I've watched the first episode so far. It wasn't bad. The rest of the show appears to be congressional hearings, family drama, etc. And then maybe the last episode they finally blast off for Mars....?
But if you market a new show with a cool picture of rocket leaving earth and call it "The First (Person on Mars)," you better make it a show about people going to Mars. Make the setting Mars.
As it is, I fear there will be a terrible backlash on this show, which may kill it during the first season. Diehard fans of something (like sci fi geeks, as I am) get very angry when you market a show as sci if and instead make it an earthbound drama.
The reason I think there might be a big backlash is that this show *sounds * like it's going to be exactly what many sci fi fans have been waiting for - an intelligent, well-done story of the first people on Mars. So this show is setting up fans for that, and they will be all the more disappointed. But can we hope that Season 2 will be more like what we expected? If the show finally gets to Mars, it could easily become that show.
Review of The First
