Mars is a hard science-fiction television series produced by National Geographic that premiered on November 14, 2016, on its channel and FX. Prior to its official airdate, it was launched in a streaming format on November 1, 2016. It blends elements of real interviews with a fictional story of a group of astronauts as they land on the planet Mars.The series is based on the Stephen Petranek book How We'll Live on Mars (2015). The fictional narrative alternates initially between the years 2016 and 2033, using present-day non-fiction interviews to explain events unfolding in the story. The series was filmed in Budapest and Morocco.A companion book to the series, Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet (October 2016), details the science behind the show. A prequel episode, called Before Mars, was produced and released conjointly with the series. It tells the fictional story of a moment in the life of one of the astronauts and the decisions she made to get involved in science.On January 13, 2017, it was announced that National Geographic had renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on November 12, 2018.The lead actress, Jihae, confirmed via her official Instagram that the series was canceled after only two seasons.