Spoilers ahead for the first season of Away on Netflix.
Away is the latest drama to take Netflix by storm, rocketing to the #1 spot on Netflix's Top 10 less than a week after its debut. Starring Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank, Away is a sci-fi drama that follows a team of astronauts from various nations of the world on a mission to Mars, but the first season wasn't ten episodes of just space travel, and the arrival at Mars in the finale didn't feel like the end of the story. Creator Andrew Hinderaker weighed in on the future of the series.
Andrew Hinderaker created Away, inspired by an Esquire article focused on astronaut Scott Kelly and his time on the International Space Station. Away takes place during a journey to Mars rather than stationed in space, and that journey leaves the story open to return for more. In fact, Hinderaker shared the vision for the future of the series with The Cap Times, saying this about a Season 2 renewal:
That is the hope, absolutely. There's no news to break in terms of whether we know that there will be future seasons, but the plan was always for a multi-season arc. The intention was always to start the first season and end the first season exactly how we did. But part of the reason the show is called 'Away' is we were always interested in that journey, and what happens when they go home. There's this phenomenon among astronauts, it's so fascinating, where home becomes space, and they feel away back home. And, of course, that's amplified in a mission to Mars where you've been gone for three years. You literally are different people when you come back.
The good news is that Andrew Hinderaker already shared that there's a plan for a multi-season arc, and the Away team is interested in telling the story about the astronauts when they come home. Throw in the multi-year mission on Mars, and Away clearly has the story to run for longer than many Netflix shows.
The bad news is that there is no guarantee that Away won't go the way of too many Netflix shows and end after a short run. Andrew Hinderaker revealed that there is no news one way or the other about Away returning for Season 2, let alone beyond, and Netflix hasn't delivered a renewal at this point. Considering how quick the streaming giant has been to cancel some shows, I wouldn't blame Away fans for worrying that even holding the top spot in the Top 10 isn't enough to promise another batch of episodes.
That said, Away only just released its first episodes on Friday, September 4, so there is no reason to panic that the show will be a one-and-done with no more seasons on the way. Netflix doesn't even officially renew some of its biggest hits in the span of less than a week, let alone a brand new show like Away! The show has a lot going for it, and it may just be a matter of time before some good news.
Holding the #1 spot on the Top 10 is no small deal, and the show seemingly already has goals for the long run, if not necessarily a step-by-step plan for six seasons and a movie. The cast is headed by an Oscar-winner in Hilary Swank, and executive producer Jason Katims is the creator of several series that ran for multiple seasons, including Roswell, Friday Night Lights, and Parenthood.
For now, you can find all ten episodes of Away Season 1 streaming on Netflix. The sci-fi series is only one of the many streaming shows to hit the web this year, and you can find the options that still have yet to release on our 2020 Netflix premiere guide. For some non-streaming options, be sure to swing by our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule.
