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Challenger: The Final Flight

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews

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76

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 8 Ratings

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6.9

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6.9	Your Score
6.9	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 8 Ratings

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Challenger: The Final Flight

Series Details & Credits

Netflix | Release Date: September 16, 2020

Summary: The four-part documentary series takes a look back at the events that led to the Challenger explosion that killed everyone onboard on January 28, 1986.

Genre(s): Movie/Mini-Series, Documentary, Science

Recent Episodes

tbd
S1:E4. Nothing Ends Here
Air Date: September 16, 2020
tbd
S1:E3. A Major Malfunction
Air Date: September 16, 2020
tbd
S1:E2. HELP!
Air Date: September 16, 2020

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

76

Positive:

10

Mixed:

1

Negative:

0

Critic Reviews

100

Primetimer

Aaron Barnhart

Sep 16, 2020

Season 1 Review: Challenger: The Final Flight is an immersive and nearly flawless four-part docuseries that had me hooked from the get-go. And here’s the amazing part — there’s almost no mystery to it. Read full review

88

Chicago Sun-Times

Richard Roeper

Sep 16, 2020

Season 1 Review: We get perhaps the most comprehensive and humanized version of events yet, featuring rare archival footage; recollections of journalists; thoughtful profiles of each of the seven crew members, and insightful, deeply moving interviews with surviving family as well as some of the principal figures in the launch, including some who are haunted to this day by the series of events leading up to the launch. Read full review

80

The Hollywood Reporter

Daniel Fienberg

Sep 15, 2020

Season 1 Review: Challenger: The Final Flight provides an impressive amount of context to the disaster, the lives it claimed and the survivors left behind to pick up the pieces. It's dark and sad and infuriating, but I appreciated its lack of wallowing or frame-by-frame fetishizing. Read full review

80

Decider

Joel Keller

Sep 16, 2020

Season 1 Review: Where the series shines is in the little details, especially when it discussed the lives of the other six crew members who died along with McAuliffe. Read full review

75

The A.V. Club

Noel Murray

Sep 15, 2020

Season 1 Review: The post-mortem passages of The Final Flight represent the series at its best. Like nearly every TV docuseries these days, this one is overlong, and broken up into too many parts. It could easily have been two tightly packed hourlong episodes, rather than three fairly shapeless ones that run around 40 minutes each followed by an excellent concluding one that runs around 50. But that last chapter is so moving—and at times enraging—that it justifies the whole project. Read full review

70

Wall Street Journal

John Anderson

Sep 15, 2020

Season 1 Review: The series does take a deep dive into the story, providing no small amount of drama and some eye-opening details. ... To absolutely appalling effect, however, the filmmakers bring before their camera the very people who gave the green light to a launch that evidently should not have taken place, men who take “blame” but “feel no guilt.” ... To their credit, producer-directors Steven Leckart and Daniel Junge (J.J. Abrams is an executive producer) devote considerable time to all the lost astronauts, interview their survivors where possible, provide their personal stories and extol their virtues. Read full review

60

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Rob Owen

Sep 17, 2020

Season 1 Review: There are few revelations that justify the four-hour running time. ... The fourth hour is the strongest, showing how members of the investigation commission used “bureaucratic jujitsu” to thwart efforts to protect NASA’s image. Read full review

SEE ALL 11 REVIEWS

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6.9

User Reviews

9

mjberggr1504

Oct 31, 2020

The Challenger is a four part documentary series about the space craft of the same name and the tragedy that ensued. While most are aware of the Challengers’ ill fate and the death of all its’ bright and talented crew members, the series digs a bit deeper into the causes. The seriesThe Challenger is a four part documentary series about the space craft of the same name and the tragedy that ensued. While most are aware of the Challengers’ ill fate and the death of all its’ bright and talented crew members, the series digs a bit deeper into the causes. The series essentially recollects the conclusions of the presidential committee investigating the matter, with an interesting footnote from the involvement of Dr. Richard Feynman. To be sure, the story is tragic and the tone is properly emotional and dramatic, with rare archival footage of the reactions of children after watching the disaster unfold in real time. The presence of a teacher aboard the Challenger was especially prescient on young students and their teachers. Ultimately, the Challenger was the result of mismanagement and ill calculated risk. The first priority of NASA at the time was to meet the launch schedule - it was not the safety of the crew risking their lives. It seems NASA’s Public Relations campaign was one harmonious with the ideal of routine space travel and the bright future prospect of widespread travels to the stars for the average citizen. This lofty goal, in part, convinced Congress to provide funding for NASA in the context of an overarching Cold War and a technological space race. Overall, the series is worth viewing, if only to remember the plight of the families left to grieve in the Challenger’s aftermath.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

6

JLuis_001

Apr 9, 2022

I found it quite long despite its competence and I think the fundamental dilemma lies in the fact that the makers seem to go for an emotional tone that they can't lift and the show remains more of an informative affair, which is still good, but let's just say there's no appreciable balanceI found it quite long despite its competence and I think the fundamental dilemma lies in the fact that the makers seem to go for an emotional tone that they can't lift and the show remains more of an informative affair, which is still good, but let's just say there's no appreciable balance between the two pieces.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

5

Tony1984

Aug 2, 2021

The show basically spends its time looking for a bad guy while emoting heavily about those (especially about the teacher) who died in the disaster. The sentimental schmaltz is a far cry from ”The Right Stuff”. Space travel is inherently dangerous. It has a mortality rate of 3% (EverestThe show basically spends its time looking for a bad guy while emoting heavily about those (especially about the teacher) who died in the disaster. The sentimental schmaltz is a far cry from ”The Right Stuff”. Space travel is inherently dangerous. It has a mortality rate of 3% (Everest Climbers are 16%). Amateurs shouldn't go. It's also horrendously expensive. This short series highlights the decline in NASA’s technical and organizational ability. America now trails China and Russia and probably will never catch up. Why? The people of course. One mission control staffer said he was the first non-Anglo-Saxon astronaut. Patently false and insulting to boot. Armstrong was Scottish German Irish. Collins was Irish. If this is the quality of your people then you’re going to have problems.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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Seasons & Episodes

76

Series Overview
Season 1

76
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: September 16, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E4. Nothing Ends Here
  Air Date: September 16, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E3. A Major Malfunction
  Air Date: September 16, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E2. HELP!
  Air Date: September 16, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E1. Space for Everyone
  Air Date: September 16, 2020