The Astronaut Wives Club
GenrePeriod drama
Based on
The Astronaut
Wives Club
by
Developed byStephanie Savage
Starring
ComposerPieter A. Schlosser
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
Running time43 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseJune 18 (2015-06-18) –
August 20, 2015 (2015-08-20)[1]

The Astronaut Wives Club is a 2015 American period drama television series developed by Stephanie Savage for ABC. It is based on Lily Koppel's 2013 book of the same name.[2] The series tells the story of the wives of the Mercury Seven—America's first group of astronauts—who together formed the Astronaut Wives Club. Actresses Dominique McElligott, Yvonne Strahovski, JoAnna Garcia, Erin Cummings, Azure Parsons, Zoe Boyle, and Odette Annable play the roles of the astronauts' wives.

The Astronaut Wives Club premiered on June 18, 2015.[3] Following the completion of its run, the series' developer noted the series had been planned as a miniseries, telling a complete story.[1] However, series creator Stephanie Savage revealed in an interview with Variety that the producers were interested in making the series an anthology in case it gained a renewal for a second season. Possible seasons would have featured wives of men in the 1920s, wives of World War II soldiers, wives of men who work on Wall Street, and wives of men in the 1980s, among other possible scenarios.[4]

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Production

The Astronaut Wives Club was originally scheduled to be broadcast during the 2013–14 American television season.[2] On February 5, 2014, ABC officially ordered a limited series of ten episodes.[2] It was expected to premiere on July 24, 2014,[21] but was pushed to spring 2015 to undergo changes.[22] It premiered on June 18, 2015.[3]

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUS viewers
(millions)
1"Launch"Lone ScherfigStephanie SavageJune 18, 2015 (2015-06-18)5.51[23]
When NASA chooses seven men to fly into space, their wives' private lives become public.
2"Protocol"Lone ScherfigBecky Hartman EdwardsJune 25, 2015 (2015-06-25)4.50[24]
The success of Alan Shepard's mission draws the eyes of the nation to his family.
3"Retroattitude"J. Miller TobinLiz TigelaarJuly 2, 2015 (2015-07-02)4.06[25]
Rene Carpenter tells her story in a magazine interview and takes the spotlight off her husband, Scott.
4"Liftoff"J. Miller TobinLisa ZwerlingJuly 9, 2015 (2015-07-09)4.28[26]
The public life of Gordon and Trudy Cooper puts pressure on their private life.
5"Flashpoint"Elodie KeeneDerek SimondsJuly 16, 2015 (2015-07-16)4.44[27]
Trudy Cooper learns that NASA's senior officials believe that there is no place for women in space.
6"In the Blind"Patrick NorrisNate DiMioJuly 23, 2015 (2015-07-23)3.81[28]
John Glenn leaves NASA for Washington, D.C.
7"Rendezvous"Elodie KeeneBecky Hartman EdwardsJuly 30, 2015 (2015-07-30)4.07[29]
The Apollo program kicks off following the successful Gemini missions.
8"Abort"Patrick NorrisLiz TigelaarAugust 6, 2015 (2015-08-06)3.53[30]
Betty Grissom has to deal with the death of her husband, Gus.
9"The Dark Side"Jon AmielCasallina Kisakye and Katie SchwartzAugust 13, 2015 (2015-08-13)3.20[31]
During civic unrest across the country, the wives endeavor to find their place in the world.
10"Landing"Jon AmielStephanie Savage & Lisa ZwerlingAugust 20, 2015 (2015-08-20)3.81[32]
Apollo 11's Lunar Module Eagle lands on the Moon.

Reception

The Astronaut Wives Club has received mixed reviews. Review aggregator site, Metacritic, has given the series a "mixed or average" score of 60 out of 100, based on 23 critics.[33] On another review aggregator site, Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 50% rating, based on 28 reviews. The critical consensus there reads: "The Astronaut Wives relies on poorly paced storylines and clichéd characters, both used in service of a fact-based narrative that would have been better served in a more serious context."[34]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "'The Astronaut Wives Club' Cancelled by ABC; No Season Two". TV Series Finale. August 23, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (February 5, 2014). "ABC Space Age Drama 'Astronaut Wives Club' Gets 10-Episode Order For Summer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "ABC's 'Astronaut Wives Club' Gets Summer Premiere Date". Deadline Hollywood. April 20, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  4. ^ Friedlander, Whitney (2015-08-20). "'Astronaut Wives Club' Finale: Stephanie Savage Prepares for ABC Drama's Final Descent". Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  5. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (February 11, 2014). "JoAnna Garcia Boards ABC's 'Astronaut Wives Club'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  6. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 11, 2014). "JoAnna Garcia Swisher To Star In ABC's 'Astronaut Wives Club'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  7. ^ "Yvonne Strahovski to Co-Star in ABC's 'Astronaut Wives Club'". The Hollywood Reporter. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  8. ^ "'Hell on Wheels' Alum to Topline ABC's 'Astronaut Wives Club'". The Hollywood Reporter. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  9. ^ "Dominique McElligott To Star In ABC's 'The Astronaut Wives Club' - Deadline". Deadline Hollywood. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  10. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (March 14, 2014). "Odette Annable to Co-Star in ABC's 'Astronaut Wives Club'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  11. ^ "Erin Cummings To Star In 'Astronaut Wives Club' Drama Series - Deadline". Deadline Hollywood. 1 April 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  12. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 5, 2014). "Azure Parsons Joins 'Astronaut Wives Club', Kellee Stewart In Pilot 'Damaged Goods'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  13. ^ "Zoe Boyle Joins ABC's 'Astronaut Wives Club'; Morgan Taylor Campbell In 'Sea Of Fire'". Deadline Hollywood. March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  14. ^ Ausiello, Michael (March 19, 2014). "ABC's Astronaut Wives Club Casts Dexter's Desmond Harrington as Alan Shepherd". TV Line. Archived from the original on March 23, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  15. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (April 17, 2014). "Bret Harrison Boards ABC's 'Astronaut Wives Club' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  16. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 13, 2014). "Wilson Bethel To Co-Star On ABC's 'Astronaut Wives Club', Pen Drama For CW". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  17. ^ "Bret Harrison, Aaron McCusker Join ABC's 'The Astronaut Wives Club'; Daniel London In WGN's 'Manhattan'". Deadline Hollywood. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  18. ^ "'The Astronaut Wives Club' on ABC: Kenneth Mitchell Cast as Deke Slayton - TVLine". TVLine. 29 April 2014. Archived from the original on 30 October 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  19. ^ The Deadline Team (13 October 2014). "TV Castings: 'Astronaut Wives Club' & 'The Following - Deadline". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  20. ^ "'90210's' Matt Lanter Signs On for ABC's 'Astronaut Wives Club' (Exclusive)". TheWrap. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  21. ^ "ABC Unveils Summer Premiere Dates". Deadline Hollywood. March 24, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  22. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 2, 2014). "ABC Summer Series 'Astronaut Wives Club' Pushed To Midseason, To Undergo Changes". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  23. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (June 19, 2015). "Thursday Final Ratings: No Adjustment for 'Hannibal', 'Beauty and the Beast' or 'Mistresses' + Final US Open Numbers". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 20, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  24. ^ Bibel, Sara (June 26, 2015). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Big Brother' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 27, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  25. ^ Bibel, Sara (July 6, 2015). "Thursday Final Ratings: Rookie Blue Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  26. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (July 10, 2015). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Under the Dome' & 'Food Fighters' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  27. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (July 17, 2015). "Thursday Final Ratings: Mistresses Adjusted Up; Astronaut Wives Club Adjusted Down + No Adjustment for Beauty and the Beast". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 20, 2015. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  28. ^ Bibel, Sara (July 24, 2015). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Big Brother' Adjusted Up; No Adjustment to 'Wayward Pines'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  29. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (July 31, 2015). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Food Fighters' & 'Big Brother' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 3, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  30. ^ Bibel, Sara (August 7, 2015). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Big Brother' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 8, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  31. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (August 14, 2015). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Astronaut Wives Club' & 'Under the Dome' Flat at Lows, 'Big Brother Slips' & 'Beauty and the Beast' Rises". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 16, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  32. ^ Bibel, Sara (August 21, 2015). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Big Brother', 'Food Fighters', 'Boom!' & 'Dateline' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 24, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  33. ^ "The Astronaut Wives Club: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  34. ^ "The Astronaut Wives Club: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 18, 2015.

External links

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