Loosely adapted from the Esquire article detailing the real life experiences of astronaut Scott Kelly, Netflix currently has ten episode order for Away, a series based in space but centered on humanity. A previously cast Hilary Swank will play an American astronaut selected to lead an international crew on the first manned mission to Mars. Now, The Wrap reports that Josh Charles has been cast as her husband, a NASA engineer and now, effectively, a single dad who has to learn how to cope with his wife’s absence, his daughter’s adolescence, and personal troubles that will be revealed.
The official logline for Away reads:
Centers on Emma Logan (Swank), an American astronaut who must leave her NASA engineer husband (Charles) and teenage daughter behind to command an international space crew embarking upon a treacherous mission to Mars. In the first episode, Matt Logan (Charles) undergoes a life-altering experience that will drive home the true cost of what it means to be away from his wife.
Charles is perhaps most known for his role on The Good Wife, which earned him nominations from the Television Academy (the Emmys), the Golden Globes, and the Critics’ Choice Awards. He can also be seen as a recurring character on Masters of Sex and Wet Hot American Summer, both WHAS series. More recently, Charles could be seen on Broadway in a production of Straight White Men as well as the world premiere of The Antipodes.
The show’s crew also has big names with big credits to their names. Jessica Goldberg (The Path) will serve as showrunner, writer, and executive producer. Other executive producers include Andrew Hinderaker (Penny Dreadful), who wrote the first episode, and Ed Zwick (Nashville), who will direct the first episode. Other executive producers include Adam Kassan, Jason Katims, Michelle Lee, Jeni Mulein, and Matt Reeves.
Away isn’t set to blast off until 2020.