NASA has built its first manned base on the surface of the Moon. On Earth, simulation bases have been set up to train candidates for living and working there.

There must have been something in the air when both Netflix and Showtime both commissioned contemporary half-hour comedy series about space travel. Space Force with Steve Carell was first out of the traps, with John C Reilly being the comedy A-lister headlining Showtime’s new show. Another thing that they both share in common is that neither are that funny.

Comedy is a funny business, so to speak, and there was a time when you judged success on how much people laughed. But we live in a time where gentle comedy is a thing, and you’re not expected to laugh out loud, rather to smile wryly at what’s unfolding. If that’s your thing, then maybe you’ll give Moonbase 8 an easier ride than me.

Four would-be astronauts are camped up in the wilderness of Winslow, Arizona. They’re pretending that they are on the Moon, and have to wear spacesuits whenever they go outside. Of the four, one (Travis Kelce) is a real world NFL player who’s just there for the PR. He also falls down a sinkhole and dies.

John C Reilly (Wreck It Ralph) is leader Cap, Tim Heidecker (Us) is Rook and Fred Armisen is Skip. The three leads created and write the episodes alongside director Jonathan Krisel. They make a good ensemble, bickering over the sort of things that you’d imagine you would when stuck with the same people for a period of time. Over the six weeks they have to deal with the loss of water, the wheels being stolen from their lunar buggy, quarantine, a potential co-venture with SpaceX, ranchers and Canadian tourists.

Verdict: Amusing, but in an undemanding way. If you’re put off by comedies that have too many jokes, step this way! 6/10