Will Forte does some of his best comedic work as Phil Miller, the apparent lone survivor of an apocalypse on Fox’s “The Last Man on Earth.” The “Saturday Night Live” alum created the quirky and heartfelt sci-fi comedy, which follows Phil (aka “Tandy”) as he searches for fellow survivors in the year 2020 after a plague wipes out humanity. Kristen Schaal, January Jones, Mel Rodriguez, Cleopatra Coleman, and Mary Steenburgen co-starred as the eclectic group of survivors.
The Emmy-nominated sitcom debuted in 2015 with strong ratings. Viewership steadily declined after the promising start, and <a href="https://www.tvline.com/recaps/last-man-on-earth-series-finale-recap-cancelled-renewed-season-5-941743/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>”The Last Man on Earth” was canceled in 2018 after four seasons. Forte has said he does “miss” the show and that it would “be fun” revisit, but he wasn’t entirely upset it ended.
“I’m so proud of that show, and when it first got canceled, I was so happy. I mean, it was so tough, physically and mentally, just because of the workload,” Forte told Decider in 2023. “I don’t know that I would’ve made it through another season without breaking down physically or mentally.”
The show’s cliffhanger ending would have been explored in Season 5
“The Last Man on Earth” concluded its network TV run with a major cliffhanger involving the central group of survivors settling in Mexico. The gang soon discovers they’re not alone as dozens of mysterious individuals wearing gas masks emerge. The eerie moment prompts Forte’s Tandy to say what became the show’s final line: “Oh farts.”
Forte revealed on Vulture’s “Good Ones” podcast how this revelation would have been explored in Season 5. “[These people] went down [into the bunker] when the virus had first started. They had some kind of medical expert or scientist who knew, ‘At this certain point, the virus will be dormant. You’ll be safe to get back out,’ and they had reached that point,” he explained.
“Then they see a bunch of stragglers — us — and we represent a real threat to them, because they thought [everyone] was dead, so they quarantine us,” he continued. “We eventually communicate with them a little bit [and] they get comfortable with us. They look scary but they end up being nice people.”
Variety reported in January 2026 that Disney+ greenlit a French remake of the series.
Enjoyed this article? Sign up to TVLine’s free newsletter, and follow us on Google or add us as a preferred search
Read the original article on TVLine.
