Netflix’s Away isn’t anything you haven’t seen before – especially if you’ve seen Another Life just a year earlier – though it relies on a stronger supporting cast to get the crew of the Atlas to Mars than that the latter movie employed to get them somewhere (it’s been awhile since I saw Another Life. I think they were trying to rendezvous with an alien craft? Or is that Nightflyers)?

In fact, what’s odd about Away is how “conventional” some of the problems that plague the crew are.

I mean one episode revolves around an inability to open the solar panels of the space craft while another with an outbreak of Mononucleosis,

And while that may sound a bit mundane, what’s interesting is that it gives a – likely accurate – impression of how difficult maintaining life would be in other space, with things that would be relatively minor on earth taking on an entirely new dimension, which is something you don’t often see in these types of shows (or movies for that matter) where relatively minor issues tend to be replaced with the most fantastical issues possible

By way of comparison, visualize Gravity with no explosions.

Though where Away shines brightest is in the casting, with a strong ensemble led by Hillary Swank and supported by Ato Essandoh, Mark Ivanir, Ray Panthaki, Gabrielle Rose and Vivian Wu.