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Astronauts never really went out of style, but they’re especially hot right now. Between President Donald Trump’s new Space Force, our quest to find life on Mars, and the growing sentiment that living in a galaxy far, far away wouldn’t actually be that bad, it seems like space is THE trend of 2018 — and the entertainment world is taking note.
Practically every major streaming service is releasing an astronaut-themed drama in the next few months, and each sounds more exciting than the last. The trend isn’t confined to TV, either: films like Damian Chazelle’s First Man are brining the space race to the big screen, as well. We’re talking Earth-bound astronauts, futuristic space explorers, and alien-obsessed scientists (oh my!), all of whom will be letting Houston know that they’ve got a problem.
Amid all this space-y content, it’s easy to feel lost. How exactly is HBO’s astronaut series different from Netflix’s? Is Joel Kinnaman in Lost In Space or The First (the answer is neither). And when the heck are all these series premiering? We don’t blame you for getting a little confused — there can only be so many space excursions. In order to help clear things up, we’ve collected all the necessary info about each upcoming series into a single list. Consider this your official guide to all the astronaut dramas on streaming.
'The First'
Title: The First
Platform: Hulu
Premiere Date: September 14, 2018
Stars: Sean Penn, Natascha McElhone, Rey Lucas
Creator: Beau Willimon
In this Hulu drama, Sean Penn stars as Tom Hagerty, a veteran astronaut attempting to become the first man on Mars. Hagerty leads a group of less-experienced explorers in the mission, which is funded by a wealthy CEO obsessed with space travel (McElhone). As the launch date nears, the astronauts begin to grapple with the possibility that they could be leaving Earth — and their loved ones — for good.
'Mars' Season 2
Title: Mars Season 2
Platform: NatGeo
Premiere Date: November 12, 2018
Stars: Jihae Kim, Jeff Hephner, Esai Morales, Roxy Sternberg, Clementine Poidatz, Alberto Ammann
Creators: Justin Wilkes, Ben Young Mason
The astronauts of The First aren’t the only humans trying to land on Mars. Set in the year 2033, Mars tells the story of a group of astronauts attempting to set foot on the Red Planet. The group lands successfully (although they do experience some problems) and sets out to colonize Mars, but their task quickly becomes more difficult than expected. Intercut with this fictional story are real, present-day interviews with various scientists and entrepreneurs, including Elon Musk and Neil deGrasse Tyson, who explain the conditions the astronauts will face while living on Mars.
Season 2 picks up in the year 2042, nine years after the events in Season 1. The astronauts have developed a fully-functional colony, but in order to fund their mission, they must turn to the private sector. Will they being able to pull off their daring mission?
'Lost in Space' Season 2
Title: Lost in Space Season 2
Platform: Netflix
Premiere Date: TBA
Stars: Molly Parker, Toby Stephens, Maxwell Jenkins
Creators: Irwin Allen, Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless
Lost in Space follows the Robinson family, a group of intergalactic explorers who are selected for a mission about the spacecraft Resolute. Before they reach their destination, an alien robot crashes into the shuttle, and the Robinsons, along with other families completing the same mission, are forced to evacuate to a nearby planet. There, the Robinsons are forced to fight against all kinds of dangers to survive and return to the Resolute.
Netflix has yet to set a premiere date for Lost in Space Season 2, but filming is expected to begin this fall.
'Another Life'
Title: Another Life
Platform: Netflix
Premiere Date: TBA
Stars: Katee Sackhoff, Selma Blair, Samuel Anderson, Elizabeth Faith Ludlow, Tyler Hoechlin, Justin Chatwin
Creators: Aaron Martin, Noreen Halpern
Netflix’s upcoming sci-fi series follows Niko Breckinridge (Sackhoff), an astronaut searching for alien intelligence. Niko leads a crew of researchers on a mission to explore the genesis of an alien artifact, but they soon realize that they have put themselves in an immensely dangerous situation. Will Niko and her team make it out alive, or is this a one-way mission?
Another Life doesn’t have a premiere date yet, but Netflix seems confident in the series: the streamer gave the show a 10-episode order back in April, and they have been casting young actors left and right ever since.
Untitled Ron D. Moore Series
Title: TBA
Platform: Apple
Premiere Date: TBA
Stars: Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, Sarah Jones
Creator: Ron D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, Ben Nedivi
This still-untitled series from Outlander‘s Ron D. Moore imagines a world in which the space race never ended. Kinnaman will star as Edward Baldwin, a top NASA astronaut who is heavily involved in the United States’ space exploration program. Dorman and Jones will play Gordo and Tracy Stevens, a prominent married couple at NASA. Additional details are being kept under wraps, but the series will likely be a major focal point of Apple’s streaming platform when it finally debuts.
'Avenue 5'
Title: Avenue 5 (working title)
Platform: HBO
Premiere Date: TBA
Stars: Hugh Laurie
Creator: Armando Iannucci
HBO is currently working on a pilot for a future-set astronaut dramedy from Veep creator Armando Iannucci. Laurie will star as space explorer Ryan Clark, the charming an in-control captain of shuttle Avenue 5. HBO has yet to give the show a full-series order, but both Laurie and Iannucci have proven track records, so it seems likely that the network will commit to the series long-term.
