Apple TV+’s “Constellation” Gets Lost in Space with a Dragged-Out Mystery: TV Review
variety.comAlison Herman TV Critic The new Apple TV+ series “Constellation” is a space drama, a category in which its deep-pocketed platform has developed something of a preoccupation. (There’s also “For All Mankind,” “Foundation” and, technically, the most recent season of “The Morning Show.”) But the show also exemplifies a type of series so recognizable it’s become practically a genre unto itself: a story that calls for the concision of a feature film that’s been stretched out to fill a TV-sized number of episodes. “Constellation” stars Noomi Rapace as Jo Ericsson, an astronaut who survives a deadly collision at the International Space Station — only to experience disturbing visions back on Earth.
The what/why/how of Jo’s experience in orbit could make for a gripping mystery, but creator and sole screenwriter Peter Harness stretches these questions over eight hours, killing their momentum and stretching the show’s worthwhile elements far too thin.
The first two hours of “Constellation” (both directed by “Game of Thrones” veteran Michelle MacLaren) are a riff on “Gravity,” the technical triumph from Alfonso Cuarón that itself weighed in at just 90 minutes.
When an unidentified object strikes the ISS, the ensuing damage kills Jo’s American teammate Paul Lancaster (William Catlett), who’d been conducting an experiment dubbed the Cold Atomic Lab, or CAL, on behalf of his NASA commander Henry “Bud” Caldera (Jonathan Banks).
Read more on variety.com
