I recently caught the first two episodes of The First, the new Hulu series starring Sean Penn as a respected astronaut who’s under pressure to lead another mission to Mars after a previous attempt ended in tragedy. The show, in my humble opinion, is actually pretty good. Unlike a two-hour movie, a television series offers the chance to go slowly and take more time with story, characters, relationships and nuance. The First, which was created by House of Cards (U.S.) creator and show runner Beau Willimon, looks like it’s in no rush. I am, thus far, engaged.

As I started to watch the show, Sean Penn immediately grabbed me. Not just because of his performance, which is good. He’s always been an actor who delivers, even in sub-par projects. What initially struck me most was his face.