‘Last Man on Earth’ Season 2 Adds ‘The Interview’ Writer as New Showrunner

FOX’s The Last Man on Earth literally went into orbit for its first season finale, but Lord, Miller and Will Forte have come back to Earth a bit for Season 2. The post-apocalyptic comedy has added a writer of The Interview for Season 2, taking over direct showrunning duties for The Last Man on Earth.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, The Office alum and Interview scribe Dan Sterling has joined The Last Man on Earth for Season 2 as both showrunner and executive producer, alongside, Lord, Miller and Forte. The trio had previously divided the lion’s share of creative work for the series, including Forte’s writer’s room presence, as Miller had previously said of Forte:

Will is so instrumental in the writer’s room, and he’s on set all the time and in the edit room. It’s really difficult to keep up the level of quality we want in that many episodes without him dying. We want him to live.

Says FOX of Sterling’s acquisition to the series:

Getting Dan to come to the studio is such a big win for us. It’s bold and original voices like Dan’s which continue to set our company apart from the others, and we’ve had a fantastic time developing with him this past year. He’s also quite possibly Last Man on Earth’s biggest fan — so having him set up shop here and run that show has us all over the moon.

Elsewhere of The Last Man on Earth Season 2, Lord and Miller have discussed the possibility of FOX ordering more than the initial 13 episodes, though likely not as high as 22, while the network has also considered breaking up the second season to air both in the fall and midseason 2016. Additionally, despite his major cameo in both the pilot and season finale “Screw the Moon,” SNL alum Jason Sudeikis is not expected to become a series regular next season.

The Last Man on Earth certainly had its ups and downs, but will Season 2 settle into the right groove with a new showrunner?