The First

Follow the first human mission to Mars, exploring the challenges of taking the first steps toward interplanetary colonization. The story focuses not only on the astronauts, but also on their families and loved ones, as well as the ground team on Earth.

The First (2018) is an American near-future science fiction drama created by Beau Willimon for Hulu. Sean Penn plays Tom Haggerty, a mission figure at the center of the first human expedition to Mars, while Natascha McElhone as Laz Ingram and Oded Fehr as Eitan Hafri anchor the crew and planning side of the story. Its engine is the grinding human cost of interplanetary colonization: the strain of long separation, the pressure on the ground team coordinating every decision from Earth, and the fragile bonds between astronauts and the spouses and children who wait at home. Episodes move between the spacecraft, mission control, and domestic life, letting the logistics of the journey feel as personal as the emotional fallout. Across a single eight-episode season, the series builds a measured, intimate rhythm rather than spectacle. The tone is somber, contemplative, and quietly tense, with a melancholic undercurrent about ambition and sacrifice. Fans of For All Mankind and The Expanse will find resonance in its grounded approach to space exploration and its focus on the people behind the mission. The show was canceled after its one season, leaving its story unfinished, and it remains a contained, adult-oriented take on humanity's first steps beyond Earth.

Audiences find The First a earnest, ambitious sci-fi drama about a Mars mission whose human stakes land more than its speculative premise, though the rating is mixed.

• For All Mankindslow burn serialized space drama, grounded human stakes, family impact of ambitious missions
• Station Elevenprestige drama focus on ensemble families and institutional pressure, serialized mystery-free realism
• The Expansegrounded near-future sci-fi with bureaucratic stakes and character-driven tension

Created by

Beau Willimon

Release Date

2018-09-14

Episode runtime

46 min

Rating

6.6 / 10 (104)

What is The First about?

The first crewed mission to Mars tests the astronauts, their families, and the ground team back on Earth.

What is The First like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The First as slow, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.

Is The First violent?

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

What did critics think of The First?

Audiences find The First a earnest, ambitious sci-fi drama about a Mars mission whose human stakes land more than its speculative premise, though the rating is mixed.

Which shows are like The First?

Shows with a similar feel include For All Mankind, Station Eleven, and The Expanse.

How long is The First?

The First: 1 season, 8 episodes.

Is The First still running?

No, The First was canceled.

Where can I watch The First?

In United States, The First streams on Hulu.