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Published Feb 26, 2026, 10:00 AM EST
The series is trading soap opera for spy thriller
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Apple TV’s alt-history science fiction series For All Mankind imagines what would have happened if the Soviet Union beat the United States to the moon and the space race never ended. The show has rapidly been moving through the decades and will focus on rising tensions between Earth and Martian colonists when it returns for its fifth season on March 27. But the showrunners are heading back to the beginning of their story with Star City, an eight-episode prequel launching May 29.
While the first season of For All Mankind focused on NASA trying to play catch-up, Star City will be a paranoid thriller following the cosmonauts, engineers, and intelligence officers working to prove Soviet dominance with a lunar landing. For All Mankind showrunners Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert, and Ronald D. Moore are helming Star City, with an all-new cast including Rhys Ifans (House of the Dragon), Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland), and Agnes O’Casey (Black Doves).
Image: Apple TVStar City could provide a new jumping-on point for viewers curious about For All Mankind while also luring back fans who grew fatigued as the show shifted from prestige drama to soap opera in later seasons. The setting and fresh cast also remove the need to pile returning stars like Joel Kinnaman with ever-increasing amounts of aging makeup.
For All Mankind was one of Apple TV’s first hit genre shows, paving the way for Severance, Pluribus, and the adaptations of Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere fantasy universe. The creators of For All Mankind would like the show to run for seven seasons, and Star City demonstrates they’re taking a holistic view towards the franchise even as they look towards the future of interplanetary conflict.
The first two episodes of Star City premiere on Apple TV on May 29, with new episodes releasing on Fridays through July 10.
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