What is up with this explosion of astronaut themed shows and documentaries?

[CmdrShep2154]

Not only we have multiple sci fi adventures and astronaut themed shows on this Fall but we are also getting some space documentaries.





Did Elon Musk's successes helped fuel an interest in space by pop culture? Is this where the new space age began?


This sure seems like the space revival I wanted to see back in 2014!

[Bigbamboozal]

Lots of people like that shit, gives them hope for the future.
Just the idea that I could blast into space and leave election mouth foam behind, amazing.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Did Elon Musk's successes helped fuel an interest in space by pop culture? Is this where the new space age began?

That is exactly what happened.

The space race was driven by private companies. The rate of technological and scientific advancement was astounding, and the space race of the 50s and 60s kicked off mainstream interest in sci fi for over two decades, from the 60s to the 80s. However, NASA then became a government institution, and as the entrepreneurs who had built up began being pushed out, so too did NASA begin losing its edge. Sci fi in TV and film also began becoming bland and repetitive. By the 90s, interest in space was waning, and by the 2000s there was none at all. The ISS being launched was a blip on the radar, more indicative of a new era of peace than a new era of space exploration.

It wasn't until SpaceX that anything interesting (as far as the mainstream is concerned) has been happening with space again.

[Icelin]

After the information I found out about Elon Musk this year. I wouldn't care if that was the real reason we are seeing an influx of space love.

Space has been a popular topic for a long time Since it has been a popular for a long time it is a relatable topic for many generations. This steams from the Space Age. Which was very prevalent in our culture for many years. Even to huge blockbusters like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Trek etc to Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. We are a by product of our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers having this heavily influenced on them through media. I guess some guys didn't care that much but it was still the most pushed topic. I know where my love of sci-fi comes from. Could even argue our fascination with space goes back even further than media.

Is it surprising they are releasing a bunch of documentaries about space? Not at all. Again it's for a huge demographic and can be enjoyed at any age.

I don't mind lots of different documentaries and I know I am not the only one. They would know the amount of people who have watched these over the years. (Youtube comes to mind) I just wanted to add the last one I watched was not about space in particular, but I ended up being a bit disappointed.

"No Safe Spaces" was suppose to send an important message. (Like most documentaries..) It did in some sense, but where they lost points from me was the man showing off his garage and his amount of vehicles he has amassed over the years. It had nothing to do with the message. So it lost four points for me instantly. It was extremely unnecessary and not the time nor place to display his vanity. Imagine if every documentary had that..now you can understand why it felt so out of place.

Either way I might look into some of all the new space documentaries they are doing, for sure.

[ohiostate124]

What is up with the explosion of kids and young people wearing nasa shirts these days?

[StillMcfuu]

Earth kind of sucks now, and everyone is thinking about leaving.

[Fencers]

It takes a very long time usually to produce a film or series. They are planned, financed, and made usually a few years in advance of their release. When one studio or production company begins developing a project, word gets around in the industry and other studios and production companies move to have competing or adjacent projects to be market competitors. If a concept is successful, many studios and production companies will double down on the concept until the wheels fall off.

This is the reason for every single "Why are there so many BLANK-BLANK movies/shows all of a sudden?"

It's not sudden.

TSG and 20th Century just heard back in 2016 Disney was working on an arctic dog movie and after the 2017 production The Lion King live-action, someone said, "Hey we own the Call of the Wild rights. Let's start production on that to bring to market alongside Togo or The Lion King". Eventually, one agency tells another and Harrison Ford is attached to the project, Dafoe on another project, and since agencies do what is called, "packaging" studios look for ways to bring talent to production houses and get the most bang for the buck for their package pricing; what's ready to go we can stick these actors in? We have two dog movies and one with a talking elephant. Cool, let's run it.

The Lion King is released on July 19, 2019- massive hit. Togo is released December 20, 2019, Call of Wild is released February 21, 2020.

That is literally the answer to all your wonderment in this area of the entertainment sphere.

Source: I go to film school and work as a market researcher.

[Aland1966]

Astronauts have always evoked a storm of emotions and admiration in me. People worthy of respect!