.

This title has:

Great role models
Too much violence
See all 32 parent reviews

What's the Story?

On his 1,818 day of imprisonment inside a spaceship for imprisoning an Infinity Guard pilot, Gary finds something new: a floating, glowing green ball he names Mooncake (Olan Rogers). Cast adrift in space with only his annoying "insanity avoidance" robot KVN (Fred Armisen) to talk to, Gary's grown desperate for company -- and for someone to play cards with, since his only other hobby is romantic unsolicited video diary-style messages he sends to the space captain of his dreams, Quinn (Tika Sumpter). But Mooncake has a secret. He's not just an adorable floating orb -- he's a world destroyer, and all the baddies in the universe are after him. Now it's up to Gary and Quinn to fight off the evil Lord Commander (David Tennant), save Mooncake, and search for the FINAL SPACE at the end of the universe.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (32 ):
Kids say (45 ):

It scans like Futurama, it looks like Futurama, it even sounds like Futurama -- at least, when voice cast member John DiMaggio pops up -- but brother, this weak comedy is no Futurama. Why? Because it's just not as funny. In fact, though this animated comedy does have some good moments, the most it scares up is some pretty mild chuckles. The best lines occur when Final Space skewers space-drama clichés. When a "running out of oxygen" alert pops up, Gary muses "Huh, they went with green for a red alert. I mean, I would have went with red, a periwinkle, heck, even an egg nog." But there are far few of such pleasantly absurd moments, and far too many moments when the show seems to be begging us to find humor in Gary's constant spew of non-profanities (sorry, "freaking crap!" just isn't a thigh-slapper, especially not on the fifth go-round).

In addition, the show adheres to way too many space clichés to get credit for puncturing a few. You've got your guy trapped on a space ship (Mystery Science Theater 3000) having animated space-y adventures through the galaxy (Futurama) while fighting off the clutches of the powerful and evil Lord Commander (Star Wars, and every other space movie ever made). Come on, show! You have so many funny people working on you, on- and offscreen, why aren't you funnier?

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the kinds of stories animation makes possible. What can be shown in a show like Final Space that can't be shown (easily) in live-action comedies? What dramatic or comedic possibilities does the animated genre have? Have you ever seen another animated show about characters set in space?

  • Families can also talk about who this show is designed to appeal to. Do you think the fact that it's animated gives it more "kid appeal" than a live-action version? Do you think people often assume that anything animated is OK for younger viewers?

  • Does Gary remind you of any other characters you've seen on TV or in the movies? Why do comedies so frequently revolve around dumb, blithe 20-something white guys? What's particularly funny about that type of character? Or does the predominance of these characters reflect the types of people who get their shows or movies made?

TV Details

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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