"For All Mankind" is the best sci-fi show on Apple TV right now. It's a series full of optimism and a whole lot of love for science in general. Story-wise, the show takes place in an alternate timeline where the Soviet Union put a person on the Moon before the U.S., resulting in a never-ending space race. In its ongoing fifth season, humanity has since colonized Mars and is on its way to searching for life on Jupiter. Indeed, one of the coolest things about the series is how its alternate timeline gives rise to fun speculative fiction, like streaming never happening in the "For All Mankind" universe.
Sadly, "For All Mankind" is officially set to end after Season 6, by which point its story will have reached the show's version of the 2020s. But before we get there, Apple TV will offer viewers an expanded look at the series' alternate timeline via a spin-off/prequel titled "Star City."
"Star City" takes us back in time to tell the same story as "For All Mankind," albeit from the point of view of the Soviet space agency Roscosmos. Except, this spin-off isn't really a simple retelling of the events of its parent show. Rather, the marketing suggests "Star City" will be closer to the acclaimed spy TV drama "The Americans" (only with cosmonauts).
Now that the show's full-length trailer is out (see above), it's safe to say that "Star City" looks just as great as it reads on paper. More than that, however, it feels truly different from "For All Mankind," so much so that it suggests there's a way for this fictional universe to continue on indefinitely — namely, by producing even more shows that depict its version of the global space race from the points of view of different countries.
Star City could be the first of many spin-offs of its kind
Apple TV
The "Star City" trailer makes it apparent that this show deals with far more than space exploration. Instead, it focuses on Rosmoscos and the KGB acting paranoid about how they think the U.S. will respond to losing the space race, all the while preparing for what to do now that they've landed on the Moon first. As such, it seems less a prequel to or retelling of "For All Mankind" Season 1 and more like a side story about Roscosmos as an organization and how the Soviet Union approached space travel.
This is a great idea, as it allows "Star City" to tell a story wholly separate from everything that occurs in "For All Mankind" ... not to mention, one that viewers literally haven't seen before. Even more than that, it opens the door to similar spin-offs going forward.
We know "For All Mankind" will end with Season 6, but that doesn't mean Apple TV should stop making shows about space agencies from countries outside the U.S. in the vein of "Star City." For example, how about a series examining the ways the space race affected North Korea and led to it becoming the first country to send a human to Mars? We also know this universe's version of India has a space agency big enough to make it a member of the Mars-6 Alliance that builds and maintains the Happy Valley settlement on Mars.
Or how about the Independent Spacefaring Nations group introduced in "For All Mankind" Season 5 (like China and Brazil)? There could even be an animated spin-off focusing on the smaller and less celebrated folks who make space travel possible, à la "Star Trek: Lower Decks."
"Star City" premieres May 29, 2026, on Apple TV.
English (US) ·