For All Mankind (TV series)

For All Mankind is an American science fiction drama television series created by Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi and produced for Apple TV+. The series dramatizes an alternate history depicting "what would have happened if the global space race had never ended" after the Soviet Union succeeds in the first crewed Moon landing ahead of the United States. The title is inspired by the lunar plaque left on the Moon by the crew of Apollo 11, which reads, in part, "We Came in Peace for All Mankind".

The series stars an ensemble cast including Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, Sarah Jones, Shantel VanSanten, Jodi Balfour, Wrenn Schmidt, Sonya Walger, and Krys Marshall. Cynthy Wu, Casey W. Johnson, and Coral Peña joined the main cast for the second season, and Edi Gathegi joined in the third. The series features historical figures (played by actors or appearing through archival footage) including Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, Mercury Seven astronaut Deke Slayton, rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, astronaut Sally Ride, NASA administrator Thomas Paine, NASA flight director Gene Kranz, U.S. senators Ted Kennedy and Gary Hart, along with U.S. presidents John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

For All Mankind premiered on November 1, 2019. The second season was critically acclaimed and was nominated for the TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Drama. In July 2022, the series was renewed for a fourth season, which premiered on November 10, 2023. In 2023, the writers said that, from the beginning, they had discussed that their goal was that there would be "about seven seasons" and that the story will span "at least 70 years". In April 2024, the series was renewed for a fifth season, and it was announced that a spinoff series titled Star City was in development, focusing on the Soviet space program.

Premise
In an alternate timeline in 1969, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov becomes the first human to land on the Moon. This outcome devastates morale at NASA but also catalyzes a U.S. effort to catch up. With the Soviet Union emphasizing diversity by including a woman in subsequent landings, the United States is forced to match pace, training women and minorities who were largely excluded from the initial decades of U.S. space exploration. Each subsequent season takes place 10 years later, with season two taking place in the 1980s, season three taking place in the 1990s, and season four taking place in the 2000s.

Ronald D. Moore explained how historical reality had been different from the series: "Sergei Korolev was the father of the Soviet space program; in our reality, he died during an operation in Moscow (in 1966) ... And after that point, their Moon program really never pulled together.... Our point of divergence was that Korolev lives, ... and he made their Moon landing happen."

Cast and characters

 * Joel Kinnaman as Edward "Ed" Baldwin, one of NASA's top astronauts, initially based on Apollo 10 commander Thomas P. Stafford
 * Michael Dorman as Gordon "Gordo" Stevens (seasons 1–2), an astronaut and Ed's best friend, based on Apollo 10's lunar module pilot Gene Cernan
 * Sarah Jones as Tracy Stevens (seasons 1–2), Gordo's wife who later also becomes an astronaut as one of "Nixon's Women"
 * Shantel VanSanten as Karen Baldwin (seasons 1–3; guest season 4), Ed's wife who later owns the Outpost Tavern and then becomes head of Helios Aerospace
 * Jodi Balfour as Ellen Wilson (née Waverly) (seasons 1–3; guest season 4), an astronaut and member of "Nixon's Women" who later becomes Administrator of NASA, a United States senator and president of the United States following the 1992 presidential election
 * Wrenn Schmidt as Margo Madison, a NASA engineer who was mentored by Wernher von Braun, inspired by Margaret Hamilton
 * Sonya Walger as Molly Cobb (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1), an astronaut and member of "Nixon's Women", based on Jerrie Cobb
 * Krys Marshall as Danielle Poole (season 2–present; recurring season 1), an astronaut and member of "Nixon's Women"
 * Cynthy Wu as Kelly Baldwin (née Hanh Nguyen, before adoption) (season 2–present), a scientist and Ed and Karen's adopted daughter
 * Casey W. Johnson as Danny Stevens (seasons 2–3; guest season 4), an astronaut and Gordo and Tracy's son
 * Jason David and Mason Thames as young Danny Stevens (recurring season 1)
 * Coral Peña as Aleida Rosales (season 2–present), an undocumented immigrant who is fascinated by space and later gets mentored by Margo
 * Olivia Trujillo as young Aleida Rosales (recurring season 1)
 * Edi Gathegi as Dev Ayesa (season 3–present), the founder of Helios Aerospace, a private space company with the goal to reach Mars before NASA and the Soviet Union
 * Toby Kebbell as Miles Dale (season 4), a former offshore oil platform worker who pursues a new job opportunity on Mars
 * Tyner Rushing as Samantha Massey (season 4), a space worker on the Mars colony
 * Svetlana Efremova as Irina Morozova (season 4), a high-ranking Soviet official
 * Daniel Stern as Eli Hobson (season 4), the new administrator of NASA

Development
According to Ronald D. Moore, the idea of the show came about during lunch with former NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman, when they discussed the possibility of an alternate history in which the Soviets reached the Moon before the Americans. On December 15, 2017, it was announced that Apple had given the production a one-season series order. The series was created by Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi. Maril Davis serves as executive producer alongside Moore, Wolpert, and Nedivi. Production companies involved with the series include Sony Pictures Television and Tall Ship Productions. On October 5, 2018, it was announced that the series had been officially titled For All Mankind. The series was renewed for a second season in October 2019. On November 19, 2020, it was announced that the second season would premiere on February 19, 2021. On December 8, 2020, ahead of the second-season premiere, Apple TV+ renewed the series for a third season. On July 22, 2022, Apple TV+ renewed the series for a fourth season. In April 2024, the series was renewed for a fifth season.

Casting
In August 2018, it was announced that Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, Sarah Jones, Shantel VanSanten, and Wrenn Schmidt had been cast in main roles and that Eric Ladin, Arturo Del Puerto, and Rebecca Wisocky would appear in a recurring capacity. In October 2018, it was reported that Jodi Balfour had been cast in a series regular role.

In November 2020, Cynthy Wu, Coral Peña and Casey W. Johnson had been cast in main roles for the second season. Also, Krys Marshall and Sonya Walger were promoted to the main cast for the second season. In December 2020, Michaela Conlin joined the cast in a supporting role for the second season. In June 2021, it was reported that Edi Gathegi joined the season three cast as a series regular. For the fourth season, Daniel Stern, Toby Kebbell, Tyner Rushing and Svetlana Efremova were cast as series regulars. In July 2024, Mireille Enos was cast in a series regular role for the fifth season.

Filming
Principal photography for the series commenced in August 2018 in Los Angeles, California. In March 2019, The New York Times reported that filming had concluded. The filming for the second season began on December 24, 2019. On August 17, 2020, production on second season resumed after the COVID-19 halt, and the final two episodes were filmed. Filming for the third season began on February 25, 2021 and concluded in mid-September 2021. Filming for the fourth season began in August 2022, and had wrapped by January 2023.

Music
All tracks written by Jeff Russo. Seasons 3 and 4 tracks were co-written by Paul Doucette.

Release
The first season of For All Mankind premiered on Apple TV+ on November 1, 2019, and consisted of 10 episodes, releasing weekly until December 20, 2019. The second season premiered on February 19, 2021, and consisted of 10 episodes, releasing weekly until April 23, 2021. The third season premiered on June 10, 2022, and consisted of 10 episodes, releasing weekly until August 12, 2022. The fourth season premiered on November 10, 2023, and consisted of 10 episodes, releasing weekly until January 12, 2024.

Marketing
On February 11, 2021, ahead of the season two premiere, Apple released an augmented reality iOS application on the App Store called For All Mankind: Time Capsule. The application walks users through the decade-long gap between seasons one and two, showing the relationship between astronauts Gordo and Tracy Stevens, and their son Danny Stevens. At the 73rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, For All Mankind: Time Capsule won an award for Outstanding Innovation in Interactive Programming.

For season two, Apple released a podcast titled For All Mankind: The Official Podcast, produced in partnership with At Will Media, releasing every two weeks starting February 19, 2021. It is hosted by Krys Marshall, who plays Danielle Poole, and features behind-the-scenes looks and interviews with scientists, former astronauts, and the cast and crew of For All Mankind.

For season three, Apple released a companion video series titled The Science behind For All Mankind for corresponding episodes from season 3. It is hosted by Wrenn Schmidt, who plays Margo Madison, and has her explain and breakdown the scientific topics shown on the series.

Critical response
The first season of For All Mankind received generally positive reviews. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 75% approval rating with an average rating of 7/10, based on 56 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Though it shoots for the Moon and falls somewhere in orbit, For All Mankind's impressive vision of history has the potential for real liftoff if it leans into the things that set it apart instead of settling for more of the same." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 65 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

The second season has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 7.5/10, based on 27 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "For All Mankind's sophomore flight isn't without its hiccups, but compelling character work and a renewed sense of wonder make for thrilling viewing." On Metacritic, it has a weighted score of 75 out of 100 based on 7 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

The third season has a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 8.2/10, based on 35 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "For All Mankind's third season goes as far as Mars while maintaining a homey focus on its original ensemble, delivering another epic adventure with an intimate focus." On Metacritic, it has a weighted score of 84 out of 100 based on 15 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

The fourth season has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 8.2/10, based on 27 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Houston, there's no problem here – For All Mankind's fourth season hones in on what the series does best and forges ahead with a thought-provoking revisionist history." On Metacritic, it has a weighted score of 83 out of 100 based on 11 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".