Apple renews ‘For All Mankind’ and greenlights spinoff ‘Star City’

Apple has announced the renewal of its popular alt-universe space race drama, ‘For All Mankind,’ for a fifth season, along with the order of a spinoff series titled ‘Star City.’ The spinoff will delve into the Soviet space program and explore the lives of cosmonauts, engineers, and intelligence officers working in the Soviet space program.

Co-created by Ron Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi, the team behind the flagship series, ‘Star City’ is described as a “propulsive paranoid thriller” that revisits the moment when the Soviet Union achieved the milestone of putting a man on the moon. The series promises to uncover the risks taken by those involved in the Soviet space program.

While Moore stepped back from show-running duties on ‘For All Mankind’ in 2021, he remains involved as an executive producer alongside Wolpert and Nedivi. Matt Cherniss, head of programming at Apple TV+, praised the storytelling of ‘For All Mankind’ and expressed anticipation for the new chapter in the series’ universe.

‘For All Mankind’ has been a critical success since its launch in 2019, with a strong reception from both critics and viewers. The renewal and announcement of the spinoff come as part of Apple’s broader strategy to expand its original content offerings.

The move to explore the Soviet side of the space race comes at a time when the TV marketplace is experiencing a slowdown, with companies reassessing their programming strategies. However, proven titles like ‘For All Mankind’ remain a significant draw for audiences.