Away

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.

Away works on several levels, at its best as a gripping and spectacularly produced cinematic space opera. [31 Aug - 13 Sep 2020, p.7]

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 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.

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.

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.