The Martian Chronicles 1980 TV Mini-Series (Part 1)

Part 1 "The Expeditions" The exploration of Mars begins with two failed expeditions. Colonel Wilder then leads a crew to discover the secret of Mars - only to find all the Martians dead from chicken pox. The Martian Chronicles is a 1980 television miniseries based on Ray Bradbury's 1950 book The Martian Chronicles and dealing with the exploration of Mars and the inhabitants there. The series starred Rock Hudson, Darren McGavin, Bernadette Peters, Roddy McDowall, Fritz Weaver, Barry Morse, and Maria Schell. It was aired on NBC in January 1980 in three episodes with a total running time of just over four hours (nearly five hours on the DVD version). The series depicts Mars as having a "thin atmosphere" which humans can breathe with water-filled canals and desert-like vegetation. The miniseries was directed by Michael Anderson and written by Richard Matheson.