Earth to Ned
Earth to Ned is an American television show on Disney+ that began streaming on September 4, 2020 with 10 episodes. It stars Ned, an alien from outer space, who came to planet Earth on a mission to invade it, but upon arriving, fell in love with its pop culture and instead decided that he would rather host a late night talk show to meet and be entertained by Earth's celebrities.[1]
| Earth to Ned | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Puppetry Improvisational comedy |
| Starring | Paul Rugg Michael Oosterom Colleen Smith |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Brian Henson Vince Raisa Joseph Freed Allison Berkeley |
| Running time | 23–25 minutes |
| Production company | The Jim Henson Company |
| Distributor | Disney Platform Distribution Buena Vista Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | Disney+ Sky One |
| Original release | September 4, 2020 – present |
Premise
Sent by his father, the admiral of the fleet, to conquer the planet, Ned arrives on Earth only to become enchanted with Earth's celebrities. Instead of invading the planet, Ned buries his spaceship deep below Earth's crust and abducts celebrities by beaming them to his ship for interviews in the style of a late night talk show.[2] Ned serves as the host, and the show features Cornelius as an alien sidekick from a society that Ned had previously conquered and an unspecified number of much smaller alien beings called CLODS (short for Cloned Living Organism of Destruction) who speak in gibberish and scare the guests. Ned and Cornelius broadcast their show from their spaceship-turned-television studio.[3]
Format
Every episode typically begins with Ned facing some sort of issue or becoming intrigued by an average, every day cultural phenomenon such as sports, pets, or dreams. He will banter with Cornelius and BETI before starting up the show. Cornelius will introduce the first guest, who is usually seen getting beamed into a waiting room (apparently while they were in the middle of some other activity) and will converse with BETI before arriving on set. Sometimes, depending on what Ned is up against, the guest will come straight to the set. Ned will go into the guest's background before segueing into the subject at hand. Sometimes Ned will have them play a game, or have the guest do something relating to their craft, though this is not always the case.
After the first guest is sent home, Ned will send Cornelius to the surface to learn more about the episode's subject. Cornelius will usually interact with a professional of some kind and occasionally will interact with another well known celebrity. Sometimes Ned will instead play a video or Cornelius will sent to fulfill a task of some kind instead. Afterwards, he is brought back where Ned brings on the second guest, who is immediately brought to the set. Once again, Ned goes through a similar interviewing set up and will sometimes have them play a game or not. After the second guest is sent home, Ned will close the show out. A coda usually appears at the end with Ned recording a status report of his supposed conquering of earth which consists of him claiming that something went wrong and that he has to delay the attack. He instead talks about what he has learned about earth culture. It is implied that he is trying to subconsciously convince his superiors, and his father, that earth is not bad and should be spared.
Cast
- Paul Rugg as Ned, the 437-year-old spaceship captain / talk show host. He was tasked with leading an assault on earth, but fell in love with the culture and decided to start a talk show instead. His father is the admiral in charge of their conquering of the galaxy and it is heavily implied throughout the first season that he has a troubled relationship with him. Ned is egotistical and brash, but very curious nonetheless and wants to be informed of all things earth-related. He considers Ben Schwartz to be his arch-nemesis because, in the future, he steals his show, and his favorite earth "cuisine" is mayonnaise.
- Michael Oosterom as Cornelius, lieutenant / talk show co-host. He comes from a race of aliens who have always served Ned's species. He takes to the idea of being a co-host for Ned's show and will introduce the guests. He usually gets sent to the surface to perform field reporting, which usually results in him getting absorbed into the complexities of the subject at hand. He is slightly inept, but witty and makes humorous comebacks when Ned insults him.
- Colleen Smith as BETI, the spaceship's artificial intelligence. She is a charge of energy that powers the ship and doubles as a computer that can glean information. She is sarcastic and cynical and is not above belittling Ned and Cornelius's intelligence. At one point, she felt insulted when guest Thomas Lennon corrected her about American Gothic. She typically appears on a giant screen behind the set.
Production
Executive produced by Brian Henson (son of Jim) and Vince Raisa (a Jim Henson Company veteran), Earth to Ned combines expert puppeteering with witty banter and carefully selected guest appearances.[1] Henson remarked that the show had been something he had been working on for years and was based on the interesting concept of someone or something wholly unfamiliar with humans trying to figure them out. Because the episodes are available at any time of day and therefore accessible to viewers of all ages, Henson focused on making the content family friendly.[4]
The character of Ned requires four puppeteers and two others, for a total of six, to operate, while Cornelius requires three puppeteers.[2] All of the puppets are fully animatronic, with no CGI involved.[4]
Henson revealed that almost none of the interview segments are scripted, with Ned, Cornelius and the guests for each episode improvising the conversation for the various talk show segments.[4]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Guests | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Late Night Ned" | Tom Stern | Sierra Katow, Yassir Lester, Maggie Monahan, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | Andy Richter, Gillian Jacobs | September 4, 2020 | |
| Ned gives up on wanting to take over earth and instead starts a talk show. | ||||||
| 2 | "Laugh Your Ned Off" | Bruce Leddy | Sierra Katow, Yassir Lester, Maggie Monahan, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | Kristen Schaal, Paul Scheer (co-starring Maria Bamford) | September 4, 2020 | |
| Ned tries to get to the bottom of understanding human comedy. | ||||||
| 3 | "I've Got a Ned Feeling About This" | Bruce Leddy | Sierra Katow, Jordan Morris, Maggie Monahan, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | Reggie Watts, Billy Dee Williams, BB-8 | September 4, 2020 | |
| Ned hosts a Star Wars themed show and even gets a visit from BB-8. | ||||||
| 4 | "Night of the Living Ned" | Tom Stern | Sierra Katow, Yassir Lester, Maggie Monahan, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | Lil Rel Howery, Eli Roth | September 4, 2020 | |
| Ned wants to understand why we love to be scared of things. | ||||||
| 5 | "A Ned's Best Friend" | Bruce Leddy | Sierra Katow, Yassir Lester, Maggie Monahan, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | Jenny Slate, Bindi and Robert Irwin | September 4, 2020 | |
| Ned gets advice on how to raise a pet, or in his case a lemon. | ||||||
| 6 | "@NedFromTV" | Tom Stern | Sierra Katow, Yassir Lester, Maggie Monahan, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | NeNe Leakes, Michael Ian Black | September 4, 2020 | |
| Ned and Cornelius become addicted to their phones and social media. | ||||||
| 7 | "The Ned-aissance" | Tom Stern | Sierra Katow, Yassir Lester, Maggie Monahan, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | Raven-Symoné, Thomas Lennon (co-starring Hebru Brantley, Betsy Sodaro) | September 4, 2020 | |
| Ned tries to understand the concept of art and why people like it. | ||||||
| 8 | "Nothin' But Ned" | Tom Stern | Sierra Katow, Yassir Lester, Maggie Monahan, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | Joel McHale, Gina Carano (co-starring Joey Muñoz) | September 4, 2020 | |
| Ned takes a look at the concept of sports and how fun they are. | ||||||
| 9 | "You Better Work, Ned!" | Tom Stern | Sierra Katow, Jordan Morris, Maggie Monahan, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | Rachel Bilson, RuPaul Charles | September 4, 2020 | |
| Ned and Cornelius learn about fashion with the Clods getting in on the act. | ||||||
| 10 | "Ned: The Musical" | Bruce Leddy | Sierra Katow, Jordan Morris, Maggie Monahan, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | Taye Diggs, Rachel Bloom (co-starring Joshua Bassett, Olivia Rodrigo) | September 4, 2020 | |
| Ned tries to get Cornelius to understand musicals by singing about them. | ||||||
| 11 | "Dream a Little Dream of Ned" | Bruce Leddy | Dan Gregor, Sierra Katow, Jordan Morris, Maggie Monahan, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | Ginnifer Goodwin, Alan Tudyk | January 1, 2021 | |
| Ned becomes unnerved at the concept of dreams and what they mean. | ||||||
| 12 | "The Neddies" | Bruce Leddy | Sierra Katow, Yassir Lester, Maggie Monahan, Jordan Morris, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | D'Arcy Carden, Oliver Hudson (co-starring Howard Fine, Lisa Loeb) | January 1, 2021 | |
| Ned hosts his own awards show and becomes obsessed with winning an award. | ||||||
| 13 | "Trancendental Neditation" | Tom Stern | Dan Gregor, Sierra Katow, Yassir Lester, Maggie Monahan, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | Yvette Nicole Brown, Jack McBrayer | January 1, 2021 | |
| Ned learns about how to manage stress and Cornelius visits a rage room. | ||||||
| 14 | "Party Like It's Nineteen Ninety Ned" | Bruce Leddy | Sierra Katow, Yassir Lester, Maggie Monahan, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | Kevin Smith, Aisha Tyler (co-starring Ben Schwartz) | January 1, 2021 | |
| After watching Clueless, Ned becomes obsessed with the 90's and its impact on culture. | ||||||
| 15 | "Alien vs. Nedator" | Tom Stern | Dan Gregor, Sierra Katow, Jordan Morris, Maggie Monahan, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | Sherri Shepherd, Penn & Teller | January 1, 2021 | |
| Ned believes alien conspiracies and wants to explore their validity. | ||||||
| 16 | "Ned Over Heels" | Bruce Leddy | Sierra Katow, Yassir Lester, Maggie Monahan, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | Alyson Hannigan, Ben Feldman | January 1, 2021 | |
| Ned gains a crush on Alyson Hannigan and learns about the ups and downs of love. | ||||||
| 17 | "Ned vs. Food" | Tom Stern | Dan Gregor, Sierra Katow, Jordan Morris, Maggie Monahan, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | Roy Choi, Brenda Song | January 1, 2021 | |
| Ned decides to become a foodie after seeing Cornelius snacking on earth food. | ||||||
| 18 | "CyberNedics" | Tom Stern | Dan Gregor, Sierra Katow, Jordan Morris, Maggie Monahan, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | Mayim Bialik, Margaret Cho | January 1, 2021 | |
| After an argument with BETI, Ned and Cornelius are forced to go low tech while discussing science. | ||||||
| 19 | "Growing Up Ned" | Bruce Leddy | Sierra Katow, Yassir Lester, Maggie Monahan, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | Molly Ringwald, Chris Colfer (co-starring Cristela Alonzo, Grace VanderWaal) | January 1, 2021 | |
| When a Clod runs away, Ned begins to think about the concept of growing up. | ||||||
| 20 | "Like Father Like Ned?" | Bruce Leddy | Dan Gregor, Sierra Katow, Jordan Morris, Maggie Monahan, Eliza Skinner, Adam Stein, Nick Wiger | Jason Ritter, Tig Notaro (co-starring Baron Vaughn) | January 1, 2021 | |
| Ned's father, the Admiral, is coming to earth and Ned learns about what family means. | ||||||
Reception
As of October 4, 2020 (one month after appearing online), Earth to Ned held a 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[5]
Common Sense Media rated the show 3 out of 5 stars, stating: "Parents need to know that Earth to Ned is a semi-scripted celebrity talk show hosted by an alien puppet. There's no physical violence, but some simple expressions of mistrust and dislike are expressed between characters. There's also some innuendo likely to go over kids' heads, and mild potty language like "poop" and "toots." While it's not as overt as typical talk shows where guests plug their latest work in the interviews, several Disney brands like Star Wars and High School Musical are mentioned by name".[6]
New York magazine's blog, Vulture, in praising Earth to Ned called it, "A Joyful Answer To Our Darkest Worry".[7]
According to Robert Lloyd's positive review of Earth to Ned in the Los Angeles Times he said titled his piece, "Restore Your Faith In Humanity With Disney+'s Alien Talk Show, Earth To Ned".[7] and he later placed the show on his top 10 list of television shows in 2020.[8]
According to Paste, Earth to Ned was ranked 14th in their top 2020 funniest shows of 2020 list[9] as well as a top 5 late night show.[10]
References
- Decider Stream it or skip it: 'Earth to Ned' on Disney+, a Henson-produced talk show hosted by an alien who likes Earth too much to invade, September 4, 2020
- Collider 'Earth to Ned' review: Disney+'s most bizarre original series is an unexpected delight, September 2, 2020
- AV Club How do you get six puppeteers to improvise as one alien talk show host? Ask Brian Henson, September 4, 2020
- CBR Brian Henson talks bringing new alien talk show, Earth to Ned, to the small screen, September 5, 2020
- "Earth to Ned". Retrieved December 28, 2020 – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
- "Earth to Ned - TV Review". www.commonsensemedia.org. September 4, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- Clark, Anne Victoria (October 2, 2020). "Earth to Ned Is a Joyful Answer to Our Darkest Worry". Vulture. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
- "The 10 best TV shows of 2020". Los Angeles Times. December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
- "The 20 Funniest TV Shows of 2020". pastemagazine.com. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
- Martin, Garrett (December 17, 2020). "The Best Late Night Shows of 2020". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
