Ranking Every HBO Miniseries From Worst To Best
13. From The Earth To The Moon
Ushered to the screen by space enthusiast Tom Hanks, at the height of his powers circa 1998, From The Earth To The Moon takes on the small matter of telling the whole story of the Apollo space programme in 12 episodes. A love letter to the wonders of the cosmos, this eschews the crazy plotting of many of HBO’s biggest hits, instead allowing the majesty of the real story to imbue the series with as much drama as you could possibly want.
The show sees a sprawling cast portray the astronauts who left earth, and the people they left behind, with highlights including Cary Elwes as Michael Collins and Rita Wilson as Susan Borman (an episode which follows the wives of various Apollo programme members is a particular highlight).
We’re given an overview of the programme’s darkest days (the Apollo 1 fire) all the way through to its greatest triumph - Armstrong and Aldrin walking on the moon for the very first time.
The series shifts format to tell each story differently, switching into a faux-documentary style, stark black and white, or an episode that relegates the astronauts themselves to faraway voices on radios.