#46: Josh in "Future Man" (2017-2020)

Here it is...what I've been teasing for a while...my favorite Josh Hutcherson project is...*drumroll please*...Future Man! So why is that? Let's get into it!

Josh keeps his first name in this Hulu series and plays Josh Futturman, a 20-something video-game-loving janitor who lives with his parents. Personally, I find him to be one of his most relatable characters. I'll bet we've all felt like Josh Futturman at one point or another - maybe we got stuck in a job we didn't intend on doing long-term, maybe we've wondered what else we could do with our lives, maybe we've lived at home longer than we intended, maybe we've clung to hobbies obsessively (like gaming) to cope. While not all of those traits apply to me, some definitely do, and again, I bet the general audience can relate to some degree.

In my opinion, Josh Futturman is also his most loveable character (Peeta fans - don't come for me!). He's so awkward that it's super endearing, the right amount of goofy, a family man who is close with his parents...I could go on and on. (And I quite literally could, cause this is my blog, but I'll spare ya'll for now.)

Instead, let's go over the plot for those of you who haven't seen this 3 season masterpiece and then break down Josh's performance. In Future Man, Josh Futturman is an ordinary dude working as a janitor at Kronish labs, a facility researching sexual disease intervention, when his whole life changes in the blink of an eye. After winning Biotic Wars, his favorite video game, he's rewarded with a visit from the game's main characters Tiger and Wolf...who declare him "Future Man" and expect his help saving the world. The result? Josh Futturman is forced to embody "Future Man"...even though he was really only a badass in the gaming world...and help Tiger and Wolf save humanity. The series involves time travel, fighting, adventure, and a whole lot of laughs. Josh's character even meets alternate versions of himself, a-la-MCU-multiverse style!

The show could be defined as a "raunchy" comedy, and it definitely puts Josh's character in some silly situations (including cross dressing as part of a disguise) but the show sets itself up for that - at no point does the audience get the vibe this show needs to be taken seriously. It's a true comedy, created to be fun, creative, and unique - and trust me, it is all of the above!

Future Man is also a cool career milestone for Josh. This is technically the first time he's been the leading man in a TV series. Streaming series or not, he the main face for three seasons of a show, which we had yet to see before this. Up until this point, Josh's career had been in mostly film, so this was a nice detour. It's also the most "raunchy" comedy Josh has on his resume so far. He's no stranger to comedy, and has been in many different types of comedy like sci-fi-comedy, family-comedy, thriller-comedy, but Future Man marks a new territory for Josh that he enters like he owns the place!

Josh's confidence while acting in comedy, which we saw when he hosted SNL back in 2013, does him a lot of favors. You can tell he lets loose, does his thing, and doesn't let the judgment of others, gender roles, or anything else get in his way of doing his job and making people laugh. Future Man's raunchiness requires that of Josh - there are some sexual scenes and sexual language throughout the series, but hey...they got the takes! I'd imagine it's not easy to remain professional when using such intimate language or discussing or partaking in intimate things on set (I'd probably laugh...or cringe...or both) so kudos to Josh for challenging himself with the Future Man script.

I could probably write a ten page thesis on Future Man, but instead, I'll wrap here and urge you to go watch the series. While it's no longer on Hulu, it is available for purchase on major digital-media selling retailers like Amazon and Fandango Now.

Peace and Joshperity,

G