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The Right Stuff

The Right Stuff

The race to be first in space.

2020Ended1 season8 episodes~45 min/epTV-14Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all shows

At the height of the Cold War, newly formed NASA selects seven of the military’s best test pilots to become astronauts. Competing to be the first in space, these men achieve the extraordinary, inspiring the world to turn towards a new horizon of ambition and hope.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch The Right Stuff?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists The Right Stuff to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video, and on no subscription service.

Rent / Buy

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Highlights

What stands out about The Right Stuff?

The Right Stuff earns 1 badge: Rousing.

Reception

Is The Right Stuff worth watching?

The Right Stuff's Midcredits score is the 45th percentile of all shows, from 4.6K ratings across 2 sources. 68% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

45th percentile

Better received than 45% of shows

40th percentile among Drama50th percentile among 2020s
Acclaim (how much people like it)45th
Approval (how many liked it)46th

Acclaim

Mixed: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

70 /100

45th percentile of all shows

43rd percentile among Drama49th percentile among 2020s

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 6.9 — solid but not unanimous.

Approval

How many liked it

68% liked it

46th percentile of all shows

39th percentile among Drama52nd percentile among 2020s
68% rated it 7–1032% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

84th percentile

4.5K ratings across platforms

79th percentile among Drama86th percentile among 2020s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 16% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Common ground

The series shifts emphasis from the space race to the personal dramas and flaws of the Mercury 7 astronauts and their families.

Fans praised

  • Character-driven focus on personal lives and flaws of astronauts
  • Strong performances by the cast
  • Well-crafted period production design and visuals

Detractors panned

  • Reductive soap opera ignoring historical achievements
  • Unlikable, juvenile portrayal of the astronauts
  • Boring pacing with little space or flight content

What stands out

Cinematography75

Beautiful period production design

ActingDivisive70

Solid and often praised cast, though detractors find some performances uninspired

AtmosphereDivisive65

Effective 1960s period feel

Effects and spectacleDivisive55

Decent VFX for rocket launches, but too little screen time

CharactersDivisive40

Deep dive into personal flaws divides viewers

Plot and storyDivisive35

Focus on domestic melodrama over space program

Emotional impactDivisive30

Wives' struggles resonate with some, but overall tone grim

PacingDivisive25

Slow, plodding with minimal action

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 9 points apart
  • US vs non-US 1 point apart

Episodes

1 season

Season 1 · 2020 · 8 episodes

  • S1E1

    Sierra Hotel

    Oct 9, 202046 min
  • S1E2

    Goodies

    Oct 9, 202046 min
  • S1E3

    Single Combat Warrior

    Oct 16, 202054 min
  • S1E4

    Advent

    Oct 23, 202051 min
  • S1E5

    The Kona Kai Séance

    Oct 30, 202047 min
  • S1E6

    Vostok

    Nov 6, 202047 min
  • S1E7

    Ziggurat

    Nov 13, 202047 min
  • S1E8

    Flight

    Nov 20, 202048 minFinale

Watch experience

What is The Right Stuff like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, serious and charged — a slow-burn watch that leaves you fired up.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Moods
HopefulThrillingTriumphant
Heaviest: late
Wry humor: Amused and slightly dry about it.
Register
Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.Adventurous · 15% of shows
Told as
SerializedSingle-season story
ToneThe series presents its historical material with earnest seriousness, treating the astronauts' flaws and rivalries as real human drama without ironic distance.
The rideThe series builds a steady, inspiring momentum toward the Mercury launches, with the most thrilling moments in the final episodes.
StructureThe story is told in a straightforward linear fashion, following the selection and training of the Mercury astronauts across episodes, without notable structural experimentation.
Episode formatThe eight episodes form a continuous story of the astronaut selection and training process, with no case-of-the-week format.
Season formatThe series tells a complete narrative across one season, covering from selection through the first Mercury missions.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
Rousing · 9% of showsBittersweet
Why it leaves you this wayThe series leaves a sense of inspiration at the astronauts' courage, tempered by the personal costs and struggles behind the heroic image.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Monster
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18% (this title): Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% (this title) · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Oppressive state: A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).

18% of shows fit this archetype

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeThe series follows the Mercury 7 astronauts as they overcome the overwhelming odds and dangers of the early space program, with the oppressive constraints and pressures of the institutional and political environment acting as the monster they must conquer. This fits the typical episode arc of astronauts facing life-threatening NASA challenges.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelfAmbitionSelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31%: Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% · Loyalty 7% (this title)
  • Self 27% (this title): Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% (this title) · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% (this title) · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9%: Survival 12% · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Self

Ambition · 14% of showsClass · 4% of showsLoyalty · 7% of shows
Celebrates its theme: Affirms its theme — this is good and worth having.Societal stakes: Consequences reach a whole social order.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe story explores the competitive drive of the pilots to achieve the historic status of astronaut, while also examining the class dynamics within the military and the bonds among the men.
StanceThe series celebrates the ambition and achievement of the early astronauts, framing their selection as a historic American triumph.

The world

Mid 20th centuryInstitutionalWildernessUrbanRealistic
Orchestral modernSupportive music · original score
SettingU.S. military test sites and NASA facilities during the early space program

Content guide

Is The Right Stuff okay for kids?

TV-14

The Right Stuff is rated TV-14. As of August 29, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at mild (20/100), sexual content at moderate (42/100), language at moderate (44/100), drug and alcohol content at intense (61/100) and frightening material at mild (33/100). Its violence, language, drug and alcohol content and frightening material have too few votes to rank.

Ratings in 4 other countries
  • Brazil14
  • MexicoB
  • Netherlands12
  • SingaporePG13
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
not ranked
Violence & Gore
Mild
too few votes to rank (5 votes)
Sex & Nudity
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for a TV-14 show
heavier than 57%
Profanity
Moderate
too few votes to rank (6 votes)
Alcohol & Drugs
Intense
too few votes to rank (6 votes)
Frightening / Intense
Mild
too few votes to rank (4 votes)

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Too few votes to rank this title overall (37 votes across 5 categories; ranking needs 10 in at least three).

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other shows that have them.

What content warnings does The Right Stuff have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in The Right Stuff?

Cast

Patrick J. Adams
as John Glenn
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Jake McDorman
as Alan Shepard
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Colin O'Donoghue
as Gordon Cooper
Eloise Mumford
as Trudy Cooper
Rising: A short career with a standing when this show came out above the median working actor today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
James Lafferty
as Scott Carpenter
Nora Zehetner
as Annie Glenn
Career best: Their highest-reaching show role by billing, audience size and rating.
Eric Ladin
as Chris Kraft
Patrick Fischler
as Bob Gilruth
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.
Aaron Staton
as Wally Schirra
Michael Trotter
as Gus Grissom
Newcomer: A standing when this show came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.

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