Throughout the first season of Netflix’s gur-wrenching Away, fans of the show keep thinking that if this season ends will there be Away Season 2? Without telling us if Hilary Swank manages to safely land on Mars or not, it will create an unspeakable chaos inside the dandom. Fortunately, for those who are terrified of cliffhangers don’t need to worry anymore as Commander Swank Emma Green and the brave cohort astronaut successfully arrived on the red planet. But, Netflix did us dirty by ending it with a new question: what is going to happen next?
We ended the show with the Atlas crew landing on Mars after living for 18 months with the red planet in front of them. Fans from all over the world felt surprise and disappointment after that, not knowing what will happen next.
Is Netflix Updating Away For a Second Season?
Unfortunately, fans of the show have to be prepared to feel disappointed as Netflix has cancelled Away after just one season. The announcement came out around six weeks after the show made its debut in Netflix (Rust Valley Restorers).
After its debut in Netflix (Now You See Me) on September 4, Away managed to rank on Netflix’s top 10, even ranking first on Netflix. This makes the stop in production of the show more confusing. However, we have a few theories on why Netflix (The Final Table) has decided to discontinue the show.
Away has been reported to cost more than $6 million dollars per episode, making it one of the most expensive shows Netflix (Country Comfort) has ever produced. Of course those big-budget special effects took time and money to produce—perhaps more than Netflix (Valhalla Murders) was willing to spend.
It’s also possible that the ongoing logistical challenges of film and television production amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic was also too inconvenient for Away. Although Goldberg told Esquire that the cast who played the Atlas crew could be quarantined together, he was concerned that shooting the crowded and loud scenes at the Johnson Space Center would not be possible. Although Netflix has returned to production under strict COVID-19 safety protocols, the situation remains complicated, with Netflix commenting, “Current infection trends are creating more uncertainty for our production in the US.”
Away Season 2: What Are We Missing Out?
Season One of Away is deeply explores the ideas of globalism and international collaboration, with the world’s five leading space agencies working together and pooling their sizable resources to send their best astronauts and scientists to Mars. There’s been little discussion of private-sector space exploration, which dominates most of the discussion surrounding sending humanity to space. But, Goldberg teases that this will change in Season Two (if, of course, there is a season two to begin with). It’s a shame we’ll never see Goldberg’s creative ideas for season 2 come true.
All creative losses aside, perhaps the biggest tragedy of canceling Away is that Netflix lost an anticipated show that fans from all walks of life loved. According to Goldberg, fans in India and China feel strongly about seeing characters from their cultures fully populated rather than stereotyped, as is too often the case.
He shared a moving story about the event’s reception in Ghana, telling Esquire, “Ato [Essandoh], who plays Kwesi, is from Ghana, and he said the response was overwhelming. People said, ‘I can’t believe I’m hearing my language, the Fante language, spoken on an American television show.’ People in Ghana couldn’t believe it. This was a country that had never heard its language on television before, and they’re just so thrilled. It was very special.”
Away has also resonated powerfully with people with disabilities, with Goldberg commenting that handicapped, wheelchair users reached out to him to ask about the brand of wheelchair used by Emma’s husband, Matt, who suffers from CCM. Those suffering from CCM saw their struggles depicted on Away, with support groups contacting Goldberg to express how moved they were by Matt’s journey. It is very sad to see Netflix (Alice in Borderland) cancel such a meaningful show with different cultures and communities around the world.
In the end we can only ask what will the Atlas crew discover on Mars? Will private sector involvement lead to a commercial space race? We may never know—unless Away is saved by another streaming platform or network.
