Command Z
{{Short description|2023 American web series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use list-defined references|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox television
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| inspired_by = {{Based on|Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America: A Recent History|Kurt Andersen}}
| developer = {{ubl|Kurt Andersen|Sam Lowry|Larry Doyle}}
| writer =
| screenplay =
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| director = Steven Soderbergh
| creative_director =
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| starring = {{Plainlist|
- Michael Cera
- Liev Schreiber
- Roy Wood Jr.
- JJ Maley
- Chloe Radcliffe
- Kevin Pollak
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| country = United States
| language = English
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| company = Extension 765
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| released = {{Start date|2023|07|17}}
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Command Z is a science fiction comedy web series directed by Steven Soderbergh. The series consists of eight episodes of varying lengths that ultimately comprise a 90-minute runtime.
Cast
- Michael Cera as Kerning Fealty
- Roy Wood Jr. as Sam
- Chloe Radcliffe as Emma
- JJ Maley as Jamie
- Liev Schreiber as Kohlberg Pryce
- Kevin Pollak as Old Kerning Fealty
- Zoe Winters as Congresswoman Christina Martin
- Laura Seay as Astrid Jensen
- Catherine Curtin as Carol
- Stavros Halkias as Baz Diamandis
- Mike Houston as Bob Shiner
- Will Brill as Henry Humphrey
- Mike Birbiglia as the Time Traveler
- Sabrina Brier as Pura Shujaa
- Alexandra Socha as Pastor Caddy Winbrush
- James Naughton as Justice Frank Richardson
Production
In January 2023, Steven Soderbergh announced that he had filmed a science fiction satire series he was calling The Pendulum Project. It was shot in July and August 2022 between shooting Magic Mike's Last Dance and Full Circle in New York. The show was independently financed by Soderbergh, and it was inspired by Kurt Andersen's book Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America: A Recent History. Andersen co-created the series with former Simpsons writer Larry Doyle. It stars Michael Cera, Roy Wood Jr., Chloe Radcliffe, JJ Maley, and Liev Schreiber. Writers include Andersen, Doyle, Wood Jr, Radcliffe, Nell Scovell, Akilah Hughes, Jiehae Park, and Emily Flake.{{cite web | url=https://commandzseries.com/episodes/v/8 | title=Episode 8 - Back for the Future }}
Release
A secret screening of Command Z was held on June 16, 2023, at the Metrograph in New York City before the series' release. It was officially released on July 17, 2023—the same date that the characters must travel back in time to in the show's universe. The series was made available for purchase on the website of Soderbergh's production company, Extension 765, and proceeds from the series are donated to Children's Aid and the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research.
Reception
The Daily Beast critic Nick Schager wrote that "Soderbergh’s direction is snappy, playful, and efficient, and so too are the series’ scripts," writing that
"nicely marries socio-political sharpness and jaded absurdity" to "deliver goofy laughs," yet "without ever resorting to sermonizing." Shannon Connellan at Mashable found the series to be a "superbly acted" thought-provoking series about how small changes can improve the future. "If you're looking for top-tier political, social, and economic commentary on how fucked up the world is, this is the bunch." Chase Hutchinson at Collider gave the series a B−, feeling that the series was sometimes charming but also feeling like Soderbergh used it more as an exercise that he wasn't taking seriously.
Episodes
{{Episode table |background=#251C14 |overall= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |episodes=
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 1
|Title = The Room
|DirectedBy = Steven Soderbergh
|WrittenBy = Larry Doyle & Kurt Andersen
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|07|17}}
|ShortSummary = {{Plainlist|
- "More information" theme: Time travel
- "More information" suggestions: The Terminator, Brother Future, Run Lola Run}}
|LineColor = 251C14
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 2
|Title = The Climate
|DirectedBy = Steven Soderbergh
|WrittenBy = Jiehae Park
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|07|17}}
|ShortSummary = {{Plainlist|
- "More information" theme: Climate change
- "More information" suggestions: Soylent Green, The Day After Tomorrow, Ice Age: The Meltdown}}
|LineColor = 251C14
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 3
|Title = The Pryce is Wrong
|DirectedBy = Steven Soderbergh
|WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s=Jiehae Park & Chloe Radcliffe|t=Chloe Radcliffe}}
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|07|17}}
|ShortSummary = {{Plainlist|
- "More information" theme: Wall Street
- "More information" suggestions: Wall Street, American Psycho, Hustlers}}
|LineColor = 251C14
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 4
|Title = The Pryce is Wrong II
|DirectedBy = Steven Soderbergh
|WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s=Jiehae Park & Chloe Radcliffe|t=Chloe Radcliffe}}
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|07|17}}
|ShortSummary = {{Plainlist|
- "More information" theme: Dogs
- "More information" suggestions: Snoopy Come Home, Turner & Hooch, Hotel for Dogs}}
|LineColor = 251C14
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 5
|Title = Antisocial Media
|DirectedBy = Steven Soderbergh
|WrittenBy = Roy Wood Jr.
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|07|17}}
|ShortSummary = {{Plainlist|
- "More information" theme: Social media
- "More information" suggestions: The Social Network, Ingrid Goes West, Die Influencers Die!}}
|LineColor = 251C14
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 6
|Title = The Climate II
|DirectedBy = Steven Soderbergh
|WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s=Akilah Hughes & Chloe Radcliffe|t=Chloe Radcliffe}}
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|07|17}}
|ShortSummary = {{Plainlist|
- "More information" theme: Nuclear energy
- "More information" suggestions: The China Syndrome, Chernobyl, Atomic Hope}}
|LineColor = 251C14
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 7
|Title = Preach
|DirectedBy = Steven Soderbergh
|WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s=Nell Scovell & Emily Flake|t=Emily Flake}}
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|07|17}}
|ShortSummary = {{Plainlist|
- "More information" theme: God
- "More information" suggestions: The Ten Commandments, Oh, God! You Devil, Evan Almighty}}
|LineColor = 251C14
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 8
|Title = Back for the Future
|DirectedBy = Steven Soderbergh
|WrittenBy = Kurt Andersen & Larry Doyle
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|07|17}}
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = 251C14
}}
}}
References
{{Reflist|refs=
{{cite web |last1=Bergeson |first1=Samantha |title=Steven Soderbergh Unveils Surprise Sci-Fi Series Command Z with Michael Cera — Watch the Trailer |url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/breaking-news/steven-soderbergh-michael-cera-sci-fi-series-command-z-trailer-1234883909/ |website=IndieWire |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |date=July 14, 2023 |access-date=July 20, 2023 |archive-date=July 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720165139/https://www.indiewire.com/news/breaking-news/steven-soderbergh-michael-cera-sci-fi-series-command-z-trailer-1234883909/ |url-status=live }}
{{cite web |last1=Keogan |first1=Natalia |title=Steven Soderbergh Announces Sci-Fi Series Command Z Dropping on His Website July 17 {{!}} Filmmaker Magazine |url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/122146-steven-soderbergh-sci-fi-series-command-z-dropping-july-17/ |website=Filmmaker Magazine |publisher=Independent Filmmaker Project |date=July 14, 2023 |access-date=July 20, 2023 |archive-date=July 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720165139/https://filmmakermagazine.com/122146-steven-soderbergh-sci-fi-series-command-z-dropping-july-17/ |url-status=live }}
{{cite web |title=Command Z - Theater 1 - Now Playing In Theater at Metrograph |url=https://metrograph.com/film/?vista_film_id=9999003391 |website=Metrograph |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230717191238/https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:k7N1Cw7MRT4J:https://metrograph.com/film/%3Fvista_film_id%3D9999003391&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&lr=lang_en%7Clang_pl |archive-date=July 17, 2023 |url-status=dead}}
{{cite mag |last1=Zuckerman |first1=Esther |title=Steven Soderbergh Debuts Sci-Fi Series Command Z at Secret New York Screening |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/steven-soderbergh-command-z-secret-screening-1235538169/ |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |date=July 17, 2023}}
{{cite Magazine |last1=Melissa |first1=Billie |title=Steven Soderbergh Launches Mysterious New Series |url=https://www.mensjournal.com/streaming/steven-soderbergh-launches-mysterious-new-series |magazine=Men's Journal |publisher=The Arena Group |language=en |date=July 17, 2023}}
{{cite web |last1=Schage |first1=Nick |title=Command Z review: 'Command Z' Is a Welcome (and Very Weird) Surprise From Steven Soderbergh |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/command-z-review-steven-soderberghs-surprise-new-comedy-takes-us-to-task?ref=scrol |website=The Daily Beast |publisher=IAC (company) |language=en |date=July 17, 2023 |access-date=July 28, 2023 |archive-date=July 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230728211539/https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/command-z-review-steven-soderberghs-surprise-new-comedy-takes-us-to-task?ref=scrol |url-status=live }}
{{cite web |last1=Connellan |first1=Shannon |title=Command Z review: Steven Soderbergh's surprise sci-fi tries to un-doom Earth |url=https://mashable.com/article/steven-soderbergh-command-z-review |website=Mashable |publisher=Ziff Davis |language=en |date=July 18, 2023 |access-date=July 20, 2023 |archive-date=July 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720165142/https://mashable.com/article/steven-soderbergh-command-z-review |url-status=live }}
{{cite web |last1=Hutchinson |first1=Chase |title=Command Z Review: Steven Soderbergh's Series Is Silly Science Fiction |url=https://collider.com/command-z-review/ |website=Collider |language=en |date=July 17, 2023 |access-date=July 20, 2023 |archive-date=July 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720165142/https://collider.com/command-z-review/ |url-status=live }}
}}
External links
- {{Official website|commandzseries.com/}}
- {{IMDb title|tt26470023}}
{{Steven Soderbergh}}
Category:Television shows filmed in New York City