I can’t remember the last time I was this excited for an impending TV series, but I cannot wait to see The Last Man on Earth.  The Fox comedy hails from creator Will Forte and executive producers Phil Lord & Chris Miller—you know, the geniuses behind 21 Jump Street, The LEGO Movie, and Clone High.  Forte stars in the show as Phil Miller, the literal last man on Earth who is living out his days alone on the planet.  We previously saw a teaser for the show before production began, giving us a brief taste of what we might expect from the series.  Forte subsequently grew out a massive beard before beginning production on the show in earnest, and despite the title, we now have a few new additions to the cast that include Mad Men alum January Jones and Bob’s Burgers star Kristen Schaal.  More after the jump.

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Per TV Line, January Jones, Kristen Schaal, Mel Rodriguez (Enlisted), and Cleopatra Coleman (Step Up Revolution) are joining the cast of The Last Man on Earth.  The specifics of the plot have been kept under wraps, but TV Line notes that portions of the story will be told in flashback, so it's possible some or all of the aforementioned actresses will be playing characters Forte knew before the end of the world.  Schaal is a comedy veteran who’s had memorable appearances on The Daily Show and 30 Rock, but Jones has been committed to heavy drama with Mad Men for quite some time now.  She has comedy experience from earlier films like American Wedding and Love Actually, so it will be interesting to see how she fares in what’s sure to be an absurdly hilarious series.

Forte hatched the idea for the show with Lord and Miller, who previously told us that they would be heavily involved in the series, overseeing the writers room and directing the first few episodes themselves.  They also said that the season will consist of just 10 episodes, set to debut in 2015, but it’s unclear if The Last Man on Earth is planned as a close-ended limited series or if it will return for a second season.

Whatever the case, I am really looking forward to seeing this thing when it finally airs.  Fox hasn’t announced a premiere date just yet, but it might show up either in the spring or summer of next year.

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