Reality shows don’t often feature the most innovative or expensive premises. However, a brand new reality series set for the web should at least cover the former. A new web TV series called Citizen Mars follows a group of five people—Sue Ann, Mido, Adriana, Shradha and Pietro--who want to be the first people to set up a colony on Mars. Yes, as in the planet.
Here’s what’s happening. Citizen Mars is a series about some of the individuals involved with Mars One, a nonprofit organization that wants to send people to Mars starting in 2026, following an unmanned expedition that is in the works for 2020. The group has $6 billion in funding and will use technology that is already available. If it happens, the expedition will arrive in 2027 in order to start a permanent colony on the planet. The webisodes are available on Engagdet, and each episode focuses on a different individual who has different aims and reasons for getting involved in the Mars One expedition. Although the project Mars One is attempting may be unachievable, the series focuses on individuals who are finalists and who are already looking to end relationships and move forward in a way that leaves everything and everyone they know and love behind.
The first episode is pretty fascinating and takes information from a bunch of scientists and other experts in their fields who use adjectives like “undercapitalized” and “delusional,” not to mention unsafe when speaking of the project. One USC Professor, Hans Bozler, even calls it unethical, considering those involved are likely to die very early on in the projects run. Still, despite the fact that people seem to think there are plenty of dangers related to the project, 100 finalists are still moving forward with the Mars One project. They’ve been culled together from a pool of 200,000 who originally applied to be on the first manned mission to Mars.
The outlook of Citizen Mars is a unique one, giving us an in-depth look into the practicalities of a mission like the one Mars One is attempting, as well as insight into the individuals who may want to commit to going into space for a mission although they are unlikely to survive. Obviously, it could be some time before the Mars One mission pans out or fails, but this is one webseries that is both a quick and compelling watch.
Five episodes in Citizen Mars of the series are available online. You can find more about the new docuseries here. In addition, here’s what else is coming up this fall on regular TV and streaming services. In addition, if you’d prefer to explore a fantasy version of a Mars mission, you can check out The Martian, in theaters this fall.
