Apple TV's 5-Part Sci-Fi Show Is So Good, It's Already Renewed For Season 6 And Has A Spinoff

Apple TV has a five-season and counting sci-fi TV show that has excited fans and impressed critics, and it's been renewed for a sixth season and even has a spinoff. It's undisputed, Apple TV is the king of sci-fi, a crown it's held for at least the last couple of years with titles like Silo, Pluribus, Severance, and more.

The streamer had a bit of a slow start, but since the early 2020s, Apple TV has managed to produce many fantastic original shows, hitting a batting average that puts other streamers to shame. Maybe the biggest testament to its increasing success is how it's franchising some of its properties.

For All Mankind is the longest-running series Apple TV has, and for good reason. This sci-fi TV show is set in an alternate history of Earth

where the space race never ended. The success of the Soviet space program inspires the U.S., and its advancements fuel the Soviets, which results in a technological and democratic race that sees both countries and the world benefiting.

It's a hopeful show that jumps ten years every season, changing over the cast save for a few key characters. It's also a popular show, and critics have praised it, with the series earning a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, and fans are invested. Apple TV has given For All Mankind the honor of a sixth and final season, and the spinoff that premiered in May 2026, Star City, has had a successful debut as well.

How For All Mankind Stands Out Among Other Sci-Fi Shows

For All Mankind takes a more worldy, year-by-year approach to sci-fi than other TV shows, and strikes a much more optimistic tone. Season 1 of For All Mankind begins in 2969 and goes through the '70s, but the time season 5 rolls around, we are in the 2010s. For All Mankind shows how technological process can take such a long time with its drawn-out storytelling.

The series has a vision of the future, but unlike a lot of science fiction TV shows, For All Mankind isn't desperate to get viewers to that future, and is instead interested in the journey itself. This slow-paced, character-heavy story is filled with thrills and tragedy but is optimistic at its core in a way you don't always see on TV.

Star City Is As Good As For All Mankind

When For All Mankind was renewed for season 5 in 2024, fans got an unexpected gift in the form of a new spinoff series, Star City. Star City premiered in May 2026, and though the season has not ended as of the time of writing, it currently has a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, higher than For All Mankind's first season, which earned a 75%.

Star City is set along the same timeline as For All Mankind season 1, but is from the point of view of the Soviet Union, whose space program is the first to get someone to walk on the moon in this alternate timeline of Earth's history. Star City has a bit more of an espionage aspect to it as well, which helps to separate it from the parent series.

When Is For All Mankind Season 6 Coming Out?

For All Mankind has been airing since 2019, and there was a long three-year gap between seasons 4 and 5, and now, we're finally going to have some closure on the series. Season 6 was announced in March 2026, and it was confirmed at the same time that this will be the final season of the sci-fi epic.

At the moment, all we know is that season 6 will premiere sometime in 2027, which should come as a relief to fans who sat around twiddling their thumbs between 2023 and 2026. It's likely the final season of For All Mankind will take place in the next decade, the 2020s, but perhaps the finale will offer some surprise jumps into the far future.