The First ( TV series ) - wikipedia The First ( TV series ) The First Genre Drama Created by Beau Willimon Starring Sean Penn Natascha McElhone LisaGay Hamilton Hannah Ware Keiko Agena Rey Lucas James Ransone Anna Jacoby - Heron Brian Lee Franklin Oded Fehr Norbert Leo Butz Annie Parisse Melissa George Jeannie Berlin Bill Camp Composer ( s ) Colin Stetson Country of origin United States United Kingdom Original language ( s ) English No. of seasons No. of episodes 8 ( list of episodes ) Production Executive producer ( s ) Beau Willimon Jordan Tappis Producer ( s ) Joseph Incaprera Peter Chomsky Cinematography Adam Stone Camera setup Single - camera Running time 45 -- 48 minutes Production company ( s ) Westward Productions Endeavor Content Release Original network Hulu ( U.S. ) Channel 4 ( U.K. ) Original release September 14, 2018 ( 2018 - 09 - 14 ) -- present ( present ) External links Official website The First is an American - British drama web television series created by Beau Willimon and starring Sean Penn and Natascha McElhone. The show portrays members of a team of astronauts as they become the first humans to visit Mars. The series, a co-production between American streaming service Hulu and British television network Channel 4, debuted on September 14, 2018 in the United States. Contents 1 Premise 2 Cast and characters 2.1 Main 2.2 Recurring 3 Episodes 4 Production 4.1 Development 4.2 Casting 4.3 Filming 5 Release 5.1 Marketing 5.2 Premiere 6 Reception 7 References 8 External links Premise The First follows `` the first human mission to Mars, while exploring the challenges of taking the first steps toward interplanetary colonization. The story focuses not only on the astronauts, but also on their families and loved ones, as well as the ground team on Earth. '' Cast and characters Main Sean Penn as Tom Hagerty, one of five astronauts chosen to be the first people to visit Mars. Natascha McElhone as Laz Ingram, the CEO of commercial launch provider Vista. Julia Badinger portrays a young Laz in a recurring role. LisaGay Hamilton as Kayla Price, one of five astronauts chosen to be the first people to visit Mars. Mikaela Kimani Armstrong portrays a young Kayla in a guest appearance in the episode `` Cycles ''. Hannah Ware as Sadie Hewitt, one of five astronauts chosen to be the first people to visit Mars. Keiko Agena as Aiko Hakari, one of five astronauts chosen to be the first people to visit Mars. Rey Lucas as Matteo Vega James Ransone as Nick Fletcher, one of five astronauts chosen to be the first people to visit Mars. Anna Jacoby - Heron as Denise Hagerty, Tom 's daughter. Eden Grace Redfield portrays a young Denise in a recurring role. Brian Lee Franklin as Lawrence Oded Fehr as Eitan Hafri Norbert Leo Butz as Matthew Dawes, an astronaut killed while leading a previous mission. Annie Parisse as Ellen Dawes, Matthew 's wife. Melissa George as Diane Hagerty, Tom 's wife. Jeannie Berlin as The President Bill Camp as Aaron Shultz, a journalist. Recurring T.C. Matherne as Jason D.W. Moffett as Robert Cordine Tracie Thoms as Nancy Fernanda Andrade as Camila Rodriguez Patrick Kennedy as Ollie Bennett, Sadie 's husband Anthony Marble as Engineer # 1 Kelly Murtagh as Engineer # 2 Amber Patino as Amanda Ingram Alex Rubin as Devon Ingram John `` Spud '' McConnell as Senator Thibodeaux Scott Takeda as Todd Sharon Omi as Edith Miguel Najera as Mr. Castillo Sol Miranda as Mrs. Castillo Billy Slaughter as Vista Lawyer Cara Ronzetti as Myk Devyn Tyler as Samantha Fallon Katz as Charlotte Dawes Marcus Lyle Brown as Launch Director Galen Lee as Aiko 's Son # 1 Asher Lee as Aiko 's Son # 2 Episodes No. Title Directed by Written by Original release date `` Separation '' Agnieszka Holland Beau Willimon September 14, 2018 ( 2018 - 09 - 14 ) The crew of Providence 1, the first manned mission to Mars, boards their capsule for the journey to Mars. Tom Hagerty, the recently replaced commander of the mission, watches from his nearby home. The rocket is destroyed on ascent, killing all of the crew. Hagerty races to the offices of Vista, the commercial company that is running the mission, to provide support for the family members, and confront the CEO Laz Ingram. Hagerty returns home to find Denise, his estranged daughter, came to see him after watching the launch. Vista opens an investigation into the cause of the fatal launch incident. `` What 's Needed '' Agnieszka Holland Beau Willimon September 14, 2018 ( 2018 - 09 - 14 ) Laz Ingram testifies in front of Congress in favor of continuing the manned space mission to Mars, while simultaneously settling a legal battle with the families of the Providence 1 crew. Denise has begun working as a waitress, and wishes to use her late mother 's tattoo studio, which Tom has locked up and is resistant to allow her in. He begins preparing the studio when he receives a call from Ingram to travel to Washington, DC to testify in support of another attempt at manned exploration to Mars. Tom refuses to speak in favor of another mission in front of Congress, but meets privately with the parents of the late Providence 1 commander, and explains the need to continue exploring space. Over the next few days, Tom and Ingram gradually gain support for another mission. On the flight home, Ingram offers Tom the chance to command the next mission, and he asks Denise if he should go. `` Cycles '' Daniel Sackheim Carla Ching September 14, 2018 ( 2018 - 09 - 14 ) Tom, the new commander of the mission to Mars, is arguing with Kayla, the previous commander, as to whether he should replace Nick or Sadie for the mission. Tom is in favor of Nick, while Kayla argues on behalf of Sadie, as she feels personally responsible for Sadie becoming an astronaut. After Sadie fails a training exercise, Tom makes his decision that he should replace her. The Mars Ascent Vehicle, already on Mars, is no longer transmitting, causing concern that it may be inoperative when the crew arrives. Denise goes out with some of her coworkers, including her love interest Finn. After bringing them back to Tom 's house, he confronts her with his concerns that she will relapse into her drug use, and attends a twelve - step meeting with her. `` Where Life Is '' Daniel Sackheim AJ Marechal September 14, 2018 ( 2018 - 09 - 14 ) As the crew continues training, Laz speaks privately Kayla, and asks if she thinks they made the right decision to take Nick instead of Sadie on the mission. Kayla becomes angry at Laz, and feels that she is not a respected member of the crew. Speaking about the matter with her wife and Tom, she admits that much of her frustration is from being replaced as mission commander. As the crew trains, Nick struggles with the science portion, and is assisted by Sadie. Sadie, while pretending that she wants to get pregnant, has been secretly taking birth control pills. She admits this to her husband, who suspected it all along, and she realizes she has been avoiding pregnancy because she is holding out hope that she will still be on the mission. Tom and Ellen, the wife of the late Providence 1 commander, sleep together ; Denise is upset with her father for bringing her into her art studio. Laz visits the bar at which Denise works, and offers her support while her father is away ; Denise angrily rebuffs her attempt. While working at home, Laz identifies a possible solution to fix the Mars Ascent Vehicle. 5 `` Two Portraits '' Deniz Gamze Ergüven Francesca Sloane September 14, 2018 ( 2018 - 09 - 14 ) As Denise paints a portrait of her late mother, Diane, a series of flashbacks reveal the family 's history. Tom is shown to have been away during his Navy career, and struggled with parenting Denise when he returned home. He moved the family to their house in New Orleans, but Diane continued to struggle, and eventually committed suicide in the river by their house as Denise watched. Tom insisted that Denise go to New York for school, where she began abusing drugs and eventually overdosed. Tom enrolled her in rehab, but she relapsed after returning home, angering Tom and forcing her to leave. Due to Tom 's struggles with his home life, he was replaced as Providence 1 mission commander. In the present, Denise destroys her portrait of her mother and goes to a party, where she relapses into drugs. 6 `` Collisions '' Deniz Gamze Ergüven Julian Breece September 14, 2018 ( 2018 - 09 - 14 ) Denise wakes up in a jail cell, after she was injecting drugs at a party that was broken up by the police. She calls Laz, who takes her to Tom 's house, and recalls Tom from a training simulation. Tom and Denise argue about what she should do, culminating in Denise staying in Laz 's guesthouse. A reporter interviews Laz about the Providence 2 mission, where she acknowledges the risks of the mission, and states that it is the price of exploration. Despite unsuccessful tests, Laz has the reporter view the research in repairing the Mars Ascent Vehicle. 7 `` The Choice '' Ariel Kleiman Christal Henry September 14, 2018 ( 2018 - 09 - 14 ) Tom drafts a letter for the crew to sign acknowledging the increased risk to their lives should the repairs to the Mars Ascent Vehicle fail. Matteo notices hearing issues, and finds that his eardrum has ruptured. The repairs fail, and the US president informs Laz that she will not be supporting the mission, and the crew considers the increased risk. Matteo chooses to withdraw from mission, and Sadie replaces him, despite her husband 's anger at her decision. Tom meets Denise at Laz 's house, and she informs him that she will be cutting off contact should he elect to go on the mission. Tom asserts that she no longer needs him, but the crew does, and signs the letter. 8 `` Near and Far '' Ariel Kleiman Francesca Sloane & Beau Willimon September 14, 2018 ( 2018 - 09 - 14 ) The crew of Providence 2 prepare for launch. Denise is resistant to attend, but eventually decides to view the launch. Providence 2 takes off, and successfully docks with the Mars Transfer Vehicle in orbit. Denise returns to Tom 's house to close up her studio and move out, but she decides to send Tom a video before she departs. The season ends as the crew prepares for the trans - Mars injection burn. Production Development On May 3, 2017, it was announced that Hulu and Channel 4 had given the production a straight - to - series order. The show was created by Beau Willimon who was also set to write for the series and executive produce alongside Jordan Tappis. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of Westward Productions. The series reportedly has been given a budget of around $54.6 million. On July 16, 2018, it was reported that the series would premiere on September 14, 2018 on Hulu in the United States. Casting In September 2017, it was announced that Sean Penn and Natascha McElhone had been cast as the series ' leads. In October 2017, it was reported that LisaGay Hamilton, Oded Fehr, James Ransone, and Hannah Ware had also joined the main cast. On November 3, 2017, it was announced that Anna Jacoby - Heron had been cast in a series regular role. Filming The series was set to finish pre-production and enter principal photography on September 18, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The shoot was scheduled to last about 85 days though it was later reported that the series would film in the city through March 9, 2018. Release Marketing On July 16, 2018, a series of `` first look '' images from the series were released. On July 24, 2018, a teaser trailer for the series was released. On August 28, 2018, the official trailer for the series was released. Premiere On June 9, 2018, creator / executive producer Beau Willimon appeared at the annual ATX Television Festival where he discussed the series and debuted a `` first look '' at the series through a short trailer featuring narration from cast member Sean Penn. On September 7, 2018, the series will take part in the 12th annual PaleyFest Fall Television Previews which will feature a preview screening of the series. Reception The series has been met with a positive response from critics upon its premiere. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 65 % with an average rating of 6.33 out of 10, based on 46 reviews. The website 's critical consensus reads, `` Sean Penn gives an intensely poignant performance as the driven but conflicted Tom Hagerty in The First 's rather slow - moving first season. '' Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 61 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating `` generally favorable reviews. '' References Jump up ^ Ausiello, Michael ( September 20, 2017 ). `` Sean Penn to Star in Hulu 's Mars Drama Series The First, From House of Cards Creator Beau Willimon ''. TVLine. Retrieved December 12, 2017. Jump up ^ Andreeva, Nellie ( May 3, 2017 ). `` Hulu Orders ' Marvel 's Runaways ' & Beau Willimon 's ' The First ' To Series ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 12, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Scott, Mike ( June 15, 2017 ). `` Hulu to shoot Mars - mission drama series ' The First ' in New Orleans ''. NOLA.com. Retrieved December 20, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Petski, Denise ( July 16, 2018 ). `` ' The First ' : Beau Willimon 's Hulu Series Gets Premiere Date, First Photos ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 16, 2018. Jump up ^ Andreeva, Nellie ( September 20, 2017 ). `` Sean Penn To Star In Beau Willimon 's ' The First ' TV Series For Hulu & Channel 4 ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 12, 2017. Jump up ^ Andreeva, Nellie ( September 27, 2017 ). `` Natascha McElhone To Star In Beau Willimon 's ' The First ' Hulu Series, Will Depart ' Designated Survivor ' ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 12, 2017. Jump up ^ Hipes, Patrick ( October 19, 2017 ). `` LisaGay Hamilton Joins Beau Willimon 's ' The First ' ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 12, 2017. Jump up ^ Petski, Denise ( October 19, 2017 ). `` ' The First ' : Oded Fehr & James Ransone Join Beau Willimon 's Hulu Series ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 12, 2017. Jump up ^ Petski, Denise ( October 25, 2017 ). `` Hannah Ware Cast In Beau Willimon 's ' The First ' TV Series For Hulu & Channel 4 ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 12, 2017. Jump up ^ Andreeva, Nellie ( November 3, 2017 ). `` ' The First ' : Anna Jacoby - Heron To Co-Star In Hulu Series From Beau Willimon ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 12, 2017. Jump up ^ Scott, Mike ( February 16, 2018 ). `` TNT gives ' Deadlier Than the Male ' a season order ; filming set for New Orleans ''. NOLA.com. Retrieved February 27, 2018. Jump up ^ Petski, Denise ( July 24, 2018 ). `` ' The First ' Teaser : First Look At Sean Penn In Hulu Space Drama Series ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 24, 2018. Jump up ^ Petski, Denise ( August 28, 2018 ). `` ' The First ' Trailer : Sean Penn Torn Between Family & Mars In Hulu Space Drama Series ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 28, 2018. Jump up ^ Travers, Ben ( June 9, 2018 ). `` ' The First ' : Sean Penn 's Mission to Mars on Hulu Debuts Gorgeous First Footage and Plot Details ''. IndieWire. Retrieved July 1, 2018. Jump up ^ Pedersen, Erik ( July 24, 2018 ). `` PaleyFest Fall TV Previews Sets Initial Lineup : Tim Allen, Sarah Silverman, Aaron Paul & More ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 29, 2018. Jump up ^ `` The First : Season 1 ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved September 30, 2018. Jump up ^ `` The First : Season 1 ''. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 30, 2018. External links Official website The First on IMDb Hulu original programming Current The Doozers ( since 2014 ) Harlots ( since 2017 ) The Handmaid 's Tale ( since 2017 ) I Love You, America with Sarah Silverman ( since 2017 ) Future Man ( since 2017 ) Marvel 's Runaways ( since 2017 ) All Night ( since 2018 ) Castle Rock ( since 2018 ) The First ( since 2018 ) Into the Dark ( since 2018 ) Light as a Feather ( since 2018 ) Ended The Morning After ( 2011 -- 14 ) A Day in the Life ( 2011 -- 13 ) Battleground ( 2012 ) Spoilers with Kevin Smith ( 2012 ) Up to Speed ( 2012 ) The Thick of It ( series 4 ; 2012 ) East Los High ( 2013 -- 17 ) The Awesomes ( 2013 -- 15 ) Quick Draw ( 2013 -- 14 ) Behind the Mask ( 2013 -- 15 ) Mother Up ! ( 2013 -- 14 ) The Wrong Mans ( 2013 -- 14 ) Deadbeat ( 2014 -- 16 ) The Hotwives ( 2014 -- 15 ) Difficult People ( 2015 -- 17 ) The Mindy Project ( seasons 4 -- 6 ; 2015 -- 17 ) Casual ( 2015 -- 18 ) 11.22. 63 ( 2016 ) The Path ( 2016 -- 18 ) Freakish ( 2016 -- 17 ) Chance ( 2016 -- 17 ) Triumph 's Election Watch 2016 ( 2016 ) Shut Eye ( 2016 -- 17 ) The Looming Tower ( 2018 ) Hard Sun ( 2018 ) Upcoming Veronica Mars ( season 4 ; 2019 ) Crossing Swords ( 2020 ) Solar Opposites ( 2020 ) The Act ( TBA ) Four Weddings and a Funeral ( TBA ) Catch - 22 ( TBA ) Little Fires Everywhere ( TBA ) Looking for Alaska ( TBA ) PEN15 ( TBA ) Ramy ( TBA ) Shrill ( TBA ) Wu - Tang : An American Saga ( TBA ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_First_(TV_series)&oldid=864990737 '' Categories : 2010s American drama television series 2018 American television series debuts 2010s British drama television series 2018 British television programme debuts Hulu original programming Channel 4 television dramas Mars in television English - language television programs Hidden categories : Official website not in Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Français Հայերեն Italiano Polski Русский Edit links This page was last edited on 20 October 2018, at 23 : 20 ( UTC ). 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Question: who plays the president in the first on hulu
Answer: Jeannie Berlin