One of the subjects I get really into is astronomy and space. The Husband and I regularly attend lectures at the National Air and Space Museum, I devour any articles related to space that I come across, and we have several books about the subject sitting on our shelves. We're even scheduled for a Dark Sky vacation in the fall.
This love of space meant that the National Geographic Channel's docudrama, Mars, landed on my "To Watch" list when I heard about it before it premiered. Well, the show came out in 2016 and we just got around to watching it. I don't know why we waited so long. I loved every minute. Sure, there were little bits of science and plot holes you had to overlook for the sake of narrative TV, but the acting and production quality more than make up for that.
The first season was comprised of 6 episodes and we watched all of them in two days. The reason I loved the series is that it combines scripted storytelling with interviews of scientists, space entrepreneurs, and science lovers. The two parts balance each other to develop a narrative of how humankind would manage to reach the red planet and create it's first colony on a foreign world. The show looks at the kind of problems we'd have to solve and offers realistic portrayals of how humans would survive on a hostile planet. The astronauts are tasked withing finding a place to create their new home, growing food, generating power, sustaining a water source, and handling human behavior in a tense situation.
Mars is not a low budget production. While there are no big name actors in the series, it is produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer among others. The show is created with care to ensure the science is realistic and the sets and special effects are all top notch. While there is a bit of leaning into wish fulfillment (I'm looking at you season finale cliff hanger), nothing seems so unbelievable as to pull you out of the show. If you loved The Martian or Apollo 13, you will enjoy this series as well.
Season 2 of Mars is scheduled to premier in the fall and we plan on watching it as soon as possible this time. We'll probably even rewatch the first season once or twice for good measure.
This love of space meant that the National Geographic Channel's docudrama, Mars, landed on my "To Watch" list when I heard about it before it premiered. Well, the show came out in 2016 and we just got around to watching it. I don't know why we waited so long. I loved every minute. Sure, there were little bits of science and plot holes you had to overlook for the sake of narrative TV, but the acting and production quality more than make up for that.
The first season was comprised of 6 episodes and we watched all of them in two days. The reason I loved the series is that it combines scripted storytelling with interviews of scientists, space entrepreneurs, and science lovers. The two parts balance each other to develop a narrative of how humankind would manage to reach the red planet and create it's first colony on a foreign world. The show looks at the kind of problems we'd have to solve and offers realistic portrayals of how humans would survive on a hostile planet. The astronauts are tasked withing finding a place to create their new home, growing food, generating power, sustaining a water source, and handling human behavior in a tense situation.
Mars is not a low budget production. While there are no big name actors in the series, it is produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer among others. The show is created with care to ensure the science is realistic and the sets and special effects are all top notch. While there is a bit of leaning into wish fulfillment (I'm looking at you season finale cliff hanger), nothing seems so unbelievable as to pull you out of the show. If you loved The Martian or Apollo 13, you will enjoy this series as well.
Season 2 of Mars is scheduled to premier in the fall and we plan on watching it as soon as possible this time. We'll probably even rewatch the first season once or twice for good measure.
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