# Constellation (2024 TV series)
**Constellation** is a 2024 science-fiction psychological thriller television series created and written by Peter Harness for Apple TV+, starring [Noomi Rapace](https://www.edgepedia.org/noomi-rapace) as Jo Ericsson, a [European Space Agency](https://www.edgepedia.org/european-space-agency) astronaut who returns to Earth after a disaster aboard the [International Space Station](https://www.edgepedia.org/international-space-station) and finds that key pieces of her life seem to be missing or different.[1](https://www.tvline.com/news/constellation-cancelled-no-season-2-apple-tv-plus-1235237832/) The eight-episode season premiered on February 21, 2024 and Apple TV+ canceled the series after one season on May 10, 2024, six weeks after its late-March finale.[1](https://www.tvline.com/news/constellation-cancelled-no-season-2-apple-tv-plus-1235237832/) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/news/3916/constellation-constellation-canceled-at-apple-tv-after-one-season)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premiere | February 21, 2024, with the first three episodes released on Apple TV+[3](https://eta.creativecirclecdn.com/sumter/files/20240220-191657-0221Binder1.pdf) |
| Format | Eight-episode psychological sci-fi thriller; first season only[1](https://www.tvline.com/news/constellation-cancelled-no-season-2-apple-tv-plus-1235237832/) |
| Lead | Noomi Rapace as Jo Ericsson, an astronaut for the European Space Agency[1](https://www.tvline.com/news/constellation-cancelled-no-season-2-apple-tv-plus-1235237832/) |
| Creator | Peter Harness (Wallander, The War of the Worlds, Doctor Who), also showrunner[1](https://www.tvline.com/news/constellation-cancelled-no-season-2-apple-tv-plus-1235237832/) |
| Principal cast | Jonathan Banks, James D'Arcy, Rosie and Davina Coleman, William Catlett, Julian Looman, Barbara Sukowa[1](https://www.tvline.com/news/constellation-cancelled-no-season-2-apple-tv-plus-1235237832/) |
| Production | Turbine Studios and Haut et Court TV; shot principally in Germany[4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dAaLbsQSzI) |
| Status | Cancelled after one season, reported May 10, 2024[1](https://www.tvline.com/news/constellation-cancelled-no-season-2-apple-tv-plus-1235237832/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
The series begins with a disaster on the International Space Station: while Jo is on a video call with her family from orbit, an unidentified object collides with the station, critically injuring an American astronaut and cutting off communication with the ground.[5](https://time.com/6696919/constellation-review-apple-tv/) Jo, the lone astronaut able to make the journey, returns to Earth to discover that key pieces of her life, including her young daughter, have changed.[6](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/constellation/umc.cmc.3lvo8a7ezxpysdy3gou3fsns0?at=10l3Qe&itscg=30200&itsct=tv_box_link) In Apple's press materials, the series is described as probing the shadowy corners of the human mind while following a single woman's frantic struggle to uncover the truth behind space travel's concealed past and win back everything taken from her.[7](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/constellation/)
**Quantum ideas.** The story draws on quantum physics, and Time's review notes concepts such as liminality and the observer effect (measuring a quantum system changes its behavior) recurring through the season as Jo experiences visions, memory lapses, and details of her home life that do not match her recollection.[5](https://time.com/6696919/constellation-review-apple-tv/) A Physics World commentary by Robert P. Crease and [Jennifer Carter](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-carter) discusses the series alongside Dark Matter as an example of the problem of using the [many-worlds interpretation](https://www.edgepedia.org/many-worlds-interpretation) (quantum theory where every event splits parallel realities) of quantum mechanics as a fictional device.[8](https://physicsworld.com/a/constellation-and-dark-matter-the-tv-series-that-could-change-your-view-of-quantum-mechanics/) Reviewers also noted that the show explains little of the science behind its narrative as it moves toward doppelgängers, space conspiracies, and alternate realities.[9](https://www.whattowatch.com/reviews/constellation-tv-show-review)
### Cast and characters
- **Noomi Rapace** as Johanna "Jo" Ericsson, an astronaut for the European Space Agency[1](https://www.tvline.com/news/constellation-cancelled-no-season-2-apple-tv-plus-1235237832/) • [10](https://www.scifistream.com/2024/05/apple-tv-drops-constellation-after-one-season/)
- **Jonathan Banks** as Henry Caldera, a physicist at Pasadena's Rocket Propulsion Laboratory whose life's work, entrusted to Paul aboard the station, is a research project on the verge of discovering a new state of matter that can exist only in zero gravity[1](https://www.tvline.com/news/constellation-cancelled-no-season-2-apple-tv-plus-1235237832/) • [5](https://time.com/6696919/constellation-review-apple-tv/)
- **James D'Arcy** as Magnus, Jo's husband[1](https://www.tvline.com/news/constellation-cancelled-no-season-2-apple-tv-plus-1235237832/)
- **Rosie and Davina Coleman** as Alice, Jo and Magnus's daughter[1](https://www.tvline.com/news/constellation-cancelled-no-season-2-apple-tv-plus-1235237832/)
- **William Catlett** as Paul, the American astronaut critically injured in the collision[1](https://www.tvline.com/news/constellation-cancelled-no-season-2-apple-tv-plus-1235237832/) • [5](https://time.com/6696919/constellation-review-apple-tv/)
- **Julian Looman** and **Barbara Sukowa** in the supporting cast; TVLine identifies Sukowa's character as [Roscosmos](https://www.edgepedia.org/roscosmos) boss Irene Lysenko in its coverage of the finale's unresolved threads[1](https://www.tvline.com/news/constellation-cancelled-no-season-2-apple-tv-plus-1235237832/)
## Production
Peter Harness created, wrote, and ran the series, executive producing through his company Haunted Barn Ltd. The executive producer roster also included David Tanner, Tracey Scoffield, Caroline Benjo, Simon Arnal, Carole Scotta, and Justin Thomson, along with Michelle MacLaren and Rebecca Hobbs for MacLaren Entertainment, with Jahan Lopes as co-executive producer.[11](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/apple-tv-cancels-constellation-single-221240797.html) Turbine Studios and Haut et [Court TV](https://www.edgepedia.org/court-tv) produced the series, which was shot principally in Germany.[4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dAaLbsQSzI)
**Directors and filming.** Michelle MacLaren directed the first two episodes; the other directors were Oliver Hirschbiegel ([Downfall](https://www.edgepedia.org/downfall-2004-film)) and Joseph Cedar ([Footnote](https://www.edgepedia.org/footnote)).[4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dAaLbsQSzI) Filming began by June 2022 in Cologne and continued in Berlin from July 2022, with additional photography in January and February 2023 in Inari and Ivalo in Finnish Lapland, standing in for the northern Sweden locations depicted in the series.[12](https://www.noomi-rapace.com/projects/2024constellation/)
## Release and reception
The first three episodes were released on Apple TV+ on February 21, 2024, described at the time as a psychological thriller with science-fiction and supernatural overtones.[3](https://eta.creativecirclecdn.com/sumter/files/20240220-191657-0221Binder1.pdf) The series holds a 71% Rotten Tomatoes score as listed in Tom's Guide's roundup of the best Apple TV Plus shows.[13](https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-apple-tv-plus-shows-and-movies) Time's review called it a gripping thriller that blends hard science fiction, action-based thrills, and psychological horror, praising the way Harness maps quantum-physics ideas onto the inner lives of his characters.[5](https://time.com/6696919/constellation-review-apple-tv/) The Los Angeles Times, quoted in production notes, described the series as a first-rate series about the bond between a mother and a daughter, set against outer space, suburban Cologne, and arctic snow.[12](https://www.noomi-rapace.com/projects/2024constellation/) TVLine readers gave the eight-episode season an average grade of "A-".[1](https://www.tvline.com/news/constellation-cancelled-no-season-2-apple-tv-plus-1235237832/)
## Cancellation
Deadline first reported on May 10, 2024 that Apple TV+ had canceled the series after one season, six weeks after the finale.[1](https://www.tvline.com/news/constellation-cancelled-no-season-2-apple-tv-plus-1235237832/) • [11](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/apple-tv-cancels-constellation-single-221240797.html) Although the season ended with what TVLine described as a good amount of closure, the outlet noted leftover threads for a second season, including the finale's shocking final image, the ongoing odysseys of Banks's character or characters, astronaut Paul's latest reality-swap, and an email from Roscosmos boss Irene Lysenko seeking data on other space travelers' mental health.[1](https://www.tvline.com/news/constellation-cancelled-no-season-2-apple-tv-plus-1235237832/) At the Television Critics Association winter press tour before the cancellation, Harness had said there was a bigger story to tell about space and that the characters had a long way to go.[1](https://www.tvline.com/news/constellation-cancelled-no-season-2-apple-tv-plus-1235237832/) Rapace later said she was disappointed at first by the cancellation, noting she had prepped for three months and shot for eight.[12](https://www.noomi-rapace.com/projects/2024constellation/)
The series remains available on Apple TV, streaming in 86 countries, and is not available on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Max, or Hulu.[14](https://www.flickfinder.net/tv/constellation-2024-197125)
## References
1. [Apple TV+'s Constellation Cancelled After One Season, TVLine (May 10, 2024)](https://www.tvline.com/news/constellation-cancelled-no-season-2-apple-tv-plus-1235237832/)
2. ["Constellation" Canceled at Apple TV+ After One Season, TVmaze (May 10, 2024)](https://www.tvmaze.com/news/3916/constellation-constellation-canceled-at-apple-tv-after-one-season)
3. [Television listings, The Sumter Item (February 21, 2024)](https://eta.creativecirclecdn.com/sumter/files/20240220-191657-0221Binder1.pdf)
4. [Constellation — Official Trailer, Apple TV on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dAaLbsQSzI)
5. [Constellation Is a Stellar Sci-Fi Thriller, Time (February 21, 2024)](https://time.com/6696919/constellation-review-apple-tv/)
6. [Watch Constellation, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/constellation/umc.cmc.3lvo8a7ezxpysdy3gou3fsns0?at=10l3Qe&itscg=30200&itsct=tv_box_link)
7. [Constellation, Apple TV Press](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/constellation/)
8. [Constellation and Dark Matter: the TV series that could change your view of quantum mechanics, Physics World](https://physicsworld.com/a/constellation-and-dark-matter-the-tv-series-that-could-change-your-view-of-quantum-mechanics/)
9. [Constellation review, What to Watch](https://www.whattowatch.com/reviews/constellation-tv-show-review)
10. [Apple TV+ Cancels Constellation After One Season, SciFi Stream (May 11, 2024)](https://www.scifistream.com/2024/05/apple-tv-drops-constellation-after-one-season/)
11. [Apple TV+ Cancels 'Constellation' After Single Season, The Hollywood Reporter via Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/apple-tv-cancels-constellation-single-221240797.html)
12. [Constellation (2024) production details, Noomi Rapace Online](https://www.noomi-rapace.com/projects/2024constellation/)
13. [31 best Apple TV Plus shows to watch now, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-apple-tv-plus-shows-and-movies)
14. [Where to watch Constellation (2024), FlickFinder](https://www.flickfinder.net/tv/constellation-2024-197125)
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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 › Time travel and parallel worlds series*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license