Away Cancelled at Netflix After Just One Season

Another Netflix original series has been handed an early ax. Away, which starred Hilary Swank as an astronaut leading a mission to Mars, has been cancelled by Netflix after just one season. The series premiered in early September and seemed to be a solid performer for Netflix, as least as far as Nielsen ratings go, but its performance apparently wasn’t enough to get the green light for a second installment. The first season concludes with the team of astronauts successfully landing on Mars, and that will prove to be the ending of the series.

In addition to Swank, Away stars Josh Charles, Vivian Wu, Mark Ivanir, Ray Panthaki, Ato Essandoh, and Talitha Eliana Bateman. The series was created by Andrew Hinderaker and executive produced by showrunner Jessica Goldberg, Jason Katims, Matt Reeves, Edward Zwick, Adam Kassan, Jeni Mulein, and Hilary Swank.

Unfortunately, this swift cancellation tosses any Season 2 plans out the window. Last month, following the debut of the series, Hinderaker and Goldberg spoke with Collider and explained their plans for a potential second installment.

“In terms of Season 2, I always felt like if there was a final card that I would love to have on the season, it would be ‘Away will return for Season 2… on Mars,’” Hinderaker explained. “Part of what we’re promising is what that crew experiences at the very end, we now we get to live in a new world.”

“Yeah. And I think just to add to that, going through that emotional journey, because you’ve seen the show so you know there’s a certain point halfway through, and this would really happen where you can no longer see each other on Skype or on your computer and everything has to be text and there’s a delay that’s 20 minutes,” Golberg added. “And it’s been hard enough for all of us having to realize like, ‘Oh I had to isolate two weeks before I can see my mother.’ And those steps are so important to the emotional journey of these characters.”

You can take a look at the official synopsis for Away below.

“From Executive Producer Jason Katims, the Netflix series Away is a thrilling, emotional drama on an epic scale that celebrates the incredible advancements humans can achieve and the personal sacrifices they must make along the way.As American astronaut Emma Green (Hilary Swank) prepares to lead an international crew on the first mission to Mars, she must reconcile her decision to leave behind her husband (Josh Charles) and teenage daughter (Talitha Bateman) when they need her the most. As the crew’s journey into space intensifies, their personal dynamics and the effects of being away from their loved ones back on Earth become increasingly complex. Away shows that sometimes to reach for the stars, we must leave home behind.”

Are you disappointed to see Away cancelled after just one season? Let us know in the comments.