Television is weirdly obsessed with space lately. We’ve seen the high-stakes drama of For All Mankind and the satirical bite of Space Force, but honestly, nothing hits that specific itch for nostalgia and aspirational comedy like the recent developments surrounding the To the Moon television show. If you’ve been scouring the trades, you know there’s been a bit of a tug-of-war for this title, but the project that really stuck is the Kenan Thompson-produced comedy that finally made its way into the development pipeline. It isn’t just another sitcom. It’s a reflection of our collective obsession with getting off this rock, handled by people who actually understand how to make people laugh without being cynical.
The project, which found a home through a partnership with NBCUniversal and Kenan’s Artists for Artists production company, focuses on a group of ambitious, if slightly misguided, dreamers. They want to be the first "average" people to establish a lunar colony. It’s funny. It’s ambitious. And it’s exactly the kind of show we need when the actual news about lunar missions is mostly about delays and budget overruns.
What Exactly Is the To the Moon Television Show?
Let’s get the facts straight because there’s a lot of noise. When people talk about a To the Moon television show, they are usually referring to the half-hour comedy series created by Kenan Thompson and Bryan Tucker. Tucker, for those who don't spend their nights reading SNL credits, is one of the longest-serving writers on Saturday Night Live. He’s the guy behind some of the most iconic sketches of the last decade.
The show isn't a documentary. It’s a scripted comedy. The premise is basically what happens when the "everyman" decides that NASA is moving too slow and decides to take the lunar future into their own hands. It’s a workplace comedy, but the workplace is 238,900 miles away. Sorta.
Most people get this wrong: they think it’s a parody of Apollo 11. It’s not. It’s more of a spiritual successor to the "outsider" comedies of the 90s, where the stakes are astronomical but the problems are deeply human. Think The Office, but instead of worrying about a paper merger, you’re worrying about the oxygen seal on a DIY habitat.
Why Kenan Thompson?
Kenan is a legend. He’s the longest-running cast member in SNL history. He has this incredible ability to be the "straight man" and the "chaos agent" at the same time. Through his production company, Artists for Artists (AFA), he’s been pushing for stories that feel authentic even when they’re absurd. He teamed up with John Ryan Jr. to build a studio that gives creators more control. This matters because "To the Moon" isn't a corporate-mandated project. It’s a passion project from guys who grew up watching the shuttle program and wondering why we stopped going.
The Reality of Space on Screen
Space is hard. It’s also expensive to film. One of the biggest challenges for the To the Moon television show has been balancing the high production value needed for a convincing lunar surface with the snappy, fast-paced dialogue of a sitcom.
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We’ve seen this struggle before. Space Force on Netflix had a massive budget—reportedly around $1 million per episode just for Steve Carell—but it struggled to find its footing because it couldn't decide if it was a political satire or a family drama. Thompson’s project seems to be leaning harder into the "found family" trope. It’s about the people first, the physics second.
- The Set Design: To keep things realistic, the production has looked into using "The Volume"—that massive LED screen tech popularized by The Mandalorian.
- The Tone: It’s "hopeful-hilarious." Not "dark-gritty."
- The Writing: Expect heavy improvisation. Tucker and Thompson have a shorthand that only comes from twenty years of writing sketches at 3:00 AM.
Why We Can’t Stop Watching the Moon
The Moon is having a "moment" in real life, too. With the Artemis program, NASA is actually trying to put boots back on the lunar South Pole. This provides the perfect backdrop for a show like this. People are looking at the sky again.
But there’s a gap. On one hand, you have the technical, dry briefings from government agencies. On the other, you have $200 million sci-fi epics where the world ends. The To the Moon television show fills the middle. It asks: "What if I went?" "What if my annoying neighbor went?" It’s the democratizing of space travel through humor.
Honestly, the "average person in space" trope is one of the most underserved genres in entertainment. We’ve had plenty of "chosen one" stories. Give us the "I’m just here for the paycheck and the view" stories. That’s where the real comedy lives.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Project
There was a lot of confusion early on because of the phrase "To the Moon." For a while, people thought this was a crypto-themed show. 2021 was a weird year. Everyone was shouting "To the moon!" about Dogecoin and GameStop.
But this show has nothing to do with Bitcoin.
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It’s about the literal moon. The big white rock. The project had to navigate that branding nightmare during its early development. Kenan and his team were very clear: this is about human exploration, not digital wallets. It’s refreshing, frankly. We don't need a sitcom about NFTs. We need a sitcom about lunar dust getting into the coffee machine.
The Artists for Artists Impact
AFA is changing how these shows get made. Usually, a network buys an idea and then micromanages it until all the soul is gone. Kenan’s model is different. He’s using his leverage to protect the creative vision. This is why the To the Moon television show feels different in the trades—it’s being described as a "creator-first" project.
The Struggles of Modern Sitcoms
Let’s be real. Sitcoms are in a weird spot. The "multi-cam" (filmed in front of a live audience with a laugh track) is basically dead, outside of a few Chuck Lorre hits. Everything is single-cam now. This allows for more cinematic visuals, which is great for a show set on the moon, but it makes the comedy harder to land. You don't have that immediate feedback from an audience.
To make a show like this work, you need a cast with chemistry. You need people who can sell the absurdity of being in a vacuum while arguing about who didn't refill the water recycler.
What to Expect Next
Development cycles in Hollywood are long. You hear about a project, and then it goes quiet for a year while lawyers argue over back-end points and syndication rights. But the buzz around this project hasn't died down because the creative team is so solid.
If you’re a fan of Kenan’s work on Kenan (his previous NBC sitcom) or his legendary SNL run, you know what to expect: warmth. Kenan doesn't do "mean" humor. Even when he’s playing a character who is failing, there’s a sense of heart. That’s the secret sauce for a show about the moon. Space is cold and empty; the show has to be the opposite.
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Practical Steps for Fans and Creators
If you are following the development of the To the Moon television show or are interested in the intersection of comedy and sci-fi, here is how to stay informed and get involved in the genre:
1. Monitor the Trades, Not Just Social Media
Don't rely on Twitter/X for your news. Use sites like Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, and Variety. These are where the actual deals are announced. If a show moves from "development" to "pilot order," that’s the sign it’s actually happening.
2. Study the Creators
If you want to understand the "voice" of the show, watch Bryan Tucker’s SNL sketches. Look for the ones that involve high-concept premises but focus on mundane human reactions. That’s the blueprint.
3. Explore the "Low-Sci-Fi" Genre
If you like this vibe, check out other "low-sci-fi" comedies. Shows like Other Space (created by Paul Feig) or even the British cult classic Red Dwarf. They show how you can do big ideas on a small-screen budget.
4. Support Independent Production Models
Keep an eye on what Artists for Artists does. This "full-service" management and production model is becoming more common as actors realize they have the power to greenlight their own dreams.
The To the Moon television show represents a shift in how we tell stories about the future. It’s less about the "what" and more about the "who." We’ve seen the astronauts. We’ve seen the scientists. Now, it’s time to see the rest of us.
When the show finally hits screens, don’t expect a lecture on astrophysics. Expect a messy, loud, and deeply human look at what happens when we take our baggage with us into the stars. It’s going to be a bumpy ride, but with Kenan at the helm, it’ll at least be a funny one. Keep your eyes on the trades for the official premiere date, and in the meantime, maybe look up. The moon is still there, waiting for someone to finally make it funny.