Avenue 5 comedy fans can discover season 2 on OCS today in US+24. On this occasion, we met the showrunner Armando Iannucci and Hugh Laurie.
What will change in season 2 of Avenue 5?
Armando Iannucci: I would say the atmosphere is much more claustrophobic, some characters withdraw even more into themselves. Making a series is not the same as making a film. In a film you have to know where you are going and you have to choose an end, knowing that there will not necessarily be a sequel.
With a series, I like not knowing where I’m going. We are not sure that there will be another season behind. I spend time understanding where each character is going. For example, in season 1, you met Mads played by Adam Palsson. It was a small role with a few lines of dialogue but I found it so fantastic that it pushed me to write him a much bigger role in season 2.
Hugh, you shot this series during the pandemic and, precisely, the ship’s crew is undergoing a kind of confinement themselves. Did that allow you to get even more into the character?
Hugh Laurie: It is certain that between the reality of the “outside” and that of the shooting, we all felt a bit claustrophobic. It is as if we were inside a bubble, itself inside another bubble and so on. It probably brought even more madness to the shoot.
Everyone wore a mask when we were in rehearsal. It is therefore difficult to read the expressions of each and to agree on their degree of emotion. We had the same level of stress as if we were really confined to the middle of space. We didn’t even know when this pandemic was going to end, it really felt adrift, like the Avenue 5 spaceship.
Were you tempted by directing here too, like on Dr House?
Hugh Laurie: I’m waiting for the showrunner to come and offer it to me. Sometimes I think I’m not doing a good enough job, so I want to do other people’s. Let’s wait to see if someone offers me another job on this series.
How is this SF series still relevant?
Hugh Laurie: It’s fascinating to see how many series and films revolve around natural disasters, wars… or meteorites swooping down on our planet. I think we’ve seen so much that we don’t even really care what’s really going to happen to us anymore.
When it comes to missiles launched at Ukraine, it seems obvious that we must react. But when it comes to other big issues like the environment, I don’t think people care.
I think like in a movie, you think a hero is going to come to your rescue and solve everything. But we can clearly see that in the end, nothing is happening and that we are going from disaster to disaster without anything being resolved. Everyone is waiting for Brad Pitt or George Clooney to save the world but they don’t show up.
Maybe then we should go get Hugh Laurie?
Hugh Laurie: Yes, that is a possibility. If they don’t come to save the world, maybe it’s my turn to come to the rescue. I think I would cost less and I’m always very punctual!
HBO Hugh Laurie and Josh Gad are back in season 2 of Avenue 5
How important is humor to you?
Hugh Laurie: Humor is everything! Without humor, life would be unbearable and we would be in permanent depression. There are two things I can’t live without: humor and music.
I believe that each time we sink into a complicated period, it’s music and humor that bring us back to light. They serve as cement to solidify the relationships between beings because there are always jokes and songs that speak to us, that bring us closer, beyond our differences. Even if Avenue 5 has a dramatic, even alarmist side, it is also full of humor.
Armando Iannucci: In the series, it is mostly dark humor. It’s a bit of a warning that would come to us from the future. Do not allow such madness to happen and rethink what is a priority for humanity here on Earth. If there is humor in our series, it is loaded with a lot of anxiety.
Why should we watch Avenue 5 Season 2… and do you think this show is better than Dr House?
Hugh Laurie: (Laughs) No, I can’t say it’s better than House, which I’m so proud of. It was obviously an important and crucial series for me. It changed a lot of things and led me to where I am today in my career.
Avenue 5 is a different and unique series that cannot be compared to House. She is, against all expectations, full of hope. We all need hope to continue our journey in this universe. We are always looking to improve our future, to build it. I hope this series will continue to make our audience smile and give them more confidence in the future.