Final Space premiered in 2018 as a bold, irreverent animated series about a space mission gone wrong. The show follows Gary Goodspeed, a human who was raised on a spaceship and never met another person until he met his robot companion, Qwisp. The premise sounds simple. The execution is anything but.
Trailer, via TBS.
Gary and Qwisp
Gary is the heart of Final Space. He is innocent, naive, and genuinely kind, which makes him a perfect foil for the cynical, sarcastic Qwisp. Their relationship is the engine that drives the show. They bicker, they fight, and they save each other. The chemistry between them is genuine, and it carries the series through its darkest moments.
Qwisp is a robot with a broken programming chip, which means he is capable of independent thought and emotion. That makes him unpredictable, dangerous, and oddly human. His interactions with Gary are the show’s best material. The banter is sharp, the jokes land, and the emotional beats are earned.
Comedy and Drama
Final Space is a comedy-drama hybrid, and it wears both hats with confidence. The humor is fast, clever, and often absurd. There are jokes about poop, about sex, and about the absurdity of space travel. Some of these jokes miss. Some of them hit hard. The show is unapologetic about its tone, and that honesty is refreshing.
The drama is where Final Space struggles. The plot involves a galactic war, a mysterious villain named Brock, and a prophecy about Gary’s destiny. These elements are all there, but they are underwritten. The stakes feel vague, and the motivations are often unclear. The show tries to be epic, but it lacks the scope to pull it off.
Visual Style
The animation is a mixed bag. Final Space uses a flat, colorful style that is visually distinctive. The backgrounds are bright and detailed, and the character designs are expressive. However, the movement is stiff in places, and some scenes look unfinished. This is a show that clearly benefited from a larger budget in later seasons, but the first season shows its limitations.
The voice acting is strong. Zach Cherry voices Gary with warmth and sincerity, while John Mulaney voices Qwisp with perfect timing and delivery. The supporting cast is solid, with particular praise due to Marc Maron as the villain Brock.
“He’s the one.”
That line, spoken by Gary to Qwisp, captures the essence of the show. Final Space is about connection, about finding meaning in a cold universe, and about the power of friendship.
Key Facts
- Premiere: 2018
- Creator: Olan Rogers
- Main characters: Gary Goodspeed, Qwisp
- Setting: Outer space
- Score: 7.0/10
Final Space is a show that is better than its premise suggests. It is a flawed, uneven, and occasionally brilliant series that deserves attention. The first season is a rocky start, with pacing issues and a weak grasp of scale. But the core of Gary and Qwisp is pure gold. When the show commits to its characters, it delivers. When it tries to be something bigger, it stumbles.
The final episodes of the season attempt to resolve the conflict, and they do so in a way that feels rushed. The resolution is satisfying, but it comes after a long stretch of filler. The season ends on a note of hope, which is fitting for a show about finding purpose in a vast, lonely cosmos.
Final Space is a show that rewards patience. It is not a masterpiece, but it is a memorable one. The humor is sharp, the characters are compelling, and the heart is real. It is a show that knows exactly what it wants to be, even when it fails to deliver on its ambitions.
7 of 10.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
