Last Days of the Space Age shouldn’t exist. It is remarkably antithetical to where the television industry currently sits. A period drama following multiple families made for a streamer. That pitch sentence alone would have executives laughing in your face as they smoked a cigar on their way to their mansion. During this incredibly fickle time within the entertainment industry, shows like this just aren’t being made. Instead, the course-correction has led to procedurals and reality. With the entire industry in this post-pandemic, post-strike detrimental state, it’s hard to get anything made, especially something of this specific magnitude.
Yet, against all odds, Last Days of the Space Age exists. This Australian Disney+ original is set in Perth in 1979, where multiple world events converged in a single year. The local power strike was hinting at a regional blackout just as the Miss Universe pageant made its way to Western Australia alongside the crash site of Skylab. This confluence of events is ripe for storytelling, but this series sets all of those as the backdrop for familial and cultural rifts.
The pilot’s cold open is quite bracing: The Bissetts are on their way to the local power plant as a brick is thrown at their windshield. While one is going to the plant to strike for betting pay and working conditions, the other is going inside to work in the finance department. This interesting image kickstarts a tale of a community dealing with the changing world whilst just trying to survive in it. Kids are yearning to go to space while others just want the freedom to surf or make their own decisions. Secretive relationships in beachside campers bring joy, while the bond of a mother and daughter brings nothing but disappointment. Socioeconomic concerns, women’s liberation, and LGBTQ+ concerns also are brought up early on, making clear they won’t shy away from any topic. (Maybe the biggest topic of all? Avon salespeople are systematically annoying.)
In the episodes I’ve watched for review, there’s something so comforting about being amongst a wonderfully adept ensemble cast. Of course, they are plentiful with streaming services, but to see an original series with a stellar cast right out the gate? What a treat! Especially when these types of series are being pushed aside for cheaper “product”, how refreshing to see period details flank exceptional acting.
Now, it is a little bit messy. I’m holding out hope that all the spinning plates will be properly displayed at the end of this eight-episode series. The biggest pro and con about a family period drama is the need to showcase everyone. At the moment, some of the younger actors’ plotlines feel a little composite and unnecessary when placed against that of gay cruising and labor unions. Yet, the way the pilot feels incredibly lived-in from the get-go comforted me as I continued through the screeners.
Last Days of the Space Age not only represents a turning point in Australia, it also is a turning point in television. Can a show like this succeed? Will it be able to find an audience outside of its home country? Will this help further prove period pieces and familial dramas have a place in our current entertainment landscape? Based on what I’ve seen of the series so far, I hope the answer to all those questions is a resounding yes.
Last Days of the Space Age premieres October 2nd on Disney+.
(Also: What a delight to see the Australian tradition of land proclamations making its way into the credits of the show. American series, please do this.)