The Martian Chronicles

The Martian Chronicles deals with the exploration of Mars and the inhabitants there.

The Martian Chronicles (1980) is a three-episode American science fiction miniseries created by Ray Bradbury for NBC, adapted from his linked short story collection. Rock Hudson plays Colonel John Wilder, a commander leading human settlers onto Mars, with Darren McGavin as Sam Parkhill, a fellow settler whose outlook clashes with the expedition's, and Roddy McDowall as Father Stone, a priest drawn into the planet's uneasy mysteries. Gayle Hunnicutt and Joyce Van Patten add domestic weight as wives caught between hope and homesickness. The engine of the story is the slow, uneasy meeting of Earth's restless people with an alien world and its native inhabitants, told through episodes built around arrivals, failed attempts at settlement, and the tensions that grow between ambition and restraint. Set in a future Mars colonised across the decades, the production is an early-eighties broadcast miniseries with a contemplative, elegiac register, leaning on mystery and poetic reflection rather than action. Its pace is measured and its mood wistful and melancholy. Viewers who enjoy Battlestar Galactica and the original Star Trek series, or the reflective space drama For All Mankind, will find resonance in its meditation on exploration and loss.

Reception is mixed, with audiences giving the miniseries a middling rating for its earnest adaptation of Ray Bradbury's stories.

• Battlestar Galactica (1978)shared sci-fi drama about human colonists confronting an alien world, reflective tone
• Star Trek: The Original Seriesshared literary sci-fi adapted from classic prose, contemplative mood about human expansion
• For All Mankindshared space exploration drama with philosophical themes of colonisation and isolation

Created by

Ray Bradbury

Release Date

1980-01-15

Episode runtime

120 min

Rating

6.5 / 10 (51)

What is The Martian Chronicles about?

A three-part 1980 miniseries adapting Ray Bradbury's book, following human colonists and the native Martians on the red planet.

What is The Martian Chronicles like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Martian Chronicles as slow, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is The Martian Chronicles violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Martian Chronicles.

What did critics think of The Martian Chronicles?

Reception is mixed, with audiences giving the miniseries a middling rating for its earnest adaptation of Ray Bradbury's stories.

Which shows are like The Martian Chronicles?

Shows with a similar feel include Battlestar Galactica (1978), Star Trek: The Original Series, and For All Mankind.

How long is The Martian Chronicles?

The Martian Chronicles: 1 season, 3 episodes.

Is The Martian Chronicles still running?

No, The Martian Chronicles has ended.