For All Mankind (TV series)

For All Mankind is an American science fiction drama television series created by Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi and produced for Apple TV+. The series dramatizes an alternate history depicting "what would have happened if the global space race had never ended" after the Soviet Union succeeds in the first crewed Moon landing ahead of the United States.^[1] The title is inspired by the lunar plaque left on the Moon by the crew of Apollo 11, which reads, in part, "We Came in Peace for All Mankind".^[2]

For All Mankind
Genre	Alternate history Drama Science fiction
Created by	Ronald D. Moore Matt Wolpert Ben Nedivi
Starring	Joel Kinnaman Michael Dorman Sarah Jones Shantel VanSanten Jodi Balfour Wrenn Schmidt Sonya Walger Krys Marshall Cynthy Wu Casey W. Johnson Coral Peña Edi Gathegi
Composer	Jeff Russo
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	30 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Ronald D. Moore Matt Wolpert Ben Nedivi Maril Davis Seth Gordon Naren Shankar
Production location	Los Angeles, California
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	46–82 minutes
Production companies	Tall Ship Productions Sony Pictures Television
Release
Original network	Apple TV+
Original release	November 1, 2019 (2019-11-01) – present (present)

The series stars an ensemble cast including Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, Sarah Jones, Shantel VanSanten, Jodi Balfour, Wrenn Schmidt, Sonya Walger, and Krys Marshall. Cynthy Wu, Casey W. Johnson, and Coral Peña joined the main cast for the second season, while Edi Gathegi joined in the third. The series features historical figures (played by actors or appearing through archival footage) including Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, Mercury Seven astronaut Deke Slayton, rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, astronaut Sally Ride, NASA administrator Thomas Paine, NASA flight director Gene Kranz, U.S. senators Ted Kennedy and Gary Hart, along with U.S. presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton.

For All Mankind premiered on November 1, 2019.^[3] The second season was critically acclaimed, and nominated for the TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Drama. In July 2022, the series was renewed for a fourth season,^[4] which is set to premiere on November 10, 2023.^[5]

Premise

In an alternate timeline in 1969, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov becomes the first human to land on the Moon. This outcome devastates morale at NASA, but also catalyzes a U.S. 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 10 years later, with season two taking place in the 1980s, season three taking place in the 1990s, (and as revealed in the season-three finale) season four taking place in the 2000s.

Ronald D. Moore explained how history had been different in the series: "Sergei Korolev was the father of the Soviet space program; in our reality, he died during an operation in Moscow (in 1966) ... 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."^[6]

Cast and characters

Main

• Joel Kinnaman as Edward "Ed" Baldwin, one of NASA's top astronauts, based on Apollo 10 commander Thomas P. Stafford^[7]
• Michael Dorman as Gordon "Gordo" Stevens (seasons 1–2), an astronaut and Ed's best friend, based on Apollo 10's lunar module pilot Gene Cernan^[7]
• 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
• Jodi Balfour as Ellen Wilson (née Waverly) (seasons 1–3),^[8] an astronaut and member of "Nixon's Women" who later becomes Administrator of NASA, a United States senator and president of the United States following the 1992 presidential election
• Wrenn Schmidt as Margo Madison, a NASA engineer who was mentored by Wernher von Braun, based on Frances Northcutt^[7]
• Sonya Walger as Molly Cobb (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1), an astronaut and member of "Nixon's Women", based on Jerrie Cobb
• 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)
• Edi Gathegi as Dev Ayesa (season 3–present), the founder of Helios Aerospace, a private space company with the goal to reach Mars before NASA and the Soviet Union

Recurring

• Chris Bauer as Deke Slayton (season 1)
• Colm Feore as Wernher von Braun (season 1)
• Eric Ladin as Gene Kranz (season 1)
• Michael Harney as Jack Broadstreet (season 1), a news anchor
• Dan Donohue as Thomas O. Paine (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 (season 1)
• Rebecca Wisocky as Marge Slayton (season 1)
• Meghan Leathers as Pam Horton, a barkeeper and later a poet
• Chris Agos as Buzz Aldrin (season 1)
• Ryan Kennedy as Michael Collins (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 the second season
• Krystal Torres as Cata (season 1), one of Aleida's and Octavio's roommates in Houston
• Nate Corddry 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 as Wayne Cobb (seasons 1–2; guest season 3), Molly's pot-smoking artist husband
• Edwin Hodge as Clayton Poole (season 1), Danielle's first husband
• Tracy Mulholland as Gloria Sedgewick (season 1), the wife of Frank Sedgewick
• Wallace Langham 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
• 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 as Steve Pomeranz (season 2)
• Charlie Schlatter as Paul Michaels (season 2), a news anchor
• Linda Park 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 as Dr. Kouri (season 2), doctor on Jamestown Moon Base in 1983
• Ellen Wroe as Sally Ride (season 2)
• Alex Akpobome as Paul DeWeese (season 2)
• Daniel David Stewart 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 as Sam Cleveland (season 2; guest season 3), Tracy's second husband and Karen's business partner
• Piotr Adamczyk 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. as Will Tyler (season 3), an astronaut on Sojourner
• Taylor Dearden as Sunny Hall (season 3), a conspiracy theorist who meets Jimmy Stevens
• Stewart Skelton as Dick Gephardt (season 3)
• Pawel Szajda 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 as Neil Armstrong (season 1)
• Steven Pritchard as Pete Conrad (season 1)
• Saul Rubinek as Charles Sandman (season 1)
• Nick Wechsler as Fred Talmadge (season 1), an astronaut
• Cass Buggé as Patty Doyle (season 1), one of "Nixon's Women"
• Brian Stepanek as Shorty Powers (season 1)
• Matt Battaglia as John Glenn (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 as a fictionalized version of himself (season 2), a shuttle pilot. Reisman also serves as a technical consultant on the show.
• Nikola Djuricko 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 as Lee Jung-Gil (season 3), a North Korean cosmonaut

Historical and real world figures in archive footage

• Tom Brokaw
• Frank Borman
• Scott Carpenter
• Jimmy Carter
• Bill Clinton
• Kurt Cobain
• Gordon Cooper
• Mikhail Gorbachev
• Gus Grissom
• Gary Hart
• John F. Kennedy
• Ted Kennedy
• Jeane Kirkpatrick
• Henry Kissinger
• Tom Lehrer
• John Lennon
• Jim Lovell
• Richard Nixon
• John Paul II
• Jonathan Pollard
• Ronald Reagan
• Wally Schirra
• Alan Shepard
• George Shultz
• Margaret Thatcher
• Donald Trump
• Alex Trebek

Episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally released
			First released	Last released
1	10		November 1, 2019 (2019-11-01)	December 20, 2019 (2019-12-20)
2	10		February 19, 2021 (2021-02-19)	April 23, 2021 (2021-04-23)
3	10		June 10, 2022 (2022-06-10)	August 12, 2022 (2022-08-12)
4	10^[9]		November 10, 2023 (2023-11-10)^[9]	January 12, 2024 (2024-01-12)^[9]

Season 1 (2019)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	1	"Red Moon"	Seth Gordon	Story by : Ronald D. Moore & Matt Wolpert & Ben Nedivi Teleplay by : Ronald D. Moore	November 1, 2019 (2019-11-01)
Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov becomes the first man on the moon in June 1969, causing a rush at NASA for an American Moon landing. While blowing off steam at a bar with friends after the landing, Apollo 10 astronaut Edward Baldwin admits to a reporter, while drunk, that he thinks NASA could have done more to put an American on the Moon first. Baldwin is reassigned by NASA director Wernher Von Braun from flight duty after his comments become public. A month later, after tensions have risen, Apollo 11 crash-lands on the Moon and loses contact with NASA, but after more than four hours, Armstrong and Aldrin reestablish contact and announce that they have survived the crash, although their lunar module is tilted in a precarious attitude. After the successful landing, Baldwin hopes to be reestablished as an astronaut on Apollo 15 and Gordo's family also watches the launch at a party. Meanwhile, a Mexican family listening to the launch over a radio illegally crosses the border into the United States.
2	2	"He Built the Saturn V"	Seth Gordon	Matt Wolpert & Ben Nedivi	November 1, 2019 (2019-11-01)
After a harrowing liftoff made necessary by their near-crash landing, the crew of Apollo 11 successfully returns from the Moon. Director Wernher von Braun opposes President Nixon's directive to build a military Moon base. Representative Sandman tells Baldwin that if he publicly criticizes von Braun about the aborted Apollo 10 landing, Nixon will reinstate him as an active astronaut on Apollo 15. Instead, confusing and angering Sandman, Baldwin defends von Braun, but Nixon's men use his past involvement with the Nazi regime to remove him as Deputy Associate Administrator for Planning. Margo confronts von Braun about his past, and he defends his choices, much to her disappointment. Deke Slayton reinstates Baldwin as commander of Apollo 15 even though he did not do what Sandman wanted. As the Apollo 12 mission launches, the Soviet Union lands the first woman on the Moon, to the shock of everybody in flight control.
3	3	"Nixon's Women"	Allen Coulter	Nichole Beattie	November 1, 2019 (2019-11-01)
Deke Slayton must recruit female astronauts after the Soviet landing prompts intense public pressure. An elimination process whittles the initial field of 20 "astronaut candidates" (informally "ASCANs") to just five, including Tracy Stevens (wife of Apollo 15's Gordo Stevens), the last two of the Mercury 13 Molly Cobb and Patty Doyle, a black woman named Danielle Poole who works as a NASA computer, and the reserved Ellen Waverly. NASA probes find water on the Moon, highlighting a spot to put the American Moon base. During a training session on a 20-mile hike, Tracy assists an injured Ellen and helps her to the finish line at the risk of not completing it herself. The candidates then practice piloting simulated Moon landing with the Lunar Landing Training Vehicle. While driving out of the city, Gordo spots smoke and returns to the NASA base, where Tracy meets him and reveals that Patty Doyle has died in a crash.
4	4	"Prime Crew"	Allen Coulter	Naren Shankar	November 8, 2019 (2019-11-08)
NASA scientists discover that there could be patches of ice on the Moon, which has the potential of being turned into rocket fuel. A Soviet mission goes bad and crashes on the Moon, killing a cosmonaut. The equipment they had appears to have been to help establish a Moon base near the frozen water source. This pushes NASA to accelerate their own plans. The 1972 presidential election is approaching and Ted Kennedy is the front runner for the Democratic nomination. The Vietnam War ends. Deke Slayton makes a change to the Apollo 15 crew, replacing Gordo Stevens with Molly Cobb. Stevens wonders what he did wrong and confesses to Tracy, but still wants to celebrate her accomplishments. While training for the Apollo 15 launch, Molly is annoyed with Ed and the other crew member's sexism, and Ed is disapproving of Molly's boasting. Though she is doubted, Molly performs smoothly at the launch.
5	5	"Into the Abyss"	Sergio Mimica-Gezzan	David Weddle & Bradley Thompson	November 15, 2019 (2019-11-15)
The crew of Apollo 15 take a significant risk, changing their landing site to be near Shackleton crater, a promising location for finding water that would be essential to any lunar colonization effort. After two days of venturing out onto the surface with no results, Molly volunteers to rappel down into the crater. She finds ice, and they return home triumphant. Danielle's husband returns from fighting in Vietnam, and they have an argument with Gordo Stevens, ending with Danielle warning Gordo to stay away. After initially tense interactions, Karen and Molly's husband Wayne reveal their fears to each other. The episode ends with the Jamestown landing two years later on October 12, 1973, to become NASA's first Moon base.
6	6	"Home Again"	Sergio Mimica-Gezzan	Stephanie Shannon	November 22, 2019 (2019-11-22)
By August 24, 1974, Jamestown Base has three people in it: Edward Baldwin, Gordo Stevens, and Danielle Poole. The Equal Rights Amendment is ratified as an amendment to the Constitution as a result of campaigning by President Ted Kennedy. Apollo 23 explodes on the launchpad, killing 11 members of the ground crew and Gene Kranz, the new Director of Johnson Space Center. 60 days later the USSR announces the establishment of a Soviet Moon base named Zvezda, located eight miles (13 km) away from Jamestown Base. Margo notices Aleida working on her math homework. The FBI investigation on Apollo 23 turns its focus to Ellen and Larry's private life. Margo visits Von Braun, who tells her that her father worked on the Manhattan Project. He tells her of evidence that political factors indirectly caused the Apollo 23 disaster, which Margo uses to blackmail NASA into making her a flight director. Richard Nixon is pardoned for the Watergate scandal by President Kennedy. Gordo sees some unexplained red flashing lights near Jamestown Base.
7	7	"Hi Bob"	Meera Menon	Ronald D. Moore	November 28, 2019 (2019-11-28)
NASA has replaced the component that caused the Apollo 23 accident, but the Apollo 24 relief mission is continually delayed for different reasons involving the wrongful production and manufacturing of the Saturn V. Gordo begins to develop mental health problems from the prolonged isolation. Ed decides that Gordo should be evacuated back to Earth with Danielle, even though this means Gordo would be prevented from ever flying again. Danielle deliberately breaks her arm, providing an excuse for Gordo to bring her back to Earth without revealing his psychological issues. Danielle's husband is unable to get a job. After harsh interrogations by the FBI, Ellen and Larry choose to marry to avoid a potential homosexuality scandal, though Pam, Ellen's lover, tells her they are over if she accepts the proposal. Ed's son, Shane, starts getting into trouble at school, and later steals from a local store. During an argument, Karen slaps, then grounds him as punishment until she returns home. Disillusioned with his troubled family life, a now-rebellious Shane sneaks out to participate in a basketball game, getting hit by a car offscreen.
8	8	"Rupture"	Meera Menon	Nichole Beattie	December 6, 2019 (2019-12-06)
Back on Earth, Gordo is seeing a psychiatrist, without NASA's knowledge, and Danielle worries that his willingness to publicly reveal that she broke her arm for him will get both of them grounded by officials. Shane's accident leaves him brain dead. Karen frantically holds out hope and decides that Ed should not know about it. Ed is told to spy on the Soviet base, and then discovers a Soviet camera has been recording him working inside the crater. The Soviets send Ed a condolence message, confusing him, and he destroys the Soviet camera. After accepting that Shane is beyond saving, Karen takes him off the respirator and reveals to Ed that Shane has died. Aleida is given a scholarship for a math and physics program, but considers delaying her scholarship as she does not want to leave her friends and new boyfriend.
9	9	"Bent Bird"	John Dahl	David Weddle & Bradley Thompson	December 13, 2019 (2019-12-13)
Karen struggles to cope with Shane's death but finds comfort with Wayne. Apollo 24 has a technical failure while in orbit so they cannot transit to the Moon. Apollo 25 (with Dennis, Tracy, and Molly) quickly launches to fix Apollo 24, but just after the repairs are finished, Apollo 24's engines ignite prematurely, incinerating Harrison Liu while leaving Molly adrift. On Apollo 24, Ellen is knocked out and Deke's status is unknown as he was tethered outside to the spacecraft. Molly is rescued, but the accident results in a trajectory change which will cause Apollo 24 to miss the Moon and fly into deep space. Tensions escalate between the rival lunar explorers, and the Soviets investigate the U.S. lunar mine. Octavio is uncovered as an illegal immigrant and is apprehended by the authorities. Later, without enough oxygen to return to his base, a cosmonaut asks for help at Jamestown. Ed invites him in, but depressurizes the airlock after the cosmonaut removes his space suit.
10	10	"A City upon a Hill"	John Dahl	Matt Wolpert & Ben Nedivi	December 20, 2019 (2019-12-20)
Aleida asks to live with Margo, but Margo refuses. Meanwhile in space, Apollo 24's S-IVB burns to depletion, sending the spacecraft way off course. Ed interrogates the cosmonaut, who is still alive but is now his captive. NASA attempts to regain contact with Apollo 24. Ellen wakes up and tends to Deke, who has suffered a puncture wound. They perform a burn using the service module engine to correct their course, but their fuel supplies are depleted before the course correction is complete. Ed launches the LSAM with help from the cosmonaut to perform a rescue of Apollo 24 and capture the spacecraft into lunar orbit. Unfortunately, the spacecraft is tumbling, making it nearly impossible for Ed to dock. Instead of docking, Ellen suggests Ed throw the fuel capsule to Apollo 24. The capsule soars too high above the craft but Ellen lunges toward it, capturing it. Deke dies from his injuries as the rescue mission is completed. In a post-credits scene in 1983, Ed and Karen discuss live coverage from the South Pacific Ocean showing the launch of a Sea Dragon rocket carrying a plutonium payload for expansion of the Jamestown colony.

Season 2 (2021)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
11	1	"Every Little Thing"	Michael Morris	Ronald D. Moore	February 19, 2021 (2021-02-19)
Almost a decade later, in 1983 Jamestown has expanded to accommodate more astronauts and equipment. Ronald Reagan is president, having won the 1976 presidential election and been re-elected in 1980. Ed is chief of the Astronaut Office, Karen runs the Outpost and they have adopted a daughter, Kelly, who works with Karen. At Jamestown, Ellen looks forward to handing over the reins and returning home. On the ground, Tracy announces her marriage to financier Sam Cleveland on The Tonight Show, blindsiding her ex-husband Gordo. At NASA, a huge solar flare and a fast-moving solar storm cause problems on Earth, on Skylab and at Jamestown. Without the protective shielding of the Earth's magnetic field and Earth's atmosphere, astronauts are forced to shelter and wait it out. While most make it to safety, Molly and colleague Wubbo Ockels are still on the lunar surface. Molly finds shelter in a lava tube but sees Wubbo has crashed his rover nearby. She leaves the safety of the tube to rescue him as the solar storm hits the Moon, leaving her radiation dosimeter behind in the process. She returns to the lava tube with Wubbo who is alive but has sustained a large dose of radiation.
12	2	"The Bleeding Edge"	Michael Morris	Matt Wolpert & Ben Nedivi	February 26, 2021 (2021-02-26)
Molly lies to Ellen about going out to rescue Wubbo, but Ellen cautiously takes them both back to Earth with her. On the ground, a hero’s welcome awaits but Molly is affected by her exposure to the harmful radiation. Ellen begins a new post as Deputy NASA Administrator and tries to resist calls to cut funding to the Mars program while Margo plans a joint Apollo-Soyuz mission between the US and Soviet Union which could de-escalate tensions yet possibly compromise classified NASA technology. Meanwhile, Kelly looks at college brochures for Annapolis and quizzes Tracy and Gordo's eldest son Danny, who is on leave from there, for information. Danielle asks to go back to the Moon during a catch-up with fellow Jamestown pioneers Ed and Gordo. After a family reunion, Gordo's excessive drinking forces Karen to call Ed down to the Outpost to intervene. As he walks his friend home, Gordo drunkenly confesses to Ed he feels he left behind a piece of himself on the Moon; he feels lost and like an embarrassment to his boys. Ed assigns Danielle and Gordo to the next Moon mission.
13	3	"Rules of Engagement"	Andrew Stanton	Stephanie Shannon	March 5, 2021 (2021-03-05)
The Americans plan to send guns to the Moon to take a mining site back from the Soviets after Ed realizes they bugged the base 10 years ago. Margo attempts to reconcile with Aleida after almost a decade by offering her a Systems Engineer position at NASA after learning from Aleida's boyfriend, Davey, that she will be deported if she cannot hold a job. Aleida refuses to accept, not wanting to be embarrassed as she has been fired from all her past jobs for behavioral issues, though her past bosses have complimented her skills and engineering. Davey convinces her to take the job, but she breaks up with him for going behind her back. Tracy's escapade in the Outpost ends with her calling for Gordo's help, fueling their feud that may further affect their mission assignments. Kelly makes it clear that she wants to attend the Naval Academy in Annapolis. Karen comes to terms with this, but Ed becomes furious, not wanting to lose Kelly like he lost Shane. They eventually realize that they need to let Kelly live her own life and allow her to attend the academy.
14	4	"Pathfinder"	Andrew Stanton	David Weddle & Bradley Thompson	March 12, 2021 (2021-03-12)
Ed appoints himself to Mission Commander for the next generation nuclear-powered Space Shuttle Pathfinder, after Karen encouraged him to go back to space now that Kelly is going to Annapolis. Ed asks Molly Cobb to assume his position as chief of the Astronaut Office, and she accepts. Danielle Poole visits her sister-in-law after Clayton's suicide. They argue, and Danielle realizes that she is missing out on opportunities as a token hire. She confronts Ed on his last day demanding Mission Commander status. Shortly afterwards, Ed is called into his final meeting, where he announces Danielle will be commanding the Apollo–Soyuz rendezvous mission. Gordo experiences anxiety about his upcoming mission, and has a panic attack when a helmet is sealed on his spacesuit during fitting. Ed reassures him that he is ready for the mission in a terse conversation prior to both astronauts flying to Cape Canaveral. During the flight, Ed challenges Gordo to a dogfight. After risky maneuvers, Ed's aircraft experiences an engine fire, and he ejects into the Gulf of Mexico.
15	5	"The Weight"	Meera Menon	Nichole Beattie & Joe Menosky	March 19, 2021 (2021-03-19)
After Karen's initial distress regarding Ed's accident, she avoids discussion of it once he returns home safely. Ed and Gordo are given a stern warning by Molly despite Margo and NASA Administrator Thomas Paine’s plea for a harsher punishment. After an awkward reception at the Jamestown base, Tracy is introduced to the resident illegal distiller of ethanol during a tour. Just one month into her six-month mission, vent noise, cigarette cravings, and the monotony drive Tracy to smoke in the old airlock and take up drinking. The blocked vent causes a base-wide CO2 alert. Tracy is almost sent home but is given a second chance on the condition that her special treatment ends and she is given double shifts. Molly starts having trouble with her vision. Aleida is given a condescending welcome to NASA as a rookie engineer on the Apollo–Soyuz project. Ellen visits a poetry reading of Pam's and, despite being surprised by Pam's new girlfriend, agrees to meet for drinks at the Outpost. This leads to them having sex. Gordo battles to overcome his claustrophobia and poor fitness. A mission launches to Jamestown with firearms.
16	6	"Best-Laid Plans"	Meera Menon	Joe Menosky	March 26, 2021 (2021-03-26)
The Soviet crew arrive in the USA for the Apollo-Soyuz mission, but objects to every proposal made by NASA including the project name. The new arrivals at Jamestown practice firing their rifles and flying the LSAM. The Baldwins watch the Sea Dragon launch, previously shown at the end of season 1, and reminisce about adopting Kelly. Kelly starts writing about her life for her Annapolis entrance. Danielle and her fellow astronaut takes the two Cosmonauts (Orlov and Alexeev) to the Outpost where they begin to bond. Margo tells Sergei to meet her at the 11:59 club where they hit upon the design of an androgynous docking adapter. Aleida helps to refine the design later. Ellen tells Pam she loves her, and asks Larry for a divorce. Gordo tells Tracy's new husband, Sam, that he intends to win her back. Danielle and her colleague arrive at Star City in the Soviet Union.
17	7	"Don't Be Cruel"	Dennie Gordon	Nichole Beattie	April 2, 2021 (2021-04-02)
Tensions rise between the US and Soviet Union. Before boarding a flight to Korea with Thomas Paine, Ellen gets a call from the bar saying her father has had a heart attack. She rushes to the hospital but he is already in recovery. She tells him that she is thinking of leaving NASA and joining the family's business when she gets a call from the White House about a downed jetliner. The flight was revealed to be Korean Air Lines Flight 007, that was fired upon by a Soviet jet and destroyed, killing Paine and 268 other people. In the wake of this accident about which the Soviets reveal little information, Ellen is appointed acting director of NASA. Margo warns Sergei of faulty technology used by the Soviets via a coded message. Kelly investigates her birth parents, and Karen sells the Outpost to Tracy's new husband before kissing Danny and coming home to make love with Ed. While on the Moon, Tracy and the others take back their mining site.
18	8	"And Here's to You"	Dennie Gordon	Ronald D. Moore	April 9, 2021 (2021-04-09)
The president asks Ellen to be the permanent head of NASA. She is conflicted as she tells Pam that she is more important to her. Molly is privately diagnosed with incurable normal tension glaucoma as a result of radiation exposure during the earlier solar storm, which will blind her. Pathfinder has missiles installed, and the crew perform weapons testing. Kelly finds her biological father and half-sister working in a restaurant, but does not reveal her identity. Gordo arrives on the Moon and tells Tracy what really happened when Danielle broke her arm. The Buran is discovered to have the same O-ring problem as the U.S. shuttles, and Margo and Sergei become closer. Aleida embarrasses Bill, who resigns and she apologizes by revealing her personal history to him. Danny and Karen kiss again and make love, but she tells him it is a one-time fling. The U.S. Marines at the lunar mine detect two cosmonauts installing some equipment. In a misunderstanding they kill one and badly wound the other.
19	9	"Triage"	Sergio Mimica-Gezzan	Bradley Thompson & David Weddle	April 16, 2021 (2021-04-16)
In retaliation for the killing of the cosmonaut, the Soviets launch Buran to the Moon where it could threaten Jamestown base and any arriving spacecraft. In response, NASA launches the Pathfinder mission ahead of time, with instructions to "intercede" if necessary. Despite the tensions, the two vehicles for the Apollo-Soyuz mission are launched. Karen confesses her adultery to Ed, and says she wants them to have marriage counseling. Molly and Wayne argue about the experimental treatment she wants to get for her glaucoma. She eventually decides against the treatment. After realizing that she is an obstacle to Ellen's promising political career, Pam tells Ellen she is returning to her old girlfriend. Two cosmonauts visit Jamestown to see their injured comrade who is still unconscious. They retrieve their dead comrade's remains. The injured cosmonaut wakes up later and when told he is in Jamestown declares that he wishes to defect. Later, the Jamestown crew see a cosmonaut shoot a hole in one of their windows, causing severe depressurization and the death of one astronaut. Several armed cosmonauts enter Jamestown base.
20	10	"The Grey"	Sergio Mimica-Gezzan	Matt Wolpert & Ben Nedivi	April 23, 2021 (2021-04-23)
Amid rising tensions with the Soviets, the Apollo-Soyuz crews are told to repeatedly delay their docking, to Danielle's frustration. Houston is unaware that the Soviets have attacked Jamestown. Gordo and Tracy hide in the galley, and manage to send Houston a signal which Aleida notices. The U.S. Marines and the cosmonauts engage in a firefight, resulting in two deaths on both sides and unseen damage to the Jamestown nuclear reactor's cooling system. Houston, Gordo and Tracy hatch a plan to fix the reactor from outside, using temporary suits that they construct from duct tape. Danielle disobeys Houston's order to abandon the Apollo-Soyuz mission, and the astronauts and cosmonauts finally greet each other. This public gesture of friendship defuses the nuclear tension on Earth. Meanwhile Pathfinder and Buran nearly launch missiles at each other in lunar orbit, but Ed decides to destroy the Sea Dragon supply ship instead. Tracy and Gordo save the reactor from melting down, but die from vacuum exposure. The Soviets leave Jamestown. On Earth, the Soviets are shown to be using Sergei to try to get classified information from Margo. In the final shot, it is 1995 and a human is shown walking on the surface of Mars.

Season 3 (2022)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
21	1	"Polaris"	Sarah Boyd	Matt Wolpert & Ben Nedivi	June 10, 2022 (2022-06-10)
It is now 1992. Karen and Ed have divorced, and Karen is launching an orbital space hotel, Polaris, with Sam Cleveland. Ed and Danielle are attending Danny's wedding on Polaris with their new spouses. Meanwhile, Ellen (now a senator) is running for the presidency as the Republican nominee against Bill Clinton and the space race continues, this time to Mars. Molly, now completely blind, is in charge of the astronaut program and must choose between Ed or Danielle to lead the Mars expedition. Margo is head of NASA and she and Sergei secretly help each other with their respective space programs. Unbeknownst to Margo however, Sergei is under orders from his Soviet superiors to extract information. Aleida is working on new rocket engines for the Mars mission, and is notified by Margo that she will go to the Moon to oversee its development. Space junk from a failed North Korean rocket damages a thruster on Polaris, causing its spin to accelerate and eventually tear the hotel apart. Ed is injured in the ensuing evacuation attempt, and Sam is killed, but Danny manages to save Polaris after performing a space walk to shut off the damaged thruster.
22	2	"Game Changer"	Sarah Boyd	David Weddle & Bradley Thompson	June 17, 2022 (2022-06-17)
Karen sells Polaris to Dev Ayesa, the founder of Helios Aerospace, which wants to use it in their own commercial Mars mission. At NASA, Molly offers their first crewed Mars mission to Ed, with Danielle as backup commander. As Karen packs her things at Polaris, Danny Stevens comes to see her and admits that he still loves her. Ellen announces Governor Jim Bragg, an anti-science evangelical governor as her presidential running mate. Molly's choice of Ed enrages Margo, who fires Molly on the spot and appoints Danielle instead. Ed angers Danielle by implying she only got the job because of her race and gender. Karen goes to Helios to convince Dev that Ed should lead their mission. Dev agrees and also offers Karen a job, which she accepts. Dev blindsides NASA by announcing live on TV that Helios will repurpose Polaris as Phoenix to be the first to reach Mars with Ed as its mission commander.
23	3	"All In"	Wendey Stanzler	Nichole Beattie	June 24, 2022 (2022-06-24)
Kelly returns from Antarctica and asks Danielle for the biologist's position on NASA's crew, and she agrees. Karen offers Aleida a job at Helios, but she declines and becomes NASA's flight director. Bill Strausser joins Helios as flight director. Danny goes drinking and is arrested, causing Danielle to remove him from the mission, but Ed calls and gives him a position on Phoenix before Danny is forced to admit his troubles to his wife Amber. Sergei gets closer to Margo, but is forced to ask her for NASA's nuclear engine design as the Soviet design does not work. She refuses, but KGB agents blackmail her and threaten to kill Sergei. Two years later, Ellen is President of the United States and all three missions have left for Mars – Phoenix from Earth orbit, Sojourner 1 from Jamestown, and the Soviet Mars-94 from Baikonur.
24	4	"Happy Valley"	Wendey Stanzler	Joe Menosky	July 1, 2022 (2022-07-01)
In deep space, all three spacecraft are headed toward Mars, with Phoenix far ahead. Sojourner 1 overtakes them by deploying solar sails. On Earth, Dev is furious and insists first place is the only thing that matters, pressuring his staff to find a way for Phoenix to make it to Mars first. Ellen visits NASA. During her visit, the Soviets perform a dangerous burn to reclaim the lead that causes their nuclear engines to go into meltdown. Ed insists on helping but is overruled by Dev, who locks the crew out of the ship's controls, forcing NASA to mount a rescue. During the rendezvous, a Mars-94 fuel tank bursts, propelling it toward Sojourner. Two astronauts and one cosmonaut are killed as Sojourner attempts to pull away.
25	5	"Seven Minutes of Terror"	Andrew Stanton	Sabrina Almeida	July 8, 2022 (2022-07-08)
The Sojourner and Mars-94 crews bury their dead comrades in space. Sergei has been tortured in a KGB prison, but Margo gets him to Houston in return for giving the Russians some of Sojourner's mission resources. Phoenix removes Helios's flight control lock, angering Dev. Karen resigns from Helios in disgust at their refusal to aid Mars-94. Aleida discovers the Russian engines are copies of the American engines. Danny learns the password to let him listen to the video messages that Karen and Ed are sending each other. Phoenix arrives at Mars followed by Sojourner. Kelly and cosmonaut Alexei Poletov kiss. Phoenix attempts to land one of its skiffs but Ed aborts the landing due to poor visibility. Danielle successfully lands Sojourner on Mars. Danielle and the Soviet commander, Kuznetsov, wrestle each other to be first on Mars and appear to fall on the Mars surface together simultaneously.
26	6	"New Eden"	Andrew Stanton	Stephanie Shannon	July 15, 2022 (2022-07-15)
The Soviets and Americans are uneasily sharing the American Happy Valley base. The Helios team has also landed and they have their own base. After the rough landing left Sojourner 1 unable to fly again, all three crews will be returning to Earth on the Phoenix. Danny hurts himself during drilling and is given Vicodin, and then he begins stealing stronger pain meds. Margo asks the US military to help Sergei to defect. Karen rejoins the Helios team as chief operating officer. Tensions rise when American astronaut Will Tyler reveals in a broadcast that he is gay, causing Baranov to worry that he will catch HIV. Kelly and Alexei have sex at the American base. Ellen takes advantage of Will's story by issuing an executive order that no US military personnel can be forced to reveal their sexuality. Meanwhile the Soviets have discovered liquid water, and hire Helios to help them drill for it while keeping it secret from NASA. Sergei tips off Margo that they have found the water on Mars. A partner of Larry's is indiscreet to a reporter about their homosexual relationship.
27	7	"Bring It Down"	Dan Liu	Nichole Beattie	July 22, 2022 (2022-07-22)
The Soviet team in Houston relocate to Helios, and Sergei is returned to the Soviet Union. Larry lies under oath about his affair with a congressional aide, and tells Ellen that Pam left her because of her career. On Helios Base the teams prepare to drill even though Kelly insists the core samples have not been fully checked for microbial life. Danny's drug problem is worsening and Ed removes him from the drilling mission. Aleida begins to suspect Margo leaked the engine designs to the Soviets. Jimmy and Sunny steal a NASA access card, which Sunny and her friends later use to steal the statue of Gordo and Tracy. Ellen later visits Pam. Danny turns off communications with the drilling team, which results in injuries to Ed, Isabel, and the collapse of the cliff above Helios Base.
28	8	"The Sands of Ares"	Dan Liu	Joe Menosky & Eric Phillips	July 29, 2022 (2022-07-29)
Alexei and Louisa Mueller escape on foot to Happy Valley. Ellen tells Pam she is the love of her life. Nick Corrado and Isabel Castillo have both been killed. Ed and Danny are trapped in the airlock of a buried Hab 1, and Ed is given uncomfortable news about Shane. Happy Valley's Rover 1 finds Hab 1's beacon. NASA, Helios and the Soviets in Houston work to develop a plan to reach Hab 1. Dev comes up with an idea to use explosives in a lava tube to clear out the debris around Hab 1. Jimmy confronts Karen about Danny. Tyler and Baranov set the charges, and Ed and Danny are rescued. Alexei has a subdural hematoma, and dies despite getting a blood transfusion from Kelly. During the transfusion, Mayakovsky realizes Kelly is pregnant.
29	9	"Coming Home"	Craig Zisk	David Weddle & Bradley Thompson	August 5, 2022 (2022-08-05)
It is 5 months later, and the survivors at Happy Valley are repairing the MSAM and making the fuel to return to Phoenix. The MSAM's docking electronics is broken, Danielle and Kuznetsov drive 89 km away to salvage a compatible board from a People's Republic of Korea probe. Aleida and Bill agree that Margo is likely responsible for giving the Soviets the NASA engine design; Bill goes to the FBI to Aleida's disgust. Amidst mounting financial troubles, the Helios board decides to replace Dev as CEO with Karen and sell Phoenix to NASA. To forestall the political crisis created by Larry and her potential impeachment, Ellen reveals she is lesbian in a press conference. Kelly collapses from pre-eclampsia. Danielle and Kuznetsov discover an armed North Korean astronaut at the probe site who threatens them.
30	10	"Stranger in a Strange Land"	Craig Zisk	Matt Wolpert & Ben Nedivi	August 12, 2022 (2022-08-12)
A flashback shows the North Korean capsule crash landing on Mars on February 8, 1995, killing one crew member. The sole survivor, Lee Jung-Gil, is officially the first man on Mars, but is unable to make contact with Earth and is running out of supplies when Danielle and Kuznetsov find him. After they disarm and subdue him, they return to Happy Valley with Lee Jung-Gil and the scavenged hardware. Vice President Bragg tells Ellen that she needs to resign to avoid impeachment, but she refuses. Margo is warned the FBI is investigating her. Due to her deteriorating health as a result of pre-eclampsia, Kelly has to leave Mars immediately for Phoenix. Sergei and his family are helped to defect to the USA via West Germany. With the limited available fuel, Ed flies her on the MSAM and Kelly has to do a spacewalk to reach Phoenix. Jimmy's radical anti-NASA friends bomb the NASA building in a suicide attack outside Johnson Space Center killing dozens of people, including Karen and later Molly. Ed crash lands the MSAM, but he survives and makes it back to Happy Valley. Kelly later gives birth to a healthy baby. After Danny confesses to Ed that the drilling accident was his fault, the Happy Valley community exiles him to live in the crashed North Korean capsule. Ellen returns to Pam. Molly is hailed as a hero after helping people evacuate the center despite her blindness, and the JSC is re-named the Molly Cobb Space Center. Sergei is seen living in suburban America in 1995, while Margo is later shown living in the Soviet Union in 2003.

Season 4

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by ^[10]	Original release date ^[9]
31	1	TBA	TBA	Matt Wolpert & Ben Nedivi	November 10, 2023 (2023-11-10)
32	2	TBA	TBA	David Weddle & Bradley Thompson	November 17, 2023 (2023-11-17)
33	3	TBA	TBA	Andrew Black	November 24, 2023 (2023-11-24)
34	4	TBA	TBA	Sabrina Almeida	December 1, 2023 (2023-12-01)
35	5	TBA	TBA	Jovan Robinson	December 8, 2023 (2023-12-08)
36	6	TBA	TBA	Eric Phillips	December 15, 2023 (2023-12-15)
37	7	TBA	TBA	Andrew Black	December 22, 2023 (2023-12-22)
38	8	TBA	TBA	Bradley Thompson & David Weddle	December 29, 2023 (2023-12-29)
39	9	TBA	TBA	David Weddle & Bradley Thompson & Kate Burns	January 5, 2024 (2024-01-05)
40	10	TBA	TBA	Matt Wolpert & Ben Nedivi	January 12, 2024 (2024-01-12)

Production

Development

 

First season promotional poster

According to Ronald D. Moore, the idea of the show came about during lunch with former NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman, when they discussed the possibility of an alternate history in which the Soviets reached the Moon before the Americans.^[11] 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.^[12] Maril Davis serves as executive producer alongside Moore, Wolpert, and Nedivi. Production companies involved with the series include Sony Pictures Television and Tall Ship Productions.^{[1][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]} On October 5, 2018, it was announced that the series had been officially titled For All Mankind.^[20] The series was renewed for a second season in October 2019.^[21] On November 19, 2020, it was announced that the second season would premiere on February 19, 2021.^[22] On December 8, 2020, ahead of the second-season premiere, Apple TV+ renewed the series for a third season.^[23] On July 22, 2022, Apple TV+ renewed the series for a fourth season.^[4]

Casting

In August 2018, it was announced that Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, Sarah Jones, Shantel VanSanten, and Wrenn Schmidt had been cast in main roles and that Eric Ladin, Arturo Del Puerto, and Rebecca Wisocky would appear in a recurring capacity.^[24][25][26] On October 5, 2018, it was reported that Jodi Balfour had been cast in a series regular role.^[20]

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.^[22] On December 16, 2020, Michaela Conlin joined the cast in a supporting role for the second season.^[27]

In June 2021, it was reported that Edi Gathegi joined the season three cast as a series regular.^[28]

In August 2022, it was reported that Daniel Stern joined the cast as a series regular for the fourth season.^[29] In September 2022, Toby Kebbell and Tyner Rushing joined the cast as series regulars for the fourth season.^[30][31] In November 2022, Svetlana Efremova joined the cast as a series regular for the fourth season.^[32]

Filming

Principal photography for the series commenced in August 2018 in Los Angeles, California.^[33] In March 2019, The New York Times reported that filming had concluded.^[34] The filming for the second season began on December 24, 2019.^[35] On August 17, 2020, production on second season resumed after the COVID-19 halt, and the final two episodes were filmed.^[36] Filming for the third season began on February 25, 2021^[37] and concluded in mid-September 2021.^[38] Filming for the fourth season began in August 2022, and had wrapped by January 2023.^[39][40]

Release

The first season of For All Mankind premiered on Apple TV+ 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.^[22] The third season premiered on June 10, 2022, and consisted of 10 episodes, releasing weekly until August 12, 2022.^[41]

Marketing

On February 11, 2021, ahead of the season two premiere, Apple released an augmented reality iOS application on the App Store called For All Mankind: Time Capsule. The application walks users through the decade-long gap between seasons one and two, showing the relationship between astronauts Gordo and Tracy Stevens, and their son Danny Stevens.^[42] At the 73rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, For All Mankind: Time Capsule won an award for Outstanding Innovation in Interactive Programming.^[43]

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.^[44]

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

Critical response of For All Mankind

Season	Rotten Tomatoes	Metacritic
1	74% (54 reviews)^[45]	65 (22 reviews)^[46]
2	100% (25 reviews)^[47]	75 (7 reviews)^[48]
3	97% (33 reviews)^[49]	84 (15 reviews)^[50]

Season 1

The first season of For All Mankind received generally positive reviews. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes 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."^[45] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 65 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[46]

Season 2

On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.5/10, based on 25 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."^[47] On Metacritic, it has a weighted score of 75 out of 100 based on 7 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[48]

Season 3

On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has a 97% approval rating with an average rating of 8.2/10, based on 33 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."^[49] On Metacritic, it has a weighted score of 84 out of 100 based on 15 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".^[50]

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2019	IGN Awards	Best New TV Series	For All Mankind	Nominated	^[51]
2021	Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Innovation in Interactive Programming	For All Mankind	Won	^[52]
	Saturn Awards	Best Fantasy Television Series	For All Mankind	Won	^[53]
	TCA Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Drama	For All Mankind	Nominated	^[54]
2022	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Drama Series	For All Mankind	Nominated	^[55]
	Golden Reel Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Series 1 Hour – Comedy or Drama – Dialogue and ADR	Vince Balunas (for "And Here's to You")	Nominated	^[56]
	Hugo Award	Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form)	Matt Wolpert, Ben Nedivi and Sergio Mimica-Gezzan (for "The Grey")	Nominated	^[57]
	Producers Guild of America Awards	PGA Innovation Award	For All Mankind: Time Capsule	Won	^[58]
	Saturn Awards	Best Science Fiction Series (Streaming)	For All Mankind	Nominated	^[59]
		Best Supporting Actor in a Streaming Series	Joel Kinnaman	Nominated
2023	Critics' Choice Super Awards	Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Series	For All Mankind	Nominated	^[60]
	Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) Television Awards	Best Supporting Actor in a Streaming Drama Series	Edi Gathegi	Pending	^[61]
	Hugo Award	Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form)	Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi (for "Stranger in a Strange Land")	Nominated	^[62]
2024	Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Emerging Media Program	For All Mankind Season 3 Experience	Pending	^[63]

Music

All tracks written by Jeff Russo. Season 3 tracks co-written by Paul Doucette.

Season 1 Original Soundtrack

No.	Title	Length
1.	"For All Mankind Main Title"	1:20
2.	"For All Jazz-Kind"	4:02
3.	"Race to the Moon (Piano Suite)"	6:11
4.	"Moon"	0:39
5.	"Heading for the Landing"	2:39
6.	"Heroes"	2:24
7.	"Hurry to Watch"	1:30
8.	"Karen and Ed"	1:26
9.	"Water, Pt. 1"	2:32
10.	"Moon Miss America"	3:42
11.	"Lower Molly"	3:08
12.	"Water, Pt. 2"	7:41
13.	"Questioned on Tape"	2:30
14.	"Ants"	3:08
15.	"Armed Booster / Another Ship"	10:43
16.	"Lonely Research"	3:01
17.	"Ellen and Deke In Trouble"	3:02
18.	"Career Over / No Russians"	1:49
19.	"Landing"	4:01
20.	"Smoke"	2:29
21.	"Von Braun"	2:19
22.	"Flight Director"	1:30
23.	"Lit Match"	1:39
24.	"Command Module Cobb"	1:02
25.	"Tribunal"	3:28
26.	"Woman on the Moon"	3:04

Season 2 Original Soundtrack

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Sunrise Transition"	4:23
2.	"Save Wubbo"	6:59
3.	"Molly and Ellen Leave Jamestown"	2:35
4.	"Shane's Old Room"	1:51
5.	"Baldwin Fight Aftermath"	4:48
6.	"Visiting the Ships"	2:01
7.	"The Donut Run"	3:29
8.	"Margot Jazz Trio Part Deux"	3:26
9.	"First Shot On the Moon"	3:39
10.	"Kelly Was a Heart Transplant"	2:37
11.	"Ed Rocks the Sim"	1:36
12.	"News of the Attack"	4:26
13.	"Dani and the Engineer"	6:43
14.	"Molly's Flight"	1:36
15.	"Tracy and Gordo landing"	2:21
16.	"Reaching For the Case"	4:54
17.	"Russians!"	5:07
18.	"Sea Dragon"	4:17
19.	"Here We Go"	1:51
20.	"Jamestown"	5:56
21.	"The Run"	5:11

Season 3 Original Soundtrack

No.	Title	Length
1.	"What We Can Build"	3:17
2.	"Extra Gravity"	3:28
3.	"Thrusters Firing"	1:50
4.	"Back in the Race"	2:42
5.	"Margo and Sergei"	4:34
6.	"Turning"	3:40
7.	"Ellen's Return"	2:05
8.	"Spaghetti Martian"	3:22
9.	"Messages"	3:09
10.	"Stranded"	2:22
11.	"Drilling"	2:48
12.	"Aleida's Wall"	2:55
13.	"Approaching Probe"	2:15
14.	"Mars"	2:10
15.	"Libra"	4:34
16.	"Wreckage"	3:33

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External links

• For All Mankind – official site
• For All Mankind at IMDb