Future Man, starring Josh Hutcherson and produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg is an action comedy series that has genuinely flown under the radar since its release on Hulu in the US back in November.
Boasting all of the trademark Rogen flair, it’s social commentary presented through dirty but well delivered humour and a healthy dose of kick ass. Josh Futturman (Hutcherson) is an average guy, with an average job. He lives at home, works in a lab as a janitor and is obsessed with a video game called Biotic Wars.
After completing the game, the two main characters from it – Tiger (Eliza Coupe) and Wolf (Derek Wilson) – materialise in his bedroom. Essentially, they suggest that the game is real, and that because he’s the first person to ever finish it, the future of humanity now rests in his hands.
What ensues is a keen mix of hilarity and moreish action. The writing is witty, funny and littered with 80s Sci-Fi pop culture references and stylising – as is the trend in both drama and comedy in 2018.
For all intents and purposes, it’s the sensibility and production value of Back To The Future and the humour and slapstick of a Seth Rogen film plot squeezed into biteable 30 minute episodes.
Hutcherson professionally channels Michael J Fox’s Marty McFly for the character of Josh Futturman. He’s spunky, but also unassuming and he handles the addition of smut with ease.
The plot is based on a fair bit of time travel as the trio attempt to stop occurrences from that past that have caused the disintegration of the human race. Creators Howard Overman, Kyle Hunter and Ariel Shaffir have struck up a wonderful layered comedic tension between the series of cultures being forced together from episode to episode.
If you’re a fan of gaming, 80s pop culture, action adventure and/or a good laugh this one is certainly a must see. Oh, and watch out for a pudgy bearded adult Hayley Joel Osment. Suffice to say, he’s changed a bit.
Foxtel’s Comedy Channel will premiere Future Man in Australia on June 13 at 8:30pm.
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