From the Earth to the Moon (1998)

Twelve hour-long episodes, the biggest commitment here, so plan on two a night for most of the week. Tom Hanks produced this history of the space program from the first Mercury flights to Apollo 17, drawn largely from Andrew Chaikin's book A Man on the Moon, three years before he produced Band of Brothers. Each episode takes a different angle, from the investigation into the Apollo 1 fire to the astronauts' wives waiting at home, and the last one ties the final moon mission to Georges Méliès making his 1902 film. That variety keeps it fresh, though the late-1990s effects show their age. It is the gentlest watch on this list, and it won the Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries.