Netflix aims for the sky with Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission To Space

Also tonight: Peacock expands the Days Of Our Lives universe, Harry And Meghan escape the palace in a Lifetime movie

By Saloni Gajjar | September 6, 2021 | 5:00am

TV Lists Netflix

Netflix aims for the sky with Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission To Space

Chris Sembroski, Hayley Arceneaux, Jared Isaacman, Dr. Sian Proctor in Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission To Space Photo: John Kraus/Netflix

Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Monday, September 6. All times are Eastern.

Top pick

Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission To Space (Netflix, 3:01 a.m.): Directed by The Last Dance’s Jason Hehir, this documentary follows the crew of Inspiration4, the first spaceflight to orbit Earth with exclusively private citizens aboard, as they prepare to launch on September 15. Netflix will release two episodes, followed by two more on September 13, with a final one at the end of the month. The Inspiration4 crew includes billionaire Jared Isaacman; his guest Hayley Arceneaux, a cancer survivor; a data engineer named Chris Sembroski; and science communicator and artist Sian Proctor. Hehir once more worked with unprecedented access, and Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission To Space marks Netflix’s first near-real-time documentary.

Regular coverage

Wild cards

Days Of Our Lives: Beyond Salem (Peacock, 3:01 a.m., series premiere): This five-episode limited series is a spin-off of the long-running daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives, which has now aired more than 14,000 episodes. Beyond Salem follows current and former stars such as Lisa Rinna, Jackée Harry, Diedre Hall, and James Reynolds outside of Salem, in locations like New Orleans, Miami, Phoeniz, and Zurich. Look for more coverage from Gwen Ihnat in the coming weeks.

Harry & Meghan: Escaping The Palace (Lifetime, 8 p.m.): Jordan Dean and Sydney Morton play Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in this film, which looks at what happened inside the palace to drive them away from the country with their son, Archie. The movie examines the dynamics between them, Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton, and the rest of the royal family, and how Meghan was driven to sadness and isolation post her marriage. Harry and Meghan’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey from earlier this year will also play out in the movie.