Mars (American TV series)

Mars
GenreDrama
Science fiction
Created by
Based onHow We'll Live on Mars
by Stephen Petranek
Developed by
Starring
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producers
Running time47 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNational Geographic
ReleaseNovember 14, 2016 (2016-11-14) 
December 17, 2018 (2018-12-17)
Related
Before Mars

Mars is a hard science-fiction television series produced by National Geographic that premiered on November 14, 2016, on its channel and FX. Prior to its official airdate, it was launched in a streaming format on November 1, 2016. It blends elements of real interviews with a fictional story of a group of astronauts as they land on the planet Mars.

The series is based on the Stephen Petranek book How We'll Live on Mars (2015). The fictional narrative initially alternates between the years 2016 and 2033, using present-day non-fiction interviews to explain events unfolding in the story. Over the series, the fictional narrative progresses through to 2042 as the colony develops. The series was filmed in Budapest and Morocco.

A companion book to the series, Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet (October 2016), details the science behind the show. A prequel episode, called Before Mars, was produced and released conjointly with the series. It tells the fictional story of a moment in the life of one of the astronauts and the decisions she made to get involved in science.

On January 13, 2017, it was announced that National Geographic had renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on November 12, 2018.

The lead actress, Jihae, confirmed via her official Instagram that the series was canceled after only two seasons.