Space is more of a backdrop for Away’s actual drama, which is about smart, ambitious people getting in each other’s way, and their own, and whether keeping your feet on the ground might not be the better decision.
One of the producers here is Jason Katims ("Friday Night Lights,” “Parenthod”) and the warm familial intimacy of his previous shows flows through “Away.” The cast is uniformly strong and there’s a reason Swank has two Oscars. “Away” isn’t great but it is unique, and that’s good enough.
Like the Atlas itself, “Away” is a beautiful machine that stalls and sputters from time to time but builds momentum as it reaches for the heavens.
The sagas of the families left behind—largely, family life sociology with a touch of soap opera—are, at least, watchable and sometimes better than that. They can’t, however, compare with the irresistible drama of life on the spaceship. ... These 10 hours spent hurtling toward Mars hold the promise of rich entertainment.
Comfortably formulaic.. ... “Away” may not boldly go where no show has gone before, but it reminds us that watching likable people doing their best provides its own simple pleasures.
In some ways this series, with its own Academy Award winner in Hilary Swank, feels like “Gravity: The Series.” However, due to its episodic nature, it goes much deeper than a film can when it comes to chronicling the sacrifice, complexities and thrill the people on this kind of mission would experience. A riveting TV series, “Away” is well worth your time.
I appreciated the way each episode gives us a different astronaut’s backstory, “Lost”-like, to add context to their behavior in space. And I liked thinking big thoughts about what it might be like to spend three years away from the planet, which the astronauts are facing, fighting off despair and loneliness.
Everyone’s well-intentioned, fundamentally decent, and capable. There are no villains, only complicated situations. When someone suggests it’s better for an astronaut to die in space a hero than return home a coward, the argument feels profound, not diabolical. This makes the series dramatically frustrating at times, but given our current social and political climate, it’s also refreshing.
An issue-free mission to Mars doesn’t make for compelling television. So in every episode there is a major and often life-threatening issue for the crew to deal with. This could try our patience as the seasons progress (much like June’s almost-escapes from Gilead have on The Handmaid’s Tale). But for the inaugural 10 episodes it works perfectly, particularly the taut middle episode that have the crew facing a daunting crisis.
one of the first tv series I've seen. Although the CGI is not the best, I found it very compelling. Those who are passionate about space should definitely take a look at it.
Just watched the whole season and loved it, especially with all the news coverage of the Mars lander. The crew went through so much and it felt like I was there with them. Great TV.
This is a great SF serie. I don't understand the low rating of others. Why is it so great? Well firstly a lot of realistic scenes where the science is correct (I don't want to put spoilers in here) Also a good focus on the psychological stress for the astronauts and their family back on earth. The acting is excellent, I, male had to shed a couple of tears which means the acting came through. But if you don't like emotions and prefer starwars this is not your serie! If you enjoyed interstellar you will!
The main characters are very cliched and sci-fi part of the show is just a back drop to a terrible family drama. Watch History channels Mars Docudrama instead if you're interested in a show about going to Mars.
Great directing. Superb acting. Very interesting and intricately knitted storyline. Well researched and very believable.
I was surprised by the low reviews for this good, but not great, show. Then I read a couple of the one-star reviews, and yup, the standard nonsense about "SJWs" and "wimen problems." One person called it a ripoff of The Expanse, which I can't even get my head around. Anyway, once the show ditches the "Russians and Chinese crew don't trust the captain" plot, the show gets more interesting, and the challenges get more serious. The budget is on the screen, the acting is good, and by the end the show has earned the 10 episodes worth of attention. Decent contemporary space drama, with family elements. If that doesn't interest you, you won't be interested.
I thought this was an excellent series. I hope a second season is in planning. I really like a good sci fi with plenty of aliens, explosions, tension and suspense. However, that is not this show! It contrasts the experiences of families and friends of those on the Mars mission - those left behind with those heading to Mars. There are lots of back stories and interesting on-board issues to deal with. Great ending of the first season to look out for too.
Awkward... Oh sorry, i mean "Away" could be renamed "Captain Obvious goes to space!" 90 % of the conversations are narrations of characteristics that aren't portrayed through acting, so they are pointed out! The conversations feel hollow and sound like a list of general bullet points being mentioned. Want human emotions and genuine acting? Well then you are watching the wrong show! Though this is a show about a great Technical endeavor, it doesn't mention any technical facts, or explain how the hell humanity managed to build a lunar base on the moon. Hilary Swank's presence seems to be the sole reason that humanity can go to Mars. Good thing she has a nice ass. Unfortunately her butt cheaks don't explain anything either. The most unprofessional, untechnical and immature NASA people I've ever seen. I give it a 2/10. It is so bad that it repeatedly makes me cringe. This is an EPIC FAIL.
Very good special effects considering that this is a series, not a Hollywood blockbuster. Good work simulating zero gravity and the conditions that Mars voyagers will face in a coming future. A bit forced the fact that comms with Earth happen in real time (this is not possible at all) , but the focus on the lives they left behind during these long years and the choices they need to take build a pretty interesting story.
I like the idea of the show, but the instant communication between the ship and earth is impossible, and the characters wearing so much makeup in space looks silly.
You get much more drama than science in "Away"... sometimes to the point of feeling like soap opera. For sci-fi fans like myself, the biggest disappointment here is that the constant problems that occur with the ship itself and the constant conflict that occurs amongst the various crew members makes it seem like everyone involved is barely competent (with the exception of Matt, the husband/father) -- certainly not how an actual NASA mission to Mars would be. The reality is that there'd be contingency plans for pretty much everything that occurs on the ship, and the crew would not behave like petulant high schoolers. Surprisingly, I found myself most engaged by the teen daughter's experiences; she came off as the most believable. Her father also felt more real given what happens to him. And that's what I expect of a drama, i.e., I expect the characters to behave realistically given the environment/circumstances they find themselves in. If the ship-bound characters (and the problems they encounter) were as believable as the Earth-bound characters, this would be a much better show.
This first season was so well written and so well balanced. Everything shown had a purpose and the story was awesome.
On Netflix: woke Hallmark Channel in space! Multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-gender, multi-sexual-identity, etc, etc space crew with multiple emotional and intellectual deficiencies making them barely able to function in normal daily life are selected by NASA to be the first individuals to go to Mars. Lots of individuals like this kind of entertainment and I’m assuming that this Netflix series will have a following similar to those who like the Hallmark Channel. There are lots of long dialogs between individuals about their feelings followed by additional long dialogs about their feelings followed by more long dialogs about their feelings, etc, etc. This type of genre is popular among a large number of individuals and “Away” will be enjoyed by many people. Any of us who follow dramas involving human space travel recognize that the astronauts invariably are emotionally and intellectually dysfunctional and usually below average in intelligence and sophistication. Because - let’s be honest – smart, emotionally well adapted people can be extremely boring. So, it is necessary for the viewer to suspend credibility and accept that in entertainment films, NASA always picks misfits and dysfunctional people to be astronauts. I found the acting to be quite good. I guess I found 19 year old Talitha Bateman playing the role of 15 year old Alexis "Lex" Logan (Emma and Matt's teenage daughter) to be among the best. I think it is extremely difficult for a young adult to pull off the role of a young teenager – and, Bateman did an excellent job. Sometimes when she was outside the primary dialog, she might drop character and suddenly look like she was 30 years old. I almost always like Hillary Swank and will make some effort to see something she is in. Thus, not surprisingly she was selected for the lead role and did an excellent job. And, the other actors credibly filled their character roles and added interesting twists to their long dialogs regarding their feelings. I had no problem watching all 10 episodes over a 2 day period. And given that - I do not hesitate to recommend this series as worth giving a try. ********************************************** A couple of additional thoughts... On Netflix, individuals often watch multiple episodes in succession. The intermittent splash-screens and other lead-outs and lead-ins between episodes can be distracting and inappropriately clash with the episodic material. Netflix and the directors who create for Netflix should develop a process that lets the ending of an episode smoothly blend with the beginning of the next episode. ****************************************** It is important to recognize that a series must develop first - before it can really take off. So, the first three episodes may typically be building material without much substance and the entire first season may be the foundation for a multi-season series. So, can I imagine that the second season of "Away" could be much better having had the foundation of the first season completed? Yes... absolutely. If there is a second season of "Away" I will definitely watch it. ****************************************************** Reading the reviews by professional critics - and, I say this often - I realize they often have no idea what they are writing about in regard to a new series. Often times they have only watched a couple of the advance episodes of a new series and have no idea how the overall first season will be. I have often found that you need to watch the last two or three episodes of a new series to fully appreciate it.
I was actually very impressed with this series. Admittedly, I also went into it expecting more sci-fi and less drama, but honestly, I wound up blown away by it. The characters are very interesting (aside from maybe a couple who caught the short end of the stick in the backstory department) and it was a joy seeing their development through the season. They all have a very cool chemistry that I can't wait to see develop in season 2. I do think the series' incessant need to have constant conflict and resolution definitely got to be too tiring at times. It got to the point where every episode was like an emotional roller coaster, and I was so exhausted I had to take a break and watch something else. It definitely made me feel like I was there on the journey with the characters, but honestly I wouldn't mind seeing season 2 take a slower approach when it comes to the drama. There were a few specific conflicts in season 1 that were spread out across a multiple episodes and I really liked the pacing there. It felt more natural. I get it's a space opera but maybe a little more space, and a bit less opera for season 2. That said, I think the parts in space were phenomenal. They looked visually impressive and combined with the music (I watched in headphones), really makes you feel the grandness of space. Really, if there's any other reason to check out a few episodes of this show, it's that. There is a scene at the end that is particularly cool and nerdy. I hope season 2 brings them a bigger budget so they can really add in more of these scenes on an even larger scale. Tldr; Great first season! Aside from a few "wtf why/how/ugh sure?" moments, a little too much drama, and a bland, cheesy Christmas episode, this show really blew me away. The characters are interesting, the space scenes are extremely cool and grandiose. And although the story got to be a bit too dramatic at points, I really enjoyed the overall arcs and the journey as a whole. Very much looking forward to season 2.
A mother tells her teen age daughter to take care of her husband/father that just received a stroke and continue a three year long trip to Mars. Thats really **** same if the main character was a man.
I thoroughly enjoyed the show. The characters are interesting, it didn't feel like your typical American shmalz, and the challenges faced in space had me on the edge of my seat. I'm very much looking forward to the next season.
I expected science fiction but instead I watched boring soap opera drama. Low budget does not excuse bad science and utterly boring story.
It just seems like a rip off of The Expanse. Obviously based in more reality and probably co-funded by NASA
Reviewed after episode 2. If it wasn't for the overly dramatic intrigue this show forces into every minute of screen time, I feel like I would enjoy this a lot more. But it seems to grasp for dramatic effect in even the most mundane of things. And a lot of the intrigue comes off as something you would find in college dorm rooms, not with highly trained astronauts. It's hard to get past that - at least for me. The dialog and actions derived from it, simply doesn't seem believable to me. But that said, there is quite a lot to enjoy too. It has a sense of wonder. And the personal stories are also decent enough that I don't feel like they bog the episodes down. I'll probably finish the season, but I hope they stop it with the teenage intrigue. It's really quite annoying.
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