Command Z

Command Z is a science fiction comedy web series directed by Steven Soderbergh. The series consists of eight episodes of varying lengths that ultimately comprise a 90-minute runtime.

Cast

 * Michael Cera as Kerning Fealty
 * Roy Wood Jr. as Sam
 * Chloe Radcliffe as Emma
 * JJ Maley as Jamie
 * Liev Schreiber as Kohlberg Pryce
 * Kevin Pollak as Old Kerning Fealty
 * Zoe Winters as Christina Martin
 * Laura Seay as Astrid Jensen
 * Catherine Curtin as Carol
 * Stavros Halkias as Baz Diamandis
 * Mike Houston as Bob Shiner
 * Will Brill as Henry Humphrey
 * Mike Birbiglia as the Time Traveler

Production
In January 2023, Steven Soderbergh announced that he had filmed a science fiction satire series he was calling The Pendulum Project. It was shot in July and August 2022 between shooting Magic Mike's Last Dance and Full Circle in New York. The show was independently financed by Soderbergh, and it was inspired by Kurt Andersen's book Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America: A Recent History. Andersen co-created the series with former Simpsons writer Larry Doyle. It stars Michael Cera, Roy Wood Jr., Chloe Radcliffe, JJ Maley, and Liev Schreiber. Writers include Andersen, Doyle, Wood Jr, Radcliffe, Nell Scovell, Akilah Hughes, Jiehae Park, and Emily Flake.

Release
A secret screening of Command Z was held on June 16, 2023, at the Metrograph in New York City before the series' release. It was officially released on July 17, 2023—the same date that the characters must travel back in time to in the show's universe. The series was made available for purchase on the website of Soderbergh's production company, Extension 765, and proceeds from the series are donated to Children's Aid and the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research.

Reception
The Daily Beast critic Nick Schager wrote that "Soderbergh’s direction is snappy, playful, and efficient, and so too are the series’ scripts," writing that "nicely marries socio-political sharpness and jaded absurdity" to "deliver goofy laughs," yet "without ever resorting to sermonizing." Shannon Connellan at Mashable found the series to be a "superbly acted" thought-provoking series about how small changes can improve the future. "If you're looking for top-tier political, social, and economic commentary on how fucked up the world is, this is the bunch." Chase Hutchinson at Collider gave the series a B−, feeling that the series was sometimes charming but also feeling like Soderbergh used it more as an exercise that he wasn't taking seriously.