Subscribers of Apple TV+ have cause for celebration as the streaming service has confirmed the return of its acclaimed original space drama, “For All Mankind,” for its fifth season. The series, known for its riveting alternate history of the global space race, continues to captivate audiences and has established a loyal fan base eager for more cosmic storytelling. In a thrilling expansion of this retro-futuristic saga, fans will soon be able to delve deeper into the series’ universe through the newly announced spinoff, “Star City.”
Apple TV+ joins forces again with the gifted minds behind “For All Mankind”—Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi. This team has successfully brought to life the Cold War-era space race with a compelling twist, and they are ready to take viewers on another exhilarating journey. “Star City” is poised to be a fascinating exploration of the Soviet side of the space narrative, highlighting the efforts and sacrifices made by cosmonauts, engineers, and the intelligence apparatus tightly woven into the Soviet space program.
Amid the enrichment of this alternate space timeline, the creative team expressed their growing intrigue with the Soviet space program, which has played a pivotal role in each season’s narrative. “The more we learned about this secret city in the forests outside Moscow where Soviet cosmonauts and engineers worked and lived, the more we wanted to tell the story of the other side of the space race,” stated executive producers Wolpert and Nedivi. “Star City” is envisioned as a tense, paranoia-fueled thriller that returns to a critical junction in the show’s retelling—when the Soviet Union triumphed in landing the first man on the moon—this time from the perspective of those behind the Iron Curtain.
The production of these two entwined series signifies a collaboration between Apple TV+ and Sony Pictures Television. The spinoff series “Star City” is the brainchild of Wolpert, Nedivi, and Moore, with Nedivi and Wolpert at the helm as showrunners. Their joint expertise, along with Tall Ship Productions’ Maril Davis, promises a narrative that’s as rich and intricate as the primary series. Echoing their roles in “For All Mankind,” Wolpert and Nedivi, along with Moore and Davis, continue their responsibilities as showrunners and executive producers. The depth of experience behind the scenes is evidenced by the array of talent including Emmy Award-winning Moore and Emmy-nominated Wolpert and Nedivi, as well as seasoned producers David Weddle, Bradley Thompson, Seth Edelstein, and Kira Snyder.
Fans of “For All Mankind” have witnessed an awe-inspiring journey across this alternate timeline. Over four seasons, the narrative has propelled itself into the dawn of the new millennium. Following an eight-year leap from the third season, the series has seen Mars hosting a sprawling international base, codenamed Happy Valley, where former adversaries join efforts in an unprecedented spirit of cooperation. As of 2003, within the realm of the series, the focus has shifted to the audacious capture and mining of asteroids laden with precious minerals. These celestial pursuits hold the promise of revolutionizing the future prospects of both Earth and Mars. Yet beneath the veneer of progress, tensions simmer threateningly, risking the undoing of everything the intrepid residents have strived to achieve.
Sophisticated yet accessible, “For All Mankind” takes advantage of the rich storytelling potential in alternate history narratives. With all four seasons available to stream globally, the show lures both space enthusiasts and drama aficionados alike. The announcement of “Star City” signals that Apple TV+ continues to bet heavily on this captivating vision of what could have been, deepening an already immersive universe that fans just can’t seem to get enough of. As the cosmic curtain rises on both familiar and unexplored territories, audiences can strap in for another thrilling space-time odyssey as the saga expands across this ever-enthralling frontier.
