Avenue 5 Season 2: Sky release date, trailer, and cast of sci-fi comedy with Hugh Laurie and Rebecca Front

Hugh Laurie, Rebecca Front, and Josh Gad star in Armando Iannuci’s sci-fi comedy Avenue 5
Hugh Laurie as Captain Ryan Clark, being carried on the shoulders of the Avenue 5 passengers (Credit: HBO)Hugh Laurie as Captain Ryan Clark, being carried on the shoulders of the Avenue 5 passengers (Credit: HBO)
Hugh Laurie as Captain Ryan Clark, being carried on the shoulders of the Avenue 5 passengers (Credit: HBO)

Avenue 5, a space-set comedy from Armando Iannucci, is returning to Sky Comedy and NOW TV for its second season this November.

The series, which stars Hugh Laurie and Josh Gad amongst others, follows the crew and passengers of a luxury cruise ship that gets

Here’s everything you need to know about Avenue 5.

What’s it about?

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The official synopsis from Sky for Season 2 explains that Avenue 5 is “is set 40 years in the future when traveling the solar system is no longer the stuff of sci-fi fantasy, but a booming, multibillion-dollar business. While manning a luxury spacecraft owned by Herman Judd, Captain Ryan Clark finds himself in over his head when the ship is thrown off-course – turning what was meant to be an eight-week cruise into an eight-year journey.”

“Picking up five months after failing to reroute the vessel, season two follows the crew, including engineer Billie, unpredictable head of customer relations Matt, and faithful right-hand Iris – as they struggle to lead, calm, and, if need be, hide from increasingly unruly passengers.”

Who stars in Avenue 5?

Hugh Laurie as Captain Ryan Clark, being carried on the shoulders of the Avenue 5 passengers (Credit: HBO)Hugh Laurie as Captain Ryan Clark, being carried on the shoulders of the Avenue 5 passengers (Credit: HBO)
Hugh Laurie as Captain Ryan Clark, being carried on the shoulders of the Avenue 5 passengers (Credit: HBO)

Hugh Laurie plays Ryan Clark, the increasingly exasperated captain of Avenue 5. Laurie is best known for playing maverick doctor House in the medical drama House, but you’ll also recognise him from roles in shows like Roadkill, Blackadder, and Jeeves & Wooster. He’s previously worked with Avenue 5 creator Armando Iannucci in Veep and The Personal History of David Copperfield.

Josh Gad plays Herman Judd, billionaire owner of Avenue 5. Gad has appeared in sitcoms like New Girl, Modern Family, and Bored to Death, but he’s probably best known for film roles in Frozen (as Olaf) and Beauty and the Beast (as Le Fou). Gad also starred in The Book of Mormon, for which he won a Tony.

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Lenora Crichlow plays Billie McEvoy, second engineer on Avenue 5. Crichlow is best known for appearing in the BBC Three supernatural drama Being Human, the Channel 4 comedy Sugar Rush, and the US sitcoms Back in the Game and A-Z. You might also recognise her from the Black Mirror episode White Bear.

Rebecca Front as Karen Kelly, a passenger aboard Avenue 5. Front is best known for playing Nicola Murray in The Thick Of It, as well as other comedy performances in The Day Today and Knowing Me Knowing You… with Alan Partridge, but you’ll probably also know her from roles in Love, Lies, and Records, Lewis, and Humans.

They’re joined by Suzy Nakamura (Dr. Ken), Zach Woods (Silicon Valley), Nikki Amuka-Bird (Hard Sun), Ethan Phillips (Star Trek: Voyager), Lucy Punch (Motherland), Daisy May Cooper (This Country), and Himesh Patel (Station Eleven) amongst others.

Who writes and directs Avenue 5?

The series was created by Armando Iannucci, who has a story credit on every episode of Avenue 5 Season 2 and directed the finale. Iannucci you’ll know from his previous series like The Thick of It and Veep, as well as films like The Death of Stalin and The Personal History of David Copperfield.

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A number of Iannnucci’s Veep and The Thick of It collaborators are involved in Avenue 5 as well, like Will Smith (not that one, this one), Simon Blackwell (Back), Tony Roche, Georgia Pritchett (Succession), and Sean Gray (The Day Shall Come).

John Finnemore (John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme) and Marina Hyde (those Guardian articles people pretend are funny) have also written episodes of Avenue 5 Season 2.

Is there a trailer for Avenue 5?

Yes, there is! You can watch it right here.

When and how can I watch Avenue 5?

Avenue 5 Season 2 is coming to Sky Comedy and NOW TV in the UK on Wednesday 30 November. Every episode will be available as part of a boxset, but it’ll also play each week on linear television as normal. You can sign up to NOW TV right here.

In the US, Avenue 5 Season 2 arrived on HBO Max in October. The full series is available there now.

How many episodes are there?

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There are eight episodes in Avenue 5 Season 2, each of which are around half an hour long.

Will there be a series 3?

There’s been no official word either way just yet, but ahead of the US launch of Season 2 Armando Iannucci told Entertainment Weekly that there were plans to make more of the show at some point.

“Because we got delayed by the pandemic by about 18 months, we knew that meant everyone’s contracts would run out,” explained Iannucci. “Everyone’s got 101 other things to be doing, so it would be unfair to kind of keep them on hold in limbo. But everyone wants to do more. HBO are very keen. We’ll make more when we can corral everyone together again.”

So, it could be a while before any future instalments of Avenue 5 arrive, given how busy the cast all are – but, according to Iannucci, “everyone’s up for it and we’ve already got ideas and thoughts about what happens next”. Which is good news for fans of the show!

Why should I watch Avenue 5?

If you enjoy Iannucci’s previous work – in particular The Thick of It and Veep – it’s worth checking this out. Veep in Space! Doesn’t that sound fun?

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