''For All Mankind'' is an American

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

television series created by Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi and produced for

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription streaming service owned and operated by Apple Inc. Launched on November 1, 2019, it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service was announced ...

. The series dramatizes an

alternate history Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, alte ...

depicting "what would have happened if the global

space race The Space Race was a 20th-century competition between two Cold War rivals, the United States and the Soviet Union, to achieve superior spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the ballistic missile-based nuclear arms race between the t ...

had never ended" after the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

succeeds in the first crewed

Moon landing A Moon landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. This includes both crewed and robotic missions. The first human-made object to touch the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2, on 13 September 1959. The United S ...

ahead of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. The title is inspired by the lunar plaque left on the moon by the crew of

Apollo 11 Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, ...

, which reads in part "We Came In Peace For All Mankind". The series stars an ensemble cast including

Joel Kinnaman Charles Joel Nordström Kinnaman (; born 25 November 1979) is a Swedish-American actor and model who first gained recognition for his roles in the Swedish film '' Easy Money'' and the '' Johan Falk'' crime series. Kinnaman is known internationa ...

, Michael Dorman, Sarah Jones, Shantel VanSanten,

Jodi Balfour Jodi Balfour (born October 29, 1986) is a South African film and television actress, known for her role as Gladys Witham in the Canadian television drama series ''Bomb Girls'' and Ellen Waverly Wilson in the Apple TV+ space drama series '' For Al ...

, and

Wrenn Schmidt Melinda Wrenn Schmidt (born February 18, 1983) is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as NASA engineer, flight director and later Director of NASA Margo Madison in the Apple TV+ original science fiction space drama seri ...

. Sonya Walger, and Krys Marshall. Cynthy Wu, Casey W. Johnson and Coral Peña joined the main cast for the second season, while

Edi Gathegi Edi Mūe Gathegi (born March 10, 1979) is a Kenyan-American actor. He appeared as recurring character Dr. Jeffrey Cole (aka "Big Love") in the television series ''House'', as Cheese in the 2007 film ''Gone Baby Gone'', Laurent in the films ''Twil ...

joined in the third. The series features historical figures including

astronauts

Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who became the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor. ...

Buzz Aldrin Buzz Aldrin (; born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr.; January 20, 1930) is an American former astronaut, engineer and fighter pilot. He made three spacewalks as pilot of the 1966 Gemini 12 mission. As the Lunar Module ''Eagle'' pilot on the 1969 A ...

, and

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and ...

, Mercury Seven astronaut Deke Slayton, rocket scientist

Wernher von Braun Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun ( , ; 23 March 191216 June 1977) was a German and American aerospace engineer and space architect. He was a member of the Nazi Party and Allgemeine SS, as well as the leading figure in the develop ...

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...

Administrator

Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In th ...

, NASA flight director

Gene Kranz Eugene Francis "Gene" Kranz (born August 17, 1933) is an American aerospace engineer who served as NASA's second Chief Flight Director, directing missions of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs, including the first lunar landing mission, Ap ...

U.S. senators The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...

Ted Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...

and

Gary Hart Gary Warren Hart (''né'' Hartpence; born November 28, 1936) is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. He was the front-runner for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination until he dropped out amid revelations of extramarital affairs. ...

, along with

U.S. presidents The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. The officeholder leads the executive branch of the federal government and ...

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

and

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

. ''For All Mankind'' premiered on November 1, 2019, and was renewed by

in October 2019 for a second season, which premiered on February 19, 2021. The second season was critically acclaimed, and nominated for the

TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Drama The TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Drama is an award given by the Television Critics Association. Winners and nominees Multiple wins 4 wins * ''The Sopranos'' 3 wins * ''The Americans'' (2 consecutive) * '' Homicide: Life on the Stree ...

. In December 2020, ahead of the second-season premiere, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on June 10, 2022. In July 2022, the series was renewed for a fourth season.

Premise

In an alternate timeline in 1969, Soviet cosmonaut

Alexei Leonov Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov. (30 May 1934 – 11 October 2019) was a Soviet and Russian cosmonaut, Air Force major general, writer, and artist. On 18 March 1965, he became the first person to conduct a spacewalk, exiting the capsule during t ...

becomes the first human to land on the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

. This outcome devastates morale at NASA, but also catalyzes an American 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 ten years later, with season 2 taking place in the 1980s, season 3 taking place in the 1990s, (and as revealed in the season 3 finale) season 4 taking place in the 2000s. Ronald D. Moore explained how history had been different in the series: "

Sergei Korolev Sergei Pavlovich Korolev (russian: Сергей Павлович Королёв, Sergey Pavlovich Korolyov, sʲɪrˈɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪtɕ kərɐˈlʲɵf, Ru-Sergei Pavlovich Korolev.ogg; ukr, Сергій Павлович Корольов, ...

was the father of the Soviet space program; in our reality, he died during an operation in Moscow (in 1965) ... 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

Main

as Edward "Ed" Baldwin, one of NASA's top astronauts, based on

Apollo 10 Apollo 10 (May 18–26, 1969) was a human spaceflight, the fourth crewed mission in the United States Apollo program, and the second (after Apollo8) to orbit the Moon. NASA described it as a "dress rehearsal" for the first Moon landing, and ...

commander

Thomas P. Stafford Thomas Patten Stafford (born September 17, 1930) is an American former Air Force officer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut, and one of 24 people who flew to the Moon. He also served as Chief of the Astronaut Office from 1969 to 1971. After gra ...

. * Michael Dorman as Gordon "Gordo" Stevens (seasons 1–2), an astronaut and Ed's best friend, based on Apollo 10's lunar module pilot

Eugene Cernan Eugene Andrew Cernan (; March 14, 1934 – January 16, 2017) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, electrical engineer, aeronautical engineer, and fighter pilot. During the Apollo 17 mission, Cernan became the eleventh human being t ...

. * 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), Ed's wife who later owns the Outpost Tavern, a bar usually visited by NASA astronauts. *

as Ellen Wilson (née Waverly), an astronaut and member of "Nixon's Women" who later becomes Administrator of NASA, a Senator and President of the United States in 1992 Presidential Election. *

as Margo Madison, a NASA engineer who was mentored by

, based on Frances Northcutt. * Sonya Walger as Molly Cobb (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1), an astronaut and member of "Nixon's Women", based on

Jerrie Cobb Geraldyn M. Cobb (March 5, 1931 – March 18, 2019), commonly known as Jerrie Cobb, was an American aviator. She was also part of the Mercury 13, a group of women who underwent physiological screening tests at the same time as the original Merc ...

. *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's and Karen's adopted daughter. *Casey W. Johnson as Danny Stevens (season 2–present), an astronaut and Gordo's 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) *

as Dev Ayesa (season 3–present), the founder of Helios Aerospace, a private space company with the goal to reach

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

before NASA and the Soviet Union.

Recurring

Chris Bauer Mark Christopher Bauer (born October 28, 1966) is an American actor. He is best known for his television work in ''The Wire'', ''Third Watch'', ''True Blood'', ''Survivor's Remorse,'' '' The Deuce and'' the Apple TV+ original science fiction spac ...

as Deke Slayton (season 1) *

Colm Feore Colm Joseph Feore (; born August 22, 1958) is a Canadian actor. A 15-year veteran of the Stratford Festival, he is known for his Gemini-winning turn as Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in the CBC miniseries '' Trudeau'' (2002), his portrayal of Gl ...

(season 1) * Eric Ladin as

(season 1) * Michael Harney as Jack Broadstreet (season 1), a news anchor. *Dan Donohue as

Thomas O. Paine Thomas Otten Paine (November 9, 1921 – May 4, 1992) was an American engineer, scientist and advocate of space exploration, and was the third Administrator of NASA, serving from March 21, 1969, to September 15, 1970. During his administration ...

(seasons 1–2) * Arturo Del Puerto as Octavio Rosales (seasons 1, 3), an undocumented Mexican immigrant who settles in Houston with his daughter Aleida. *Ben Begley as

Charlie Duke Charles Moss Duke Jr. (born October 3, 1935) is an American former astronaut, United States Air Force (USAF) officer and test pilot. As Lunar Module pilot of Apollo 16 in 1972, he became the tenth and youngest person to walk on the Moon, at ag ...

(season 1) *

Rebecca Wisocky Rebecca Wisocky (born November 12, 1971) is an American actress. Best known for her role as Evelyn Powell in the Lifetime comedy-drama series ''Devious Maids'' (2013–16), as of 2021 she is starring as Hetty Woodstone on the CBS sitcom ''Ghosts'' ...

as Marge Slayton (season 1) *Meghan Leathers as Pam Horton, a barkeeper and later a poet. *

Chris Agos Chris Agos is an American actor. Agos played Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin in the Apple TV+ original science fiction space drama series ''For All Mankind'', ASA Steve Kot in ''Chicago PD'' on NBC, Eliot McGantry in ''Boss'' on Starz, and has h ...

(season 1) * Ryan Kennedy as

(season 1) * Noah Harpster as Bill Strausser, a Mission Controller. *Nick Toren as Tim 'Bird Dog' McKiernan (seasons 1–2), a Mission Controller. *Daniel Robbins as Hank Poppen (season 1), a Mission Controller. *Dave Power as astronaut Frank Sedgewick (season 1; guest season 2), the Command Module Pilot of Apollo 15. * Spencer Garrett as Roger Scott (season 1; guest season 2), a news anchor. *Teddy Blum and Tait Blum as Shane Baldwin (season 1), the son of Ed and Karen Baldwin. *William Lee Holler (season 1), Zakary Risinger (guest season 1) and David Chandler (seasons 2–3) as Jimmy Stevens, the younger son of Gordo and Tracy Stevens. *Teya Patt as Emma Jorgens, MSC receptionist in season one and Margo's new assistant in season two. *Krystal Torres as Cata (season 1), one of Aleida's and Octavio's roommates in Houston. *

Nate Corddry Nathan Harris Corddry (born September 8, 1977) is an American actor and comedian best known for his roles as Adam Branch on ''Harry's Law'' and for his role as Gabriel in the first two seasons of '' Mom''. He has also guest starred on series suc ...

as Larry Wilson, a NASA engineer and Ellen's eventual husband. *Dan Warner as Air Force General Arthur Weber (season 1), military liaison to NASA. *

Lenny Jacobson Lenny Jacobson (born June 11, 1974) is an American actor best known for his recurring role as Wayne Cobb in the Apple TV+ original science fiction space drama series '' For All Mankind.'' Life and career Born and raised in Holyoke, Massachusetts ...

as Wayne Cobb (seasons 1–2; guest season 3), Molly's pot-smoking artist husband. *

Edwin Hodge Edwin Martel Basil Hodge (born January 26, 1985) is an American actor. He is recognized for portraying Dante Bishop in ''The Purge'' film series, and is the only actor to appear in all of the first three films. Early life Hodge was born on Jan ...

as Clayton Poole (season 1), Danielle's first husband. *Tracy Mulholland as Gloria Sedgewick (season 1), the wife of Frank Sedgewick. *

Wallace Langham James Wallace Langham II (born March 11, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the role of Phil the Head Writer on ''The Larry Sanders Show''. He has also played the roles of David Hodges on the crime drama television series '' ...

as Harold Weisner (season 1), the NASA administrator in the Ted Kennedy administration. *Leonora Pitts as Irene Hendricks (seasons 1–2), the first woman

Flight Director Flight controllers are personnel who aid space flight by working in such Mission Control Centers as NASA's Mission Control Center or ESA's European Space Operations Centre. Flight controllers work at computer consoles and use telemetry to mo ...

. * James Urbaniak as Gavin Donahue (season 1) * Megan Dodds as Andrea Walters (season 1; guest season 2), a news anchor. * John Marshall Jones as Air Force General Nelson Bradford (season 2; guest season 3), military liaison to NASA. * Michael Benz as Gary Piscotty (season 2), the pilot of Pathfinder. * Michaela Conlin as Helena Webster (season 2), a Marine pilot and astronaut. *

Tim Jo Tim Jo (born April 20, 1984) is an American television and film actor, he is most famous for playing "Reggie Jackson" on the ABC comedy, '' The Neighbors''. Early life and education Jo was born in Dallas in 1984. As a child, he appeared as a ...

as Steve Pomeranz (season 2) * Charlie Schlatter as Paul Michaels (season 2), a news anchor. *

Linda Park Linda Park (born July 9, 1978) is a South Korean-born American actress, best known for her portrayal of communications officer character Hoshi Sato in the television series '' Star Trek: Enterprise''. Early life Park was born in South Korea and ...

as Amy Chang (season 2), a news anchor. * Scott Michael Campbell as Alex Rossi (season 2; guest season 3), commander of Jamestown Moon Base in 1983. *

Kayla Blake Kayla Blake (born Elsie Mapuana Sniffen; December 4, 1963) is an American actress. She is also credited as Elsie Sniffen. She is best known for the role of Kim on the ABC Television series '' Sports Night''. Career Blake starred on ''One West ...

as Dr. Kouri (season 2), doctor on Jamestown Moon Base in 1983. *Ellen Wroe as

Sally Ride Sally Kristen Ride (May 26, 1951 – July 23, 2012) was an American astronaut and physicist. Born in Los Angeles, she joined NASA in 1978, and in 1983 became the first American woman and the third woman to fly in space, after cosmonau ...

(season 2) *Alex Akpobome as Paul DeWeese (season 2) *

Daniel David Stewart Daniel David Stewart is an American singer and television and theatre actor. He was the Voice of Ernst in the 2015 Broadway revival of '' Spring Awakening'', and he originated the role of Papi in the 2016 world premiere production of '' The Ban ...

as Nick Corrado (seasons 2–3), an astronaut on Jamestown Moon Base in 1983, later an astronaut for Helios. *Connor Tillman as Vance Paulson (season 2), head of the Marine detachment at Jamestown. *Zac Titus as Charles Bernitz (seasons 2–3), a "Moon Marine" and later a conspiracy theorist against NASA. *Andre Boyer as Jason Wilhelm (season 2), a "Moon Marine". *Chris Cortez as Steve Lopez (season 2), a "Moon Marine". *

Jeff Hephner Jeffrey Lane Hephner (born June 22, 1975) is an American actor, best known for the role of Jeff Clarke, first on the NBC television series '' Chicago Fire'' and then on its sister show, ''Chicago Med''. More recently, he co-starred with Jennifer ...

as Sam Cleveland (season 2; guest season 3), Tracy's second husband and Karen's business partner *

Piotr Adamczyk Piotr Aleksander Adamczyk (; born March 21, 1972) is a Polish film, television, voice and theatre actor. He is known for portraying pianist and composer Frédéric Chopin in the biographical film ''Chopin: Desire for love'' (2002), Pope John Paul ...

as Sergei Nikulov (seasons 2–3), initially a Soviet engineer on the Apollo–Soyuz team. *Josh Duvendeck as Nathan Morrison (season 2), an astronaut on the Apollo-Soyuz mission. *Alexander Sokovikov as Rolan Efimovitch Baranov (seasons 2–3), initially a Soviet cosmonaut and later astronaut. * Sean Patrick Thomas as Corey Johnson (season 3), Danielle's second husband. *Justice as Isaiah Johnson (season 3), Corey's son and Danielle's step-son. * Jorge Diaz as Victor Diaz (season 3), the husband of Aleida Rosales. *Madeline Bertani as Amber Stevens (season 3), the wife of Danny Stevens. *Sahana Srinivasan as Nuri Prabakar (season 3), Margo's new assistant. * Lev Gorn as Grigory Kuznetsov (season 3), a Soviet cosmonaut on the Mars 94 mission. *Vera Cherny as Lenara Catiche (season 3), the new director of the Soviet Space Organisation, Roscosmos. *Patricia Mizen as Janice Haan (season 3), a reporter. *Hailey Winslow as Karla Dunn (season 3), a reporter. *Ken Rudulph as Edward Kline (season 3), a news anchor. *John Hartmann as Richard Truly (season 3) *Tiago Martinez as Javier Diaz (season 3), the son of Aleida Rosales. * Randy Oglesby as Governor Jim Bragg (season 3), Ellen's vice president. * Jessica Tuck as Christine Francis (season 3), a news anchor. *Cheyenne Perez as Heather (season 3), a Helios employee. * Larry Sullivan as Ryan Bauer (season 3), a news anchor. *Allison Dunbar as Jenna Leigh (season 3), a news anchor. *

Robert Bailey Jr. Robert Bailey Jr. (born October 28, 1989)Taylor Dearden Taylor Dearden Cranston (born February 12, 1993) is an American actress. She played Ophelia in the MTV show '' Sweet/Vicious''. She also played Chloe Lyman in the second season of the Netflix mockumentary ''American Vandal''. Early life Taylor ...

as Sunny Hall (season 3), a conspiracy theorist who meets Jimmy Stevens. *Stewart Skelton as

Dick Gephardt Richard Andrew Gephardt (; born January 31, 1941) is an American attorney, lobbyist, and politician who served as a United States Representative from Missouri from 1977 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he was House Majority Leader fro ...

(season 3) *

Pawel Szajda Pawel B. Szajda ( pl, Paweł Szajda ; born January 13, 1982) is an American screen and stage actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Under the Tuscan Sun'', ''Generation Kill'', '' Tatarak,'' and as Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Poletov in the thi ...

as Alexei Poletov (season 3), a Soviet cosmonaut on the Mars 94 mission. *Larry Clarke as Bill McGann (season 3), a news anchor. *Amol Shah as Adarsh Sethi (season 3), an astronaut for Helios. *Anne Beyer as Louisa Mueller (season 3), an astronaut for Helios. * Nick Boraine as Lars Hagstrom (season 3), an astronaut for Helios. *Mandy Levin as Sandy Bostik (season 3), an astronaut for Helios. *Ayinde Howell as Benjamin Harmon (season 3), an astronaut for Helios. *William Cowart as Hal (season 3), a conspiracy theorist. *Goran Ivanovski as Dr. Dimitri Mayakovsky (season 3; guest season 2), a Soviet cosmonaut on the Moon and Mars 94 mission. *Ilza Ponko as Isabel Castillo (season 3), a Cuban cosmonaut on the Mars 94 mission. *Blair Hickey as Richard "Dicky" Hilliard (season 3), the co-founder of Helios Aerospace.

Guest

Jeff Branson Jeffrey Dale Branson (born March 10, 1977)"Catching up with....Jeff Branson". ''Soap Opera Digest''. July 8, 2013. p. 45. is an American actor. He is known for his role as Ronan Malloy on ''The Young and the Restless'', Jonathan Lavery on ''All ...

(season 1) *Steven Pritchard as Pete Conrad (season 1) *

Saul Rubinek Saul Hersh Rubinek (born July 2, 1948) is a German-born Canadian actor, director, producer, and playwright. He is widely known for his television roles, notably Artie Nielsen on ''Warehouse 13,'' Donny Douglas on ''Frasier'', Lon Cohen on ''A N ...

Charles Sandman Charles William Sandman Jr. (October 23, 1921 – August 26, 1985) was an American Republican Party politician who represented Cape May County in the New Jersey Senate from 1954 to 1966 and represented southern New Jersey in the United States Ho ...

(season 1) *Cass Buggé as Patty Doyle (season 1), one of "Nixon's Women". *

Brian Stepanek Brian Patrick Stepanek (born February 6, 1971) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Arwin Hawkhauser on the Disney Channel Original Series ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' and Brian on '' Brian O'Brian''. He was also a Sector Seve ...

as Shorty Powers (season 1) *

Matt Battaglia Matteo Martin "Matt" Battaglia (born September 25, 1965) is an American producer, actor and former American football linebacker. Football career Battaglia played college football at the University of Louisville. Battaglia played at Louisville ...

John Glenn John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American Marine Corps aviator, engineer, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space, and the first American to orbit the Earth, circling ...

(season 1) * Stephen Oyoung as Harrison Liu (season 1), an astronaut. * Mark Ivanir as Mikhail Mikhailovich Vasiliev (season 1), a Soviet cosmonaut. *Bjørn Alexander as Wubbo Ockels (season 2) *

Garrett Reisman Garrett Erin Reisman (; born February 10, 1968) is an American engineer and former NASA astronaut. He was a backup crew member for Expedition 15 and joined Expedition 16 aboard the International Space Station for a short time before becoming a ...

as a fictionalized version of himself (season 2), a shuttle pilot. Reisman also serves as a technical consultant on the show. *

Nikola Djuricko Nikola () is a given name which, like Nicholas, is a version of the Greek '' Nikolaos'' (Νικόλαος). It is common as a masculine given name in the South Slavic countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, Mon ...

as Stepan Petrovich Alexseev (season 2), a cosmonaut on the Apollo–Soyuz mission. *Alexander Babara as Radislav Semenovich Orlov (season 2), a cosmonaut on the Apollo-Soyuz mission. *Dustin Seavey as Lee Atwater (season 2) * Tony Curran as Clarke Halladay (season 3), a Scottish astronaut. *Heidi Sulzman as Sylvie Kaplan (season 3), an astronaut. *John Forest as Jeremy Zielke (season 3), a White House employee. *

C. S. Lee Charles Seung-hee Lee (; born December 30, 1971), known professionally as C. S. Lee, is an American actor and comedian. He is perhaps best known for playing sex-obsessed forensics analyst Vince Masuka on the Showtime drama series ''Dexter''. ...

as Lee Jung-Gil (season 3), a North Korean cosmonaut.

Historical and real world figures in archive footage

Tom Brokaw Thomas John Brokaw (; born February 6, 1940) is an American retired network television journalist and author. He first served as the co-anchor of ''The Today Show'' from 1976 to 1981 with Jane Pauley, then as the anchor and managing editor of '' ...

* Frank Borman * Scott Carpenter *

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who served as the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona ...

* Gordon Cooper *

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Com ...

* Gus Grissom *

Jeane Kirkpatrick Jeane Duane Kirkpatrick (née Jordan; November 19, 1926December 7, 2006) was an American diplomat and political scientist who played a major role in the foreign policy of the Ronald Reagan administration. An ardent anticommunist, she was a lo ...

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...

* Tom Lehrer *

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

* Jim Lovell *

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

* Jonathan Pollard *

* Wally Schirra *

Alan Shepard Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. (November 18, 1923 – July 21, 1998) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot, and businessman. In 1961, he became the second person and the first American to travel into space and, in 1971, he beca ...

George Shultz George Pratt Shultz (; December 13, 1920February 6, 2021) was an American economist, businessman, diplomat and statesman. He served in various positions under two different Republican presidents and is one of the only two persons to have held fo ...

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

Alex Trebek George Alexander Trebek (; July 22, 1940 – November 8, 2020) was a Canadian-American game show host and television personality. He is best known for hosting the syndicated general knowledge quiz game show ''Jeopardy!'' for 37 season ...

Episodes

Season 1 (2019)

Season 2 (2021)

Season 3 (2022)

Production

Development

According to Ronald D. Moore, the idea of the show came about during lunch with former NASA astronaut

, 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 Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production and distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, it is a division of Sony Entertainment's unit Sony Pictures Entertainme ...

and

Tall Ship Productions Ronald Dowl Moore (born July 5, 1964) is an American screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for his work on '' Star Trek''; on the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' television series, for which he won a Peabody Award and an ...

. 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.

Casting

In August 2018, it was announced that

, Michael Dorman, Sarah Jones, Shantel VanSanten, and

had been cast in main roles and that Eric Ladin, Arturo Del Puerto, and

would appear in a recurring capacity. On October 5, 2018, it was reported that

had been cast in a series regular role. On November 19, 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. On December 16, 2020, Michaela Conlin joined the cast in a supporting role for the second season. In June 2021, it was reported that

joined the season three cast as a series regular. In August 2022, it was reported that Daniel Stern joined the cast as a series regular for the fourth season. In September 2022,

Toby Kebbell Tobias Alistair Patrick Kebbell''Births, Marriages & Deaths: Toby is married to Arielle Wyatt. They got married in 2020 and they have one child together. Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 9 July 1982) is an English ...

and Tyner Rushing joined the cast as series regulars for the fourth season. In November 2022, Svetlana Efremova joined the cast as a series regular for the fourth season.

Filming

Principal photography for the series commenced in August 2018 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, California. In March 2019, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' 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.

Release

The first season of ''For All Mankind'' premiered on

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.

Marketing

On February 11, 2021, ahead of the season two premiere, Apple released an

augmented reality Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience that combines the real world and computer-generated content. The content can span multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory. AR can be de ...

iOS application on the

App Store An App Store (or app marketplace) is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not include the running of the c ...

called ''For All Mankind: Time Capsule''. The application walks users through the decade-long gap between seasons one and two, showing the relationship between

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

s 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.

Reception

Season 1

The first season of ''For All Mankind'' received generally positive reviews. The

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

reported a 74% approval rating with an average rating of 7/10, based on 54 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 Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 65 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Season 2

On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.5/10, based on 22 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".

Season 3

On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has an 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.2/10, based on 30 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".

Accolades

Music

Season 1 Original Soundtrack

Season 2 Original Soundtrack

Season 3 Original Soundtrack

References

External links