Constellation (TV series)

Constellation is a science fiction psychological thriller television series created by Peter Harness, based on a concept by Sean Jablonski. The first season was released on 21 February 2024, beginning with the initial three episodes. It stars Noomi Rapace, Jonathan Banks, James D'Arcy, Julian Looman, Henry David, William Catlett, and Barbara Sukowa. In May 2024, the series was canceled after one season.

Plot
An unidentified object collides with the International Space Station, leading to the death of one of the five astronauts aboard and crippling most of the onboard systems and one of the Soyuz descent modules. Three of the surviving astronauts make an emergency evacuation in the functional Soyuz module, leaving behind Swedish astronaut Johanna "Jo" Ericsson of the European Space Agency to repair the other Soyuz. When she returns to Earth with the body of her dead crewmate, she finds that parts of her life are missing or not as she remembers them.

Main

 * Noomi Rapace as Johanna "Jo" Ericsson
 * Jonathan Banks as Henry Caldera and Bud Caldera
 * James D'Arcy as Magnus Taylor
 * Davina Coleman and Rosie Coleman as Alice Ericsson-Taylor
 * Julian Looman as Frederic Duverger
 * Lenn Kudrjawizki as Sergei Vassiliev
 * Henry David as Ilya Andreev
 * William Catlett as Paul Lancaster
 * Barbara Sukowa as Irena Valentina "Valya" Lysenko
 * Sandra Teles as Yazmina Suri
 * Carole Weyers as Audrey Brostin

Recurring

 * Rebecca Scroggs as Erica Lancaster and Frida Lancaster
 * Joshua Spriggs as James Wallace
 * Michel Diercks as Jimmy
 * Clare-Hope Ashitey as Agent Bright
 * Chipo Chung as Michaela Moyone
 * Sadie Sweet as Wendy Lancaster
 * Shaun Dingwall as Ian Rogers
 * Elenor Fanyinka as Eryn Lafferty

Hugo Simberg paintings
Two paintings by the Finnish symbolist painter Hugo Simberg play a symbolic role in the cabin scenes in the series: The Wounded Angel — also the title of the series’ opening episode — and The Devil by the Pot.

A third painting also appears, containing elements of the other two. The three paintings hang in the three cabins in the Swedish woods.

Production
It was announced in April 2022 that Apple TV+ had greenlit the series, created by Peter Harness. Noomi Rapace and Jonathan Banks were announced to star with Michelle MacLaren directing. The following month, James D'Arcy joined the cast, and Oliver Hirschbiegel and Joseph Cedar were announced as additional directors of episodes. Writer Robert Shearman was a story consultant on the show.

The production received a record €10 million grant from the German government's German Motion Picture Fund (GMPF), and €1.5 million in production incentives by Business Finland.

Filming began by June 2022 in Cologne and July 2022 in Berlin and also took place in January–February 2023 in Inari and Ivalo in Finnish Lapland, which represented the northern Sweden locations depicted in the series.

In August 2023, Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reported that the series's production companies had failed to pay over €1 million for services the film crew had used in Finnish Lapland, including estate companies, catering and casting services, and an electrical contractor. In September 2023, Helsingin Sanomat reported that the production company Turbine Studios had contacted its creditors by email, announcing its intention to pay the unpaid expenses. As the series had its world-wide premiere on 21 February 2024, the Finnish tabloid Ilta-Sanomat confirmed that a solution for the debts had been settled the previous autumn, but contractors were not able to comment on the terms due to a non-disclosure agreement.

Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 71% of 51 reviews are positive. The website's critics consensus reads: "Solid performances and creepy atmosphere help Constellation engage during a first season with some noticeable narrative turbulence along the way."

On Metacritic, the series holds a weighted average score of 63 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".