# Future Man (2017)

> A janitor and world-ranked gamer is drafted by visitors from the future to stop humanity's extinction in this irreverent sci-fi comedy.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/63712

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 34
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, science fiction
- Created by: Ariel Shaffir, Howard Overman, Kyle Hunter
- Network: Hulu
- Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Eliza Coupe, Derek Wilson, Ed Begley Jr., Glenne Headly, Haley Joel Osment, Caitlin Gallogly, Robert Catrini
- TMDB rating: 7.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4975856/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: irreverent, breezy, absurd, playful, sincere

## What critics say

Critics and audiences found the show a brisk, irreverent sci-fi comedy whose first season was its high point, with later seasons holding a steady but less sharp appeal.

## Synopsis

Future Man (2017-2020) is a United States science fiction comedy series created by Ariel Shaffir, Howard Overman and Kyle Hunter for Hulu. Josh Hutcherson plays Josh Futturman, a janitor by day and world-ranked gamer by night, who is recruited by visitors from the future to prevent the extinction of humanity. Eliza Coupe plays the hyper-violent Tiger and Derek Wilson plays Wolf, the companions who accompany him on missions through time. Haley Joel Osment appears as Dr. Stu Camillo, and Ed Begley Jr. and Glenne Headly play Josh's parents. The engine of the show is Josh's struggle to turn his unglamorous life and gaming reflexes into the skills needed to defeat a looming super-race invasion, while each episode layers slapstick action, pop culture references and gleefully cheap-looking 1980s sci-fi homage around the mission. The series runs three seasons and thirty-four episodes of half-hour television, with a serialized storyline that moves between the present and a dystopian future. Its tone is breezy and irreverent, with sincere moments about family and coming of age underneath the chaos. Fans of Back to the Future, Doctor Who and Hot Tub Time Machine will find resonance in its blend of time travel, goofy violence and affectionate parody.

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- [The Peripheral (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/80552)
- [Weird City (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/69030)
- [Time Squad (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/4099)
- [The Crossing (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/62337)
- [The Guild (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/14696)
- [Phil of the Future (2004)](https://ember.film/tv/1440)
- [Being Erica (2009)](https://ember.film/tv/7853)

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