Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticEven if you haven’t seen the 1983 film or read Tom Wolfe’s 1979 book of the same name, chances are you’ve already seen something exactly like “The Right Stuff.” In its retelling of the true story of “The Mercury 7” (i.e.
the intrepid group of American astronauts vying to be the country’s first space travelers), this TV version of “The Right Stuff” never met a space story cliché it didn’t embrace with open arms.
Its determined, talented men storm in and out of rooms, demanding answers and praise and cooperation. The series frequently evokes the specter of Russia beating America to the moon to everyone’s haunted horror, the score swelling dramatically to underline the severity of the situation.