One of America’s Favorite Comedians Is Setting Out for Space
Steve Carell is making a return to the world of TV comedy in Space Force. Here’s how Ranker readers feel about the comedian, as well as the performances that led up to this highly anticipated Netflix farce.
Photo: Netflix
There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the latest comedy on Netflix: it’s timely, it features the last TV performance from the late Fred Willard, and it comes from The Office creator Greg Daniels. But the biggest reason to binge-watch this highly anticipated show is easy to name, and that name is Steve Carell.
Carell is one of the most beloved performers among Ranker readers — fans of his work in television, film, and his status as an awesome, down-to-earth celebrity have voted him up on dozens of Ranker lists. Anticipating the release of Space Force on May 29th, we took a look at all the data we could find on Carell and the roles he’s taken on, from The Daily Show to Despicable Me. Here are 10 of the most interesting facts we found.
He’s One Of The Best Comedians Of All Time
Photo: Dreamworks
It’s not just Life magazine that thinks so — more than 40,000 voters have named Carell one of the Funniest People Of All Time, landing him all the way up at #3 on Ranker’s list of 362 very funny people (voters in both Delaware and New Mexico put him at #1). Only Robin Williams and Jim Carrey are higher up. It’s in no doubt due to the popularity of The Office, which is #7 on our list of the Greatest TV Shows Of All Time.
Carell is also considered not just one of, but the greatest unrecognized actor. He’s #1 on our list of Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won An Emmy (For Acting). Here’s hoping his turn in Space Force can change that.
The Only Place Where Most People Don’t Love Him Is The Northeast
Photo: Ranker
NOTE: On the map featured to the right, blue represents upvotes, while red represents downvotes. The darker blue a region is, the more positively they feel about the movie in question — the darker red it is, the more negatively they feel.
The vast majority of the US has an overall positive view of Steve Carell, especially the South, where 82% of people view him favorably. The only place where less than half of people like him (45%) is the Northeast. Maybe the people of Scranton, PA, resent that Michael Scott is their most famous fictional resident?
His Fans Tend To Be Politically Liberal
Photo: Funny or Die
Ranker Insights says that people who like Carell are 3X more likely to also approve of Barack Obama, and they’re even more likely to like Michelle Obama. The president they’re most likely to vote up on Ranker is John F. Kennedy, and they’re 2X more likely than the average Ranker reader to be fans of Bernie Sanders.
Carell fans are also less likely than your average person to approve of Jeb Bush or Sarah Palin. Their least favorite president is Kennedy’s 1960 rival, Richard Nixon.
Despicable Me? Not In The Top Three
Photo: Dreamworks
Carell plays the evil but lovable supervillain Gru in Despicable Me, and it’s undoubtedly one of his most popular movies, ranked the #2 Best Animated Film Ever, with only The Lion King ahead of it. But among Carell’s fans, it’s down at #4 behind comedy heavy-hitters like Anchorman and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, as well as the rom-com Crazy, Stupid, Love.
His Comedy Instincts Are Second To None
Photo: NBC
Like many other comedians, Carell got his start in the comedy troupe The Second City, and you can tell he’s retained all that training. He’s clearly got a knack for live performances: voters rank him the #3 Greatest Daily Show Correspondent of all time, and he’s the #21 best SNL host of the last decade. That and his behind-the-scenes reputation for improvising many of his lines in both movies and films earned him the #7 spot on our list of the greatest improv comedians ever.
Fans Are Less Excited About His Dramatic Roles
Photo: Searchlight Pictures
Little Miss Sunshine surprised everyone in 2006, winning big at the box office despite being a small indie film and eventually winning the Oscar for best screenplay. It also surprised Carell fans by showing his range as an actor. But while Little Miss Sunshine is the #5 best Steve Carell movie, according to Ranker, his other more serious roles are less popular among our voters. 2018’s Welcome to Marwen is seen positively by 50% of readers. Vice is approved of by just 47% of the population, and 2014’s Foxcatcher is liked by 45%
But that could change soon. There’s not enough data available on The Morning Show yet to draw hard conclusions, especially since Apple TV’s audience remains relatively small. That said, the votes we do have so far on the show, which features Carell in a big dramatic role, are 67% positive.
Critics — But Not TV Fans — Loved The Comedy Show He Created
Photo: TBS
Angie Tribeca was a police procedural satire that ran for four seasons on TBS, starring Rashida Jones as a no-nonsense detective. The show, which was created by Carell and his wife Nancy (but did not feature Carell as an actor) got rave reviews from critics, which is why it has a 96% approval on Rotten Tomatoes. On Ranker, however, TV fans’ response is overwhelmingly negative. Only 32% of all votes collected on Angie Tribeca are positive.
He Starred In One Of America’s Favorite Rom-Coms Ever
Photo: Warner Bros