This is a genially well made and well acted series that feels more like art house movie that your typical TV series or movie. The science fiction elements are mostly in the back ground and credit should be given because they are done in a very subtle, and believable way. The focus is on the relationships of the astronauts but it doesn't mean we don't also get a look at the preparation but it is looked at from a personal perspective. For example there is a problem with the unmanned MAV they previously sent to Mars and if they can't fix the problem it could effect funding for the mission as well as their survival odds of the astronauts and it is shown how that effects the people on the show along with the other events that take place during preparation. At the end of the day the show is mostly about the people that are left behind and primarily about the daughter of the potential commander of the mission and how his relationship with his daughter could effect the mission.
Most science fiction fans would have preferred the focus to be on the mission but there are some merits in this approach as well. My recommendation is to watch it with no expectations and be patient this is definitely taking a leaf out of the 2001 A Space Odyssey school of film making but like 2001 the slow pace is designed to ground the story in reality something that few TV shows and movies dare to do these days, this is not a failing of the show but a failing of viewer attention spans.
