If I had a nickel for every Australian drama that uses the 1979 orbital re-entry of the space station Skylab, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t much, but it’s weird that it happened twice (the other being Dogs in Space). It’s also weird that they’re nickels.
How to watch Last Days of the Space Age in New Zealand
Last Days of the Space Age is now streaming in New Zealand exclusively on Disney+.
Last Days of the Space Age: Season 1
What is Last Days of the Space Age about?
As we hinted, the eight-episode series is set in 1979 and follows three families in Perth, Western Australia, as the city gears up for multiple big events. There’s the Miss Universe pageant, a looming power strike, and the impending crash landing of Skylab, which the official synopsis tells us hit “just beyond the city’s suburbs.” In actual fact, it came to Earth in and around the town of Esperance, some 718 kilometres away. This one comes to us courtesy of creator David Chidlow, who’s a bit of an unknown quantity. But Bharat Nalluri (Shantaram), Rachel Ward (Beautiful Kate), and Kriv Stenders (Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan) are on directing duties, so that’s promising.
The cast of Last Days of the Space Age
Jesse Spencer (Chicago Fire)and Radha Mitchell (Blueback) are suburban husband and wife Judy and Tony Bissett; Deborah Mailman (Total Control) and Linh-Dan Pham (The Beat That My Heart Skipped) are their neighbours, Eileen Wilberforce and Sandy Bui; with Iain Glen (Game of Thrones), Linh Dan Pham (Blue Bayou), Thomas Weatherall (Heartbreak High), George Mason (The Power of the Dog), Vico Thai (Total Control), Ines English (Dead Lucky), and Jacek Koman (Jack Irish) in support.
Last Days of the Space Age trailer
Why we’re excited about Last Days of the Space Age
This kind of ensemble dramedy lives or dies on the strength of its cast, and that’s a pretty good cast. The trailer is intriguing, and a series about how sleepy old Perth navigates a pivotal historical period is not without merit. We shall see.
