If you're familiar with Tim Heidecker and John C Reilly's work together, you know exactly what you are getting. The focus of the show is the foibles of incompetent NASA employees trying to maintain a Moon base training program. The humor is awkward, subtle, and generally revolves around the interactions between seemingly incompatible characters who struggle to keep things afloat. For instance, you have a Captain desperately trying to impress his crew by any means necessary - from having a foot race with competing astronauts to digging a well in the middle of a dessert to try and stop a water crisis. It reminds me a bit of season 1 of the Office.
This was never going to be a Big Bang Theory, there aren't laugh tracks and it isn't meant to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Therefore, I think it is unfortunately not going to be a big hit with critics or general audience. Showtime may not be the best home for Moonbase 8, but I hope that it lives on for a season 2.
