The First one is a story about a space mission to Mars and all the difficulties it can present, from human and technological standpoint. This show came unannounced and it absolutely blew my mind.
We are now living in an era of innovation and scientific breakthroughs and it is just a matter of time before we reach Mars, Elon would confirm that. This show is a slow burner that's for sure, it is a drama show disguised as science fiction, the stakes and emotions are running high and Sean Penn is doing his craft masterfully.
He is playing a mission commander Tom Hagerty who is trying to keep the mission a float and help his addict daughter, not an easy task, most of the show will focus on that father daughter dynamic.
The story picks up as the fist crew of Providence mission had a horrible first launch where the rocket blew up killing everyone inside, the main story continues after that tragedy. The CEO of the Vista company in charge of the mission struggles to reset the mission after a horrible loss of life, new crew will be shaken and tested more than ever, the story focuses on that human aspect and sacrifices they are making.
The First is not just about human drama, there are some classic Carl Sagan quotes that will immediately boost your feels about science, there is nothing quite like his inspiring talks about the greater future of mankind. I hope we will see a 2nd season where things could get more Science Fictiony and less dramatic. This is surprisingly good 1st season and I recommend you give it a look. Score: 9/10.