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Michael Shelby "Mike" Miller is the estranged younger brother of Phil Miller.
Mike is an accomplished scientist who has been surviving in Earth's orbit aboard the International Space Station for about three years. Similar to his brother, he talks to worms while stuck in space, due to loneliness. Mike decides to go down to Earth via the descent module in "Silent Night" and reaches Earth in "Pitch Black".
Mike eventually reunites with his brother at the end of "Fish in the Dish" after a long journey, but after the group believes he has been infected with the virus, Mike results to moving to Tucson in "30 Years of Science Down the Tubes".
In honor of Mike's presumed death, Phil and Carol name their second twin baby girl after Mike in "Double Cheeseburger".
Mike is portrayed by actor Jason Sudeikis.
Biography
In his adolescent years at age 15, Mike had saved a family of four, along with two dogs from a burning 1998 Nissan Altima, as revealed from a photograph in "The Open-Ended Nature of Unwitnessed Deaths". It also reveals that he thwarted the school shooting of Tucson's Green Valley High. More accomplishments include of his three-pointer shot resulting in a win of his high school basketball's team championship game, as well as his credentials as an honor student. Mike also met President Obama, before going into space.
Mike was briefly seen in a family portrait in "Alive in Tucson" and Phil dressed up as his supposed-twin brother Mike in "Pranks for Nothin'".
At the end of "Screw the Moon", he attempts to call Houston for assistance. Unable to reach anybody, he wonders if there are any survivors left. Phil also reveals to Carol that he used to have a brother.
In "Is There Anybody Out There?", Mike continues to be stranded in space. He thinks of leaving via the descent module but believes it may be too risky. While in space, Mike says goodbye to some of his remaining worms by sending them off into space.
In "No Bull", Mike attempts to fix his radio, as he is on the International Space Station. Eventually fixing it, he switches between radio stations and soon believes he has found somebody. However, it turns out to be an echo of his own voice. Frustrated over this, Mike breaks the radio and various things inside the station. Later that night, Mike inhales a large amount of nitrous oxide.
Mike begins to suffer in space in "Secret Santa". Mike finds that his last worm, Terry, has died and sends off into space. Realizing he is now fully alone, Mike plans to release himself into space. Looking back into the station, Mike sees a recently newborn worm. Attempting to abort the air lock, Mike fails to abort it and is launched into space, while in a spacesuit. As Mike is launched into space, he manages to get himself back to the station using the tether still connected to it in "Silent Night". Naming his recently newborn worm, "Phil", the two have no other choice but to attempt to re-enter Earth using the descent module. Upon re-entry, Mike's descent module capsule burns up.
When Mike crash lands on Earth in "Pitch Black", he immediately finds Pat's boat, named "Deez Knots". Upon boarding the ship, Mike finds it empty but is soon interrupted by Pat, who aims a harpoon gun at Mike. With Mike and Pat shortly becoming acquaintances, they enjoy each other's company, but Mike's repeated actions of asking to go to land cause some tension.
Despite this, Pat agrees to go to land for supplies with Mike, but when Mike notices one of Phil's "Alive in Tucson" signs, Pat knocks him out with a wrench. When Mike later wakes up, Pat's delusional beliefs that the virus was set up with the government causes Mike to be unable to get his freedom to stay on the land. But, when Pat drops his gun to "disinfect" Mike, Mike tries to grab the gun, only for the two to rustle and get hit again in the head with a rock. As Pat calms down, he notices a tear in Mike's suit and leaves him in a nearby triage operation in Miami Beach, Florida. Pat then later returns to his boat with Mike's worm, named Phil.
In "Fish in the Dish", Phil learns he is sterile and is unable to have children with Carol. However, when Phil tells Carol, she is distracted by someone running on the beach. Phil and the group turn around for Phil to find that it's Mike. As they near each other, Phil immediately punches Mike in the groin. In "Skidmark", Phil continues to fight Mike, but they end up reuniting with happiness. As the group begins to give their attention to Mike, Phil decides to seek revenge against Mike in "Fourth Finger". Phil's pranks end up being no match against Mike, but things get a little too far when Phil fakes a letter to burn from their parents, but they end up patching things up for good. With them on even terms, they begin singing songs together in "Falling Slowly", and even becomes Phil and Carol's sperm donor. In "Smart and Stupid ", Mike begins to cough up blood, a sign that he could be infected with the virus. Despite Phil believing it's just a cold, the group tries to kick him out when the cow ends up dead, and he ends up quarantined in a bubble. After Phil and Carol get pregnant with Phil's child, Mike begins to bond with Erica, and the two share a kiss while Mike is in his quarantined bubble. The group is still hostile towards Mike and demand him to leave, but Phil objects to this and promises to be by Mike's side. During the night, as Phil sleeps by the bubble, Mike leaves a goodbye note for him. After heading to the Miller House in Tucson in "30 Years of Science Down the Tubes" to visit Mike, Phil tries to keep him company, but as Mike's "dying wish", Phil returns to Malibu. In "General Breast Theme with Cobras", Phil's affiliation with Mike causes Pat to attempt to kill Phil, after briefly invading the Malibu mansion with Lewis and Darrell.
In "The Open-Ended Nature of Unwitnessed Deaths", Lewis mentions that while he did not see Mark pass away, Phil got to see his own accomplishments and some of his more ridiculous ones. As he heads to Mike's door, he cannot come to terms that his dead brother's body may be in there and decides to leave a note for him as well. He notices his sports balls and takes Gary with him. Lewis and Phil then return to San Jose, California to the office building.
Mike is also mentioned by Phil as one of Melissa's attempts to emotionally hurt the group in "The Spirit of St. Lewis" and is mentioned again by Erica as she explains how her hope is gone since Mike had died. Mike is mentioned again in "Hair of the Dog" by Melissa in the same attempt to emotionally hurt Phil.
Episode Appearances
- "Alive in Tucson" (photograph)
- "Pranks for Nothin'" (mentioned)
- "Screw the Moon"
- "Is There Anybody Out There?"
- "No Bull"
- "Secret Santa"
- "Silent Night"
- "Pitch Black"
- "Valhalla" (mentioned)
- "Fish in the Dish"
- "Skidmark"
- "Fourth Finger"
- "Falling Slowly"
- "Smart and Stupid"
- "30 Years of Science Down the Tubes"
- "General Breast Theme with Cobras" (mentioned & photograph)
- "The Wild Guess Express" (mentioned)
- "The Open-Ended Nature of Unwitnessed Deaths (mentioned & photographs)
- "The Spirit of St. Lewis" (mentioned)
- "Hair of the Dog" (mentioned)