HBO Orders Another Season of Space Comedy 'Avenue 5'

HBO has renewed comedy Avenue 5, from Armando Iannucci. Set 40 years in the future, when traveling the solar system is a booming business, Avenue 5 launched Jan. 19. Season one has nine episodes.

“We’ve loved every minute of Avenue 5’s inaugural voyage,” said Amy Gravitt, executive VP, HBO Programming. “Armando Iannucci and his team are masters of smart and incisive comedy, and the ensemble cast, brilliantly captained by Hugh Laurie, is second to none. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for our hapless heroes in season two.”

Iannucci also created Veep on HBO.

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Avenue 5 has Hugh Laurie, Josh Gad, Zach Woods and Rebecca Front in the cast.

“It was so great to be back again with HBO for the first season of Avenue 5, so I’m doubly thrilled that HBO have now seen fit to put Captain Ryan Clark and his passengers and crew through even more physical and emotional hell next year too,” said Iannucci. “Nobody provides angst-ridden laughs better than Hugh Laurie, and we’re looking forward to seeing what further impossible situations and existential crises we can plunge him, Josh Gad and the rest of our fantastic cast into next. To the end of season one and beyond (into season two)!”

Iannucci, Kevin Loader, Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche and Will Smith are the executive producers.

Avenue 5 is co-produced by Sky UK.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.