Space Chimps

Right now you can watch Space Chimps in Australia on Amazon Prime Video and Stan, and in the US on Starz Apple TV Channel and The CW — and it is funnier than its reputation suggests. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. A 5/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Andy Samberg leads a cast with real comic timing. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Amazon Prime Video.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Space Chimps is worth clearing space for. Space Chimps gets the fundamentals right first, then finds room to get weird with it. When an unmanned space shuttle crashes on an uncharted planet, a trio of astronaut chimpanzees are launched by NASA into a wormhole to investigate. Andy Samberg and Cheryl Hines lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2008. The real test of any comedy is whether it is still funny once you know all the jokes, and Space Chimps holds up on rewatch in a way that separates it from one-off curiosities. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Space Chimps is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Andy Samberg's comic timing carries it through its weaker moments. The kind of comedy you recommend to someone who claims they do not watch much.