The Big Picture

• Will Forte's diverse acting talents shine in his latest role on Netflix's Bodkin.
• Forte created, starred, and served as showrunner for the successful series The Last Man on Earth.
• The Last Man on Earth featured impressive guest stars, including Fred Armisen, Kristen Wiig, and Will Ferrell, showcasing Forte's genius.

Will Forte's latest role in the Netflix series, Bodkin, allows him to show off his dramatic side as his character investigates the disappearance of three people in a small Irish town. But this is just the latest project that Forte has used to display his immense acting talent and versatility. With over 120 projects on his resume, Forte consistently brings the heat with every role he takes on. He first burst onto the scene when he became a cast-member on Saturday Night Live in 2002, where he stayed as a cast member for eight seasons. This is where he played one of his signature characters, MacGruber, which he would bring to both the big and small screen with a movie and TV show. Forte has also brought his comedic stylings to audiences with his voice-over work in Clone High, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and The Lego Movie.

But no other project has fully maximized all of Forte's talents like his series, The Last Man on Earth. Besides starring in the project, Forte also created, wrote, and served as showrunner for the Fox show, which ran for four seasons from 2015 to 2018. It earned many rave reviews, and fans quickly became obsessed with the series' zany and hilarious storylines. The series was also nominated for five Emmys in 2015 and 2016, including two nominations for Best Actor and a writing nomination, all for Forte. Although it seemed like The Last Man on Earth struggled to find an audience at times (averaging less than three million viewers per season later on), it was an ideal vehicle for Forte's genius (as well as the stellar abilities of his co-stars).

What Is 'The Last Man on Earth' About?

The series premiered in 2015 and takes place in a post-apocalyptic world set in 2020. A deadly virus had swept across the world (this was some strange foreshadowing, since the Covid-19 pandemic would take place that same year), seemingly leaving only one survivor, Phil Miller (Forte). After years of existing in solitude, Phil finally discovered another person who had outlived the virus, a woman named Carol Pilbasian (Kristen Schaal). Even though the two of them drive each other crazy, Carol insists she and Phil get married and have children in order to repopulate the planet. Eventually, they come across a few other survivors, and each episode follows the crew as they try to exist in a world with no civilization and zero law and order. The supporting cast includes Mad Men's January Jones, Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen, Mel Rodriguez, and Cleopatra Coleman.

Will Forte's 'The Last Man on Earth' Has Impressive Guest Stars

One of the best parts of the show was the guest stars that were brought in as random survivors throughout the series' run (including big names and SNL alums such as Jason Sudeikis, Kristen Wiig, and Fred Armisen). These characters were all given fun and interesting arcs; Sudeikis was Phil's brother who survived the virus as an astronaut who was in space at the time of the outbreak and Wiig was a kooky socialite who lived in an underground bunker before coming across the rest of the characters.

There were also several fantastic cameos by Will Ferrell, Laura Dern, and Jon Hamm that helped entice some viewers to tune in. The Last Man on Earth even made it an ongoing joke to kill off well-known celebrities within a few scenes, so that the audience was never quite sure how long a famous face would stay. Under Forte's direction, the show was never afraid to take risks, and this made it reliably funny and fresh for all four seasons.

'The Last Man on Earth's Cast Has Excellent Chemistry

The reason Forte was able to show off his unique comedic talents was often because of his capable co-stars. Phil was definitely the wackiest of the bunch, as he was shamelessly willing to do anything to keep the group safe and to keep himself amused in a world without traditional entertainment options. But the most fun element was how the rest of the characters reacted to his antics (often with mere annoyance or some well-deserved anger). Typically, the supporting characters acted as "straight men" to Phil's over-the-top weirdness, but they also had a chance to act unusually (such as Jones' descent into madness in Season 3 or pretty much every woman trying to hook up with Rodriguez's character at some point). As a writer for the show, Forte created many uproarious scenes for the entire cast, but it was often his moments acting as Phil that stole the show, especially scenes like in the opening episode when Phil was talking to his friends, who just so happened to be various balls with faces drawn on them, a la Wilson in Cast Away).

The show never rested on its laurels either. In four seasons, there were multiple villains, locales, and interpersonal conflicts within the group. By continuing to switch things up, Forte and the other writers created a brand-new environment for every season. Whether the group was relocating to a Malibu mansion or a hideout in Mexico, there were always new bad guys to come across (as with any post-apocalyptic setting) and new obstacles to overcome. Each character was incredibly different, and this made the events (no matter how wacky) seem somewhat realistic. This group of people would never have been a unit in any other world, and throwing them together as survivors made for many outlandish and truly memorable, laugh-filled moments, such as Carol giving birth standing up, any prank that Phil's brother played on him, and Phil saying "oh, farts" anytime anything dramatic or unfortunate happened.

Despite receiving positive reviews, some critics questioned the staying power of the series. After 67 episodes and a surprising cliffhanger episode that aired in May 2018, Fox announced a week after the finale that Season 5 of The Last Man on Earth would not be happening. The cancellation was a blow to many fans who wanted to know what would have happened next to the survivors. Forte did indicate in an interview that the plan for the following season was to have the survivors interact with another group of people, but that the original crew would accidentally infect and kill off the new characters. Although the series could have had a longer run, The Last Man on Earth still serves as a great introduction to the breadth of Forte's talent. Anyone who needs a good laugh or who wants to check out more of Forte's inherently zany, one-of-a-kind silliness, should run to watch the show.

The Last Man on Earth is available to watch on Hulu in the U.S.

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