Lost in Space (2018 TV series)
Lost in Space is an American science fiction television series and is a reimagining of the 1965 series of the same name, following the adventures of a family of space colonists whose spaceship veers off course.
Produced by Legendary Television, Synthesis Entertainment, Clickety-Clack Productions, and Applebox Entertainment, the show is written by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, with Zack Estrin serving as showrunner. Netflix released the series on April 13, 2018, renewing it the following month for a second season. The second season premiered on December 24, 2019. On March 9, 2020, the series was renewed for a third and final season.
Premise
In the aftermath of an impact event that threatens the survival of humanity, the Robinson family is selected for the 24th mission of the Resolute, an interstellar spacecraft carrying selected families to colonize the Alpha Centauri star system.Before they reach their destination, an alien robot breaches the Resolutes hull. Forced to evacuate the mothership in short-range Jupiter spacecraft, scores of colonists, among them the Robinsons, crash on a nearby habitable planet. There they must contend with a strange environment and battle their own personal demons as they search for a way back to the Resolute.
Cast
Main
- Molly Parker as Maureen Robinson, an aerospace engineer who serves as the mission commander for the Jupiter 2, taking her family on the mission to colonize Alpha Centauri in hopes of building a new life on a better world. Married to John Robinson, she is the mother of Judy, Penny, and Will Robinson.
- Toby Stephens as John Robinson, former U.S. Navy SEAL and husband to Maureen. He is father to Penny and Will and the adoptive father to Judy.
- Maxwell Jenkins as Will Robinson, Maureen and John's youngest child who forms a tight bond with the Robot, which he saves from destruction during a forest fire
- Taylor Russell as Judy Robinson, Maureen and John's elder daughter who serves as mission doctor, having received accelerated medical training
- Mina Sundwall as Penny Robinson, Maureen and John's younger daughter
- Ignacio Serricchio as Don West, a ship mechanic and smuggler of luxury goods. He is accompanied by his lucky chicken, Debbie.
- Parker Posey as June Harris / Dr. Smith, a petty criminal who assumes the identity of her sister, Jessica, to take her place on the Resolute. She subsequently impersonates Dr. Zachary Smith during the first attack to take his seat on an evacuating Jupiter ship. The theft of the doctor's identity is a reference to the corresponding character of Dr. Smith in the original television series.
- Brian Steele as the Robot, an alien robot being that Will encounters following the crash. The robot has a different form from the ones that appeared in the previous series and film.
- Ajay Friese as Vijay Dhar, Victor's son and Penny's love interest
- Sibongile Mlambo as Angela Goddard, an engineer and fellow survivor struggling with post traumatic stress disorder in the wake of her husband's death during the attack on the Resolute. Her character is named for Angela Cartwright, who played Penny Robinson in the original television series, and Mark Goddard, who played Don West in the original series.
Recurring
Introduced in season 1
- Raza Jaffrey as Victor Dhar, the representative of the 24th Colony group and father to Vijay.
- Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Hiroki Watanabe, a biologist and friend of Maureen
- Yukari Komatsu as Naoko Watanabe, Hiroki's daughter and considered the best pilot among the colonists
- Kiki Sukezane as Aiko Watanabe, Hiroki's granddaughter
- Veenu Sandhu as Prisha Dhar, Victor's wife
- Adam Greydon Reid as Peter Beckert, a survivor of the Resolute and Victor's associate
- Amelia Burstyn as Diane, the communications officer on the Resolute
- Iain Belcher as Evan, an electrician and survivor on the unknown planet
- Shaun Parkes as Captain Radic, commander of the Resolute in charge of security operations
- Douglas Hodge as Officer Hastings, an intelligence officer on the Resolute who wants to get the ship to Alpha Centauri at all costs; including stranding hundreds of colonists on an alien planet.
- AnnaMaria Demara as Tam Roughneck, a mechanic and friend to Don West
Introduced in season 2
- JJ Feild as Ben Adler, head of the Advanced Technology unit on the Resolute. He seeks to understand the robots and their technology
- Sakina Jaffrey as Captain Kamal, who becomes commander of the Resolute following the incapacitation of Captain Radic
- Tattiawna Jones as Ava, the head mechanic on the Resolute and Don's superior
- Jarret John as Neil Caird, head of security on the Resolute
- Aria DeMaris as Isabel Azevedo, a physicist and passenger on the Resolute. She is wife of Aubrey and mother of Elise.
- Alison Araya as Aubrey Azevedo, a physicist and passenger on the Resolute. She is the wife of Isabel and mother to Elise.
- Rob LaBelle as Mr. Jackson, the school teacher aboard the Resolute
- Nevis Unipan as Samantha, a little girl who was left on the Resolute following the evacuation. She befriends the Robinsons.
Guest
- Selma Blair as Jessica Harris, June's wealthy younger sister
- Bill Mumy as Zachary Smith, the real Dr. Smith whose identity June steals. As a child, Mumy portrayed Will Robinson in the original Lost in Space series from 1965 to 1968
- Angela Cartwright as Selma Harris, June's mother. As a child, Cartwright portrayed Penny Robinson in the original Lost in Space series from 1965 to 1968.
- Rowan Schlosberg as Connor, a survivor of the Resolute on the unknown planet
Episodes
Season 1 (2018)
Season 2 (2019)
Production
Development
In October 2014, it was announced that Legendary Television and Synthesis Entertainment were developing a new reboot of Lost in Space and had hired screenwriting duo Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless to pen the pilot episodes. In November 2015, Netflix landed the project. On June 29, 2016, Netflix ordered a full 10 episode season of Lost in Space, with Zack Estrin as executive producer and showrunner. Sazama, Sharpless, Kevin Burns, Jon Jashni, Neil Marshall, and Marc Helwig also serve as executive producers.Filming
Production on the first season began in February 2017, in Vancouver, British Columbia, and concluded in July 2017. The second season began production in September 2018, in Iceland, and concluded in January 2019. Filming for the third season is scheduled to begin on September 9, 2020 and conclude on January 14, 2021.Release
On March 31, 2018, the series pilot was screened at Awesome Con in Washington, D.C. The first season was released on April 13, 2018, on Netflix. On June 4, 2019, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released DVDs and Blu-rays of the first season titled "Lost In Space: The Complete First Season". The second season was released on December 24, 2019, on Netflix.Reception
The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 68% approval rating based on 75 reviews, for the first season, with an average rating of 6.43/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Lost in Spaces production values are ambitious enough to attract sci-fi adventure fans, while the story's large heart adds an emotional anchor to all the deep space derring-do." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a normalized score of 58 out of 100 based on 27 critics for the first season, indicating "mixed or average reviews".David Griffin of IGN gave the first season a rating of 8.5/10, calling it "an excellent sci-fi adventure with a slight villain problem", giving particular praise to the Robinson family, while criticizing Parker Posey's Dr. Smith as an unsophisticated and one-dimensional character who lacks redeeming qualities. In contrast, Jen Chaney of Vulture characterized Posey's performance as providing "understated, sly comedic touches", and Beth Elderkin of Gizmodo agrees: "Her performance definitely includes the character’s trademark levity and humor."
On Rotten Tomatoes the second season has an approval rating of 83% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10.