Netflix’s ‘Lost in Space’ Finally Delivers on the Promise of the Franchise’s Premise

The overriding reaction from potential viewers when a reboot is announced is “Why?” Why this, why now, and why not come up with something new? Today’s dusted off property is the campy ’60s classic Lost in Space and the excavator is Netflix. The “why” of it all is easily answered. Over the last year, Netflix has been pushing teen-centric shows (Stranger Things, Everything Sucks!, On My Block) and big sci-fi (Altered Carbon, The Cloverfield Paradox, Stranger Things again). Not much has changed from Lost in Space’s core premise: its sci-fi Swiss Family Robinson, a tale of a family banding together to survive harsh circumstances after being marooned on a faraway planet. As a concept that prominently features teens (and their parents and one devious saboteur) surviving on an alien world, Lost in Space exists in the overlap of everything Netflix has been doing. It makes sense, but does Netflix do enough with the premise to justify the reboot?

Let’s get two things straight: the original Lost in Space was absolutely bizarre, and I love it. The ’60s show mixed the campiness of Batman ’66 and the low-budget thrills of a Star Trek: The Original Series away mission for a show where talking carrots and maniacal toymakers tormented a boy and his robot. If Netflix wanted to do justice to the original’s tone, the show would have to be a straight-up comedy. Instead, the new Lost in Space threads the needle of Battlestar Galactica realism and the kind of carefree adventure you see on a CW super-show like Legends of Tomorrow. The series boldly goes in a new direction, but packs a lot of luggage that’ll be familiar to anyone who spent summer weekday mornings watching reruns of the original on the Sci-Fi Channel (raises hand).

Netflix’s version of the Robinson family is a unit of complex individuals held together by a deep–if at times strained–affection. Unlike in the original series, engineer/matriarch Maureen (Molly Parker), doctor/eldest daughter Judy (Taylor Russell), and lit enthusiast/middle child Penny (Mina Sundwall) actually have an integral presence on the Jupiter 2. Too many episodes of the original left the women at home to cook and clean (seriously) while the men had adventures. The new show wears its gender parity proudly. Not only do the women dive (sometimes literally) into the fray, the show gives equal focus on their relationships with each other–particularly the sisterly rivalry between Judy and Penny.

Molly Parker, a standout on House of Cards, absolutely owns the role of Maureen Robinson and gives sci-fi a new kind of take charge heroine. Maureen is incredibly pragmatic, which makes her the family’s taskmaster (her favorite possession: her dry erase board of chores). But while the written words may seem cold and detached, Parker plays them with a well-rounded warmth. And when the time comes for her to get proactive (and even combative), Parker sells it. She gets a moment that is very “Get away from her, you bitch,” and it is fist-pumping-from-your-couch good.

And then there’s Parker Posey in the role of Dr. Smith, a brilliant bit of casting that elevates a solid series into must-watch territory. The original Dr. Smith, played with mincing menace by Jonathan Harris, was a constant scene-stealer on the ’60s series. A Lost in Space update would be adrift without the right doctor, as the grandiose saboteur propelled most of the plots forward with his ineptitude or his selfishness. Posey is unquestionably the right doctor. Posey–draped in a scarf and rocking a stressed out hairdo–gives everything she’s got to the role, which requires her to play layers of manipulation all at once, her countenance turning and twisting to fool whoever she’s looking at. The character even has a dark campiness befitting of the reboot, making her seem like Hannibal Lecter masquerading as, well, Parker Posey. It’s a performance that deserves all the trophies.

Along with Smith, the original series’ core trio included Will Robinson and the catchphrase-spouting Robot. While the new series dramatically increases the roles played by other characters, the new Will (Maxwell Jenkins) and the new Robot are frequently the center of attention. Originally a non-threatening gray barrel with tank treads and a flattened fishbowl head, the new Robot looks a bit too much like a Power Rangers monster (one from the new movie, at least). This isn’t lessened by the fact that, aside from some action scenes, the Robot is clearly played by a man in a suit. Still, this old school practical effect harkens back to the original series, and thankfully no zippers can be spotted in modern HD. But what really sells the Robot as a character is how Jenkins interacts with what’s ostensibly a super fancy Halloween costume. Jenkins has a real on-screen connection with the creature, so much so that it conjured up legit E.T. feelings from me.

While some shots of the Robot seem a little campy (which again, kind of on-brand for this franchise), the rest of the series–from the visual effects to the cinematography–looks spectacular. Director Neil Marshall set the bar high with the sweeping first episodes, which drops the Robinsons on a planet covered with a variety of beautiful (and hostile) terrains. The show delivers the kind of visual spectacle that you usually only expect to see in big screen sci-fi, but it thankfully remains aware that it is a TV show.

Unlike all of Netflix’s Marvel shows, Lost in Space can’t be described as a 10-hour movie. It’s through-and-through a TV show, meaning that every episode cycles through different obstacles, be they alien creatures or tricky terrain or deadly natural disasters, and gives you the beginning, middle, and end of at least one plotline. This is exactly how the old series operated, but it feels revolutionary compared to the slow burn of most current streaming series. The show also keeps big reveals coming at a steady pace, with mysteries usually being solved an episode after they’re introduced. Lost in Space knows the biggest mystery is what lies ahead, not in keeping important background info from the viewer.

Every one of the series’ shortcomings could be viewed as an homage to the original. That’s not a knock on the ’60s Lost in Space, nor is it an excuse for the current’s missteps. But every time something wildly implausible happens, or a coincidence ends up playing a pivotal role in the plot, or developments border on ridiculous (like Ignacio Serricchio’s Don West befriending a chicken), it feels like the Lost in Space of old. And none of the show’s weak points, like episodes ballooning out to 60 minutes when a tight 45 would do, overshadow performances from an ace cast. At its worst, Lost in Space is frivolous fun, a ’90s basic cable sci-fi show with a million dollars thrown at it. At its best, specifically the crackling final two episodes, Lost in Space holds its own with the best Netflix has to offer.

Why reboot Lost in Space? Because there’s always been more promise to the franchise’s premise, and Netflix’s update finally delivers on it.

Netflix’s Lost in Space debuts on April 13

Where to stream Lost in Space