While Netflix and Amazon certainly rule the landscape in terms of audience size in the streaming world right now, the contribution of Hulu to the marketplace can’t be undersold. After all, they are the only streamer with an Emmy victory for Outstanding Drama series. Knowing that the real question is can lightning strike twice? Can there be another Handmaid’s Tale? The answer is yes. And it’s called, The First.
Created by House of Cards creator Beau Willimon, The First stars Sean Penn as Tom Hagerty, an astronaut selected to lead the first manned mission to Mars. But, as with any massive endeavor of this magnitude, the mission does not come without its challenges.
After Lost in Space blew the doors of the world of television earlier this year, it really didn’t seem like we could possibly get a better pro-science show than that. But not only does The First succeed at topping Lost in Space in terms of adhering to a science-driven story, it does so without the gimmick of a talking robot alien.
The First comes out of the gate swinging and presents immediately as a masterclass in how to do prestige television right. It’s a very serious and down-to-earth show (pun intended), but it’s not pretentious and self-righteous. It wants to be accessible to everyone and that would be commendable enough. The fact that it succeeds at that without ever dumbing down is what makes it a mastery piece of science-fiction.
Additionally, the series is sporting one of the most stellar Sean Penn performances in years. Maybe it’s because the man hasn’t been seen on the big screen since 2015 and he was just itching to get back in the game, but Penn is in no way slumming it for television. He’s bringing his A material to Hagerty and has every chance to inspire a whole generation of soon to be explorers.
In a year of surprising television, The First is landing right up there with out of left field stunners like Lost in Space, Dallas & Robo, Impulse and Jack Ryan. It also has a very good chance at being the front-runner going into the 2019 Emmys. If anything out of prestige television’s new offerings manages to top this one, then strap in because we’re going to be in for one of the best television seasons in decades.
The First premieres Friday, September 14th on Hulu
