Fired on Mars

Can't believe the low reviews here. 2 episodes in and I'm unbelievably hooked. Maybe the reviews are people expecting some typical Fox animated sitcom??

I'm a sucker for any story set in bleak and realistic sci-fi. This show fits the bill perfectly for capturing the disparity around total corporate control, and these jobs that really have no reason to exist other than for the sake of expansion. It's Cyberpunk in the refreshing modern sense (still thematically consistent with the genre staples from the 80s, but adjusted for current New-Age, passive aggressive megacorps). It's witty in its environment and construction, but it's not exaggerative or over the top. Both episodes got some big laughs out of me, but also had these wonderfully bleak and somber moments. The dialogue and voice acting is all wonderful, and really made a lot of the characters feel complex and notable.

The animation should sell people on this show alone! It's absolutely stunning. It's thoughtful and colorful, and reminds me a bit of if Ugly Americans was a graphic novel. The style is really similar to the work of Daniel Clowes; it's a wonderful look that hits that perfect point of being unique to what's been done, while also still being very visually pleasing. So many shots are so thoughtful and truly feels like you're watching a graphic novel.

I can't wait to see where this show goes. The cynic in me says, great, another animated show for me to fall in love with that will undoubtedly get canned before it's time. I hope I'm wrong. I hope more people see this. Cause if for nothing else, this show should be admired for bringing something inventive in a landscape of, quite frankly, not a whole lot of exciting animated shows right now.

There is a lot to like about this show. I finished the 8th episode today and I'm still wanting to see what's next. Main character is someone that keeps having bad luck. Anyone that's around him he uses for his personal gain because he's kind of a leach. There is a lot of great cringe with his decision making. Which is the beauty of this show. He's attempting to become the unlikely hero. Once he's offered the easy life then he realizes that isn't who he wants to be. Truly a character hitting the bottom and emerging on top...

Question is.. is he the hero of his own story or building up to fail?

Based on other reviews here I believe this show has fallen victim to poor advertising, or a misunderstanding of what "adult animation" means.

This show is not really a comedy, by most measures anyways, it does contain jokes certainly, but that is not the main focus of the show. The show is more of a sci-fi mystery drama, with light humour scattered throughout, and on viewing it solely by that metric I think it's been quite good so far.

This review is being written after watching the first 4 episodes, which I found to be interesting enough to make me want to keep going and understand more of what's going on.

I will concede it's hard for me to say right now if the show is "good". We are only 4 episodes in as I write this, and shows of this sort often live or die by their endings, but the show is "interesting" for certain, that's really the best word for it.

The show has an eerie lonely tone, aided by the music and backgrounds which fill the show with an uncomfortable vibe... as do the series of errors made by our protagonist.

So, I want to talk about our protagonist Jeff for a bit here. Jeff is a fairly average guy by most measures, but he's very self-absorbed without even realizing it. He enjoys meeting people but only talks about himself, he seems very bad taking an interest in others. He has a surprisingly large ego, but it leads him to be totally crushed by even small setbacks, that leads him to make error after error as he tries desperately to find a place he can click into. It's interesting that despite his self absorption he doesn't seem to desire anything more than a fairly standard life, he wants a family and a nice house, and a job that he'll receive admiration for, but that noticeably doesn't put him at the top of the food chain, he's not a cut-throat gunning for an executive role, he just wants a consistent normal life... something I'm guessing he's never really had before, which has lead to his desperation to achieve this goal.

This is a lot to say about a character who I think many people will cast off as "annoying" or even "one note" if they're not trying to analyze him much. But Jeff seems to be an extremely consistently written character who has a consistent and understandable drive, even if it feels like we're missing some critical details about him. Jeff is, to be fair, an annoying person at times, this is on purpose by the scriptwriters, made clear by much of the cast of the show finding him actively annoying, but I think it works well for the show overall. Still, I can understand how this could be a turnoff to viewers... Jeff simply put it not a great guy, and not everyone wants to watch shows about kind of annoying guys.

Overall, if you went into this show expecting something in the vein of something like Family Guy or most "adult animated comedy" for that matter I do think you will be disappointed, this is a frankly dreary and anxiety inducing show, it is not a lighthearted romp you'd watch with your friends.... But it's a very interesting show, that feels like it has something unique and interesting to say, and I plan on finishing the show to see what that is exactly. I'll likely add an update to this review when I do finish the show.

For now I'm giving this show an 8/10, the show does have a few weird moments and things I didn't enjoy, but overall I think it does very little wrong if you're taking it at face value as a sci-fi mystery drama, it's a solid start.

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To be maybe a bit petty for a moment I want to add a note, and point to one other review on here, called "It's SUCH an original and fun idea! Right?" that was written when (like my review) only the first 4 episodes were available. This review is horribly misleading as whoever wrote it seems to have fully misunderstood a reveal in a particular episode. The review seems to imply the show has an "it was all a dream" type of moment, or that it becomes stuck in a dreaming format, but this is not true, at least of the time of writing this. I feel like this person got to a particular moment, assumed what was happening incorrectly, and then stopped watching and wrote their review. It is quite baffling because what they are complaining about simply does not happen as they describe it at all. Is it impossible something like that could happen? It's not impossible, but as of now it's not the case and I won't judge the show for an ending they "could do" before it even ends.

First off, I have seen every episode that's been released, unlike almost all the other reviews which only saw the first episode. The show has an interesting premise: main character is one of the first human colonists on Mars but gets fired because his job is no longer needed. Now he must struggle to find a new job or else he essentially becomes a burden on the colony: a mouth to feed that doesn't contribute.

That out of the way, the show isn't a comedy. There are some jokes/funny moments, but it's not meant to make you laugh constantly like every other Adult Animation out there. It's more of satire/statement on corporations, the work we do for them, and ultimately finding purpose in our lives. Even tho the show is set on Mars, a lot of people can easily relate to main character. Most of us aren't CEOs or Doctors or have big important jobs, we are just cogs in the machine forced to do whatever job we get just to be able to feed ourselves.

Now this show isn't a pro-socialism or anti-capitalism or political, it's just pointing out the reality and absurdity of life while using Mars as the perfect backdrop for exploring the shows many themes. And the main character, Jeff, perfectly explores these themes. He's very human. He experiences grief and loneliness, and a lot of self doubt and confusion. He makes A LOT of mistakes, to the point he is unconsciously self sabotaging. But he is also optimistic and determined, doing whatever job he can to stay be a valued member of the colony.

Give this show a watch if you want something different that you may fine you relate to rather well. Just don't go in expecting a full on endless laugh fest, because that's not what this show is.

The bleak depressing start of Jeff's life on Mars in this Sci Fi animated comedy series only keeps getting better in my opinion episode after episode. He is a very self absorbed character played perfectly by Luke Wilson. I finished episode 6 and it really plays into corporate dystopia and the lack of social awareness major companies have. Jeff unfortunately is a victim of this time and time again but I found it to be funny and dry and sad all at the same time. It's great show and concept! That being said there are definitely some moments that show can be dark, but that's to be expected with life on Mars in the first colonies.