HBO's "From the Earth to the Moon" spans not only NASA's mission to the lunar surface but also a variety of storytelling styles - the 12 episodes feature 10 different directors - including Tom Hanks ("That Thing You Do"), Frank Marshall ("Arachnephobia"), Sally Field - and a dozen writers.
"Each hour was treated like a film, so each hour has a different look, a different storytelling technique, a different point of view," said co-executive producer Tony To. "The one unifying factor is it's the tale of the Apollo era."The enormous cast includes David Andrews, Adam Baldwin, David Clennon, Gary Cole, Matt Craven, Brett Cullen, Tim Daly, Cary Elwes, Sally Field, Dave Foley, Al Franken, Tony Goldwyn, Mark Harmon, Tom Hanks, Peter Horton, Chris Isaak, Daniel-Hugh Kelly, Ann Magnuson, DeLane Matthew, Jay Mohr, Elizabeth Perkins, Kevin Pollak, Stephen root, Alan Ruck, Diana Scarwid, Peter Scolari, Nick Searcy, Grant Shaud, Lane Smith, Cynthia Steveson, Jobeth Williams and Rita Wilson.
HBO will telecast two hourlong episodes back-to-back on six consecutive Sundays from April 5 through May 10. (And a video release of the entire series is scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year.)
The individual episodes are:
Can We Do This? (Part 1) looks at NASA's response to President Ken-nedy's challenge that America send a man to the moon by the end of the 1960s, featuring the Mercury and Gemini missions that led to Apollo. (Debuts Sunday at 9 p.m.)
Apollo 1 (Part 2) tells of the tragic fire that killed three astronauts and threatened the entire space program. (Debuts Sunday at 10 p.m.)
We Have Cleared the Tower (Part 3) looks at the launch of Apollo 7 - the first manned space flight since the Apollo 1 disaster - through the eyes of a documentary filmmaker. (Debuts Sunday, April 12, at 9 p.m.)
1968 (Part 4) sets the historic flight of Apollo 8, which orbited the moon, against the backdrop of upheaval, assassinations, protests and escalating war in Vietnam. (Debuts Sunday, April 12, at 10 p.m.)
Spider (Part 5) follows the development and deployment of the lunar module and the flight of Apollo 9, which featured the first-ever docking of two spacecraft. (Debuts Sunday, April 19, at 9 p.m.)
Mare Tranquilitis (Part 6) chronicles the Apollo 11 mission - the first manned mission to the moon. (Debuts Sunday, April 19, at 10 p.m.)
That's All There Is (Part 7) focuses on the lives of the astronauts themselves - in this case, the crew of the Apollo 12. (Debuts Sunday, April 26, at 9 p.m.)
We Interrupt This Program (Part 8) reports on the reporters, looking at the crippled Apollo 13 by looking at the journalists trying to cover the mission. (Debuts Sunday, April 26, at 10 p.m.)
For Miles and Miles (Part 9) tells the story of the first American in space, Alan Shepherd, as he tries to overcome inner-ear problems and take part in a moon flight. (Debuts Sunday, May 3, at 9 p.m.)
Galileo Was Right (Part 10) examines the arcane world of lunar geology, which is seen as a way to make lunar exploration more than just an engineering feat. (Debuts Sunday, May 3, at 10 p.m.)
The Original Wives Club (Part 11) looks at the wives of the Apollo astronauts, who live in the glare of publicity just as the women's movement is taking off. (Debuts Sunday, May 10, at 9 p.m.)
Le Voyage Dans La Lune (Part 12) is a celebration of the Apollo program, focusing on Apollo 17, the final moon mission. It is intercut with scenes from Georges Melies' 1902 film "Le Voyage Dans La Lune." (Debuts Sunday, May 10, at 10 p.m.)