Hilary Swank’s Away Canceled After One Season

Netflix has canceled the Hilary Swank-starrer science fiction drama, Away. The show, which debuted in September this year, will not be returning for a second season. The first season of Away had received mixed reviews from both critics and the viewers. Despite having quite a few positive aspects, the space drama is being axed by the streaming giant. What might be the reasons behind it?

Unlike most other space fantasy shows, Away has a storyline that is relevant to the current efforts and investigations of astral sciences. It follows a global crew from the Mars Joint Initiative, whose mission is to land on Mars. The team is led by astronaut and American commander Emma Green, played by Hilary Swank, and has a Chinese chemist, a British botanist, an Indian second-in-command officer and a Russian cosmonaut.

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Away (2020) | Source: IMDb

Despite a compelling storyline, the show fails because it never completely focuses on the scientific matter. Instead, it mainly concentrates on the drama between Hilary Swank’s character and her family, consisting of her husband, who is also a trained astronaut, and their teenaged daughter.

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Hilary Swank, Josh Charles and Talitha Bateman in Away | Source: IMDb

When Away dropped on Netflix in September, it became the most-watched series on the platform. Whether that was based on the show’s merit or Hilary Swank’s star power is debatable. Either way, it is surprising that Netflix would be canceling a show that raked in so many views.

However, it seems that even the huge number of views did not compensate for the production cost of the first season. Of course, coronavirus might also have a role in the cancelation of the show. Netflix has been quite stingy about renewals during the pandemic, possibly due to the financial pressures that every organization is facing because of the lockdown.

There is no news about Away being picked up by other streaming platforms yet.

For now, the series joins Teenage Bounty Hunters and GLOW in the list of shows that Netflix surprisingly canceled.

Did you watch Away? Are you surprised by its cancellation?

About Away

In the recent future, the Mars Joint Initiative puts together a global expedition crew with a mission to travel to Mars. If they decide to accept the mission, they will be in space for three years, away from family and with only each other as companions. Will they be successful in their mission?

Away premiered on Netflix on September 4th, 2020. It stars Hilary Swank, Josh Charles, Tabitha Bateman, Vivian Wu, Mark Ivanir, Ato Essandoh, and Ray Panthaki.

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