# Away (TV series)
**Away** is an American science fiction drama television series created by Andrew Hinderaker for Netflix, starring [Hilary Swank](https://www.edgepedia.org/hilary-swank) as astronaut Emma Green, who commands the first crewed mission to Mars while her husband and teenage daughter remain on Earth. The ten-episode first season premiered on September 4, 2020, and Netflix canceled the series six weeks later, on October 20, 2020.[1](https://www.epguides.com/Away/) • [2](https://www.tvline.com/news/away-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234586313/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Network / run | Netflix; premiered September 4, 2020; all 10 episodes released the same day[1](https://www.epguides.com/Away/) |
| Status | Cancelled after one season, announced October 20, 2020[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/away-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234586313/) |
| Premise | Commander Emma Green leads an international five-person crew on a three-year mission to Mars aboard the spaceship Atlas[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/away-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234586313/) • [3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/away-space-netflix-hilary-swank) |
| Lead cast | Hilary Swank (Emma Green), Josh Charles (Matt Logan), Talitha Bateman (Alexis "Lex" Logan), Mark Ivanir (Misha Popov), Ato Essandoh (Kwesi Weisberg-Adebayo), Ray Panthaki (Ram Arya), Vivian Wu (Lu Wang)[1](https://www.epguides.com/Away/) |
| Creative team | Created by Andrew Hinderaker; executive producers include Jason Katims, Matt Reeves, Edward Zwick, Jessica Goldberg, and Hilary Swank[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/away) |
| Source inspiration | Loosely inspired by Chris Jones' 2014 *Esquire* article about NASA astronaut Scott Kelly's year-long mission aboard the International Space Station[5](https://www.space.com/away-mars-series-netflix-review.html) |
| Reception | Metacritic Metascore 59 (mixed or average, 27 critic reviews); Rotten Tomatoes 61% from 70 reviews[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/away/season-1/) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/away) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and characters
The series follows Emma Green, an American astronaut who leaves her husband Matt ([Josh Charles](https://www.edgepedia.org/josh-charles)), a NASA engineer, and their teenage daughter Alexis ([Talitha Bateman](https://www.edgepedia.org/talitha-bateman)) on Earth to command an international crew on a three-year voyage to Mars in the near future.[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/away-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234586313/) Her four crewmates are Misha Popov from Russia ([Mark Ivanir](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-ivanir)), Kwesi Weisberg-Adebayo from Ghana and England (Ato Essandoh), Lu Wang from China (Vivian Wu), and Ram Arya from India (Ray Panthaki).[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/away-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234586313/) Monique Curnen plays Melissa Ramirez.[1](https://www.epguides.com/Away/)
**Structure of the story.** Each of the five crew members has made personal sacrifices to join the mission, and the perilous eight-month voyage to Mars tests whether those sacrifices were worth it.[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/away-space-netflix-hilary-swank) Flashbacks set in China, Russia, Mumbai, and the [Ghanaian diaspora](https://www.edgepedia.org/ghanaian-diaspora) establish the crew members' backstories, while on Earth Matt cares for Alexis and deals with his own medical condition.[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/away-space-netflix-hilary-swank) • [7](https://time.com/5883066/away-netflix-review/) Creator Andrew Hinderaker described the show as, at its foundation, a love story.[8](https://www.tvguide.com/news/netflixs-away-love-story-says-creator-andrew-hinderaker/)
## Production
Netflix ordered *Away* to series in June 2018 as a 10-episode drama from [Universal Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-television), True Jack Productions, and 6th & Idaho, loosely inspired by [Chris Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-jones)' *Esquire* article of the same name.[9](https://www.thewrap.com/jason-katims-mars-mission-drama-away-ordered-series-netflix/) The executive producer roster included Jason Katims (*Friday Night Lights*), Matt Reeves, Edward Zwick, showrunner [Jessica Goldberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessica-goldberg), and Swank herself.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/away) • [7](https://time.com/5883066/away-netflix-review/) The pilot was directed by Zwick and written by Hinderaker.[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/away-space-netflix-hilary-swank)
The production consulted with NASA on both the writing and the design of the show, working with Bert Ulrich of NASA's Office of Communications.[10](https://scienceandfilm.org/articles/the-science-advisor-behind-netflixs-away/) Reviewers noted the results were uneven: the series depicts pre-breathing (breathing pure oxygen before spacewalks to purge nitrogen) before spacewalks, refueling the spaceship at the Moon, water in the walls for radiation shielding, and [artificial gravity](https://www.edgepedia.org/artificial-gravity) from a rotating section of the ship, but it also shows the crew holding real-time video calls with Earth long into the mission, a communication delay the show eventually acknowledges with a half-hour time lag.[11](https://www.thespacereview.com/article/4041/1) • [3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/away-space-netflix-hilary-swank)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed. Season 1 scored 59 on Metacritic based on 27 critic reviews, labeled mixed or average, and 61 percent on Rotten Tomatoes from 70 reviews.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/away/season-1/) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/away) Positive reviews praised Swank's performance and the show's emotional reach; the *Colorado Springs Gazette* called it a riveting series that goes deeper than a film in chronicling the sacrifice and thrill of such a mission.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/away/season-1/) Critics who were less favorable argued the series leaned on inspirational tropes and family drama at the expense of science: *Variety* wrote that it leans so heavily on the genre's inspirational tropes that it never soars, and *The Independent* described the show as failing to launch.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/away/season-1/) • [12](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/away-netflix-review-hilary-swank-space-astronaut-streaming-a9703306.html) The *Sight & Sound* review judged that the series was at its best when the hardware took the spotlight, citing an on-board chemical fire in the opening episode and a spacewalk repair of stricken solar panels in the second, and concluded that more science and less soap might have enlivened the viewing experience.[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/away-space-netflix-hilary-swank)
## Cancellation
Netflix canceled *Away* on October 20, 2020, about six weeks after its debut, with the news reported by Deadline.[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/away-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234586313/) • [13](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/away-canceled-at-netflix-after-one-season-no-season-2/) The cancellation came amid a cluster of Netflix decisions that autumn ending shows after single seasons or reversing renewals, including *GLOW*, *The Society*, *Teenage Bounty Hunters*, *[The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-dark-crystal-age-of-resistance)*, *Altered Carbon*, and *[I Am Not Okay with This](https://www.edgepedia.org/i-am-not-okay-with-this)*.[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/away-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234586313/) Despite ending, the series remained available on Netflix, streaming in 130 countries as of later listings.[14](https://www.flickfinder.net/tv/away-2020-89233)
## References
1. [Away (a Titles & Air Dates Guide), epguides.com](https://www.epguides.com/Away/)
2. [Netflix's Away Cancelled After 1 Season, TVLine (Vlada Gelman, October 20, 2020)](https://www.tvline.com/news/away-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234586313/)
3. [Away review: more science and less soap would make this space opera soar, Sight and Sound (Trevor Johnston, September 21, 2020)](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/away-space-netflix-hilary-swank)
4. [Away, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/away)
5. [Hilary Swank takes us to Mars in Netflix's 'Away' and tensions run high (review), Space.com](https://www.space.com/away-mars-series-netflix-review.html)
6. [Away season 1, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/away/season-1/)
7. [Hilary Swank Is a Woman Trying to Have It All—in Outer Space—in Netflix's Disappointing Away, Time](https://time.com/5883066/away-netflix-review/)
8. [Away Boss Explains Why Netflix's New Space Drama Is Actually an Epic Love Story, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/news/netflixs-away-love-story-says-creator-andrew-hinderaker/)
9. [Jason Katims Mars Mission Drama 'Away' Ordered to Series at Netflix, TheWrap (June 10, 2018)](https://www.thewrap.com/jason-katims-mars-mission-drama-away-ordered-series-netflix/)
10. [The Science Advisor Behind Netflix's Away, Sloan Science & Film](https://scienceandfilm.org/articles/the-science-advisor-behind-netflixs-away/)
11. [Mars ain't the kind of place to take your kid: Netflix's "Away", The Space Review](https://www.thespacereview.com/article/4041/1)
12. [Away review: Hilary Swank's soccer mom in space fails to launch, The Independent (Ed Cumming, September 4, 2020)](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/away-netflix-review-hilary-swank-space-astronaut-streaming-a9703306.html)
13. ['Away' Canceled at Netflix After One Season; No Season 2, What's on Netflix (October 20, 2020)](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/away-canceled-at-netflix-after-one-season-no-season-2/)
14. [Where to watch Away (2020), FlickFinder](https://www.flickfinder.net/tv/away-2020-89233)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Genre and subject-scripted series › Science fiction television series › Space opera and space adventure series*
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