The Big Picture

For All Mankind is a unique sci-fi series that explores a future where space exploration has reached unimaginable heights, while also addressing the pressing problems of today. The series may not be as buzzy of a genre show as something like Star Wars, but its distinct storytelling and mix of wonder with bureaucracy make it valuable. Season 4 takes a leap into the future, introducing new characters, delving into the consequences of resource extraction from asteroids, and grappling with labor exploitation.

Of all the growing number of smart sci-fi shows to be found on Apple TV+, from Foundation to Silo and, yes, even Invasion, none are quite like For All Mankind. It’s not a dystopian series about the end of the world, nor a sweeping epic in any conventional sense; instead, it’s about a future where space exploration has gone beyond anything we could imagine. It’s the type of storytelling where any limitations are cast off at nearly every turn but still remains grounded in the lives of its characters, pushing them into a future where nothing is holding the series back from going further and further into the vast reaches of the galaxy.

At the same time, the most pressing problems facing all of us today are still baked into the experience. Perhaps this is what has made For All Mankind still feel slept on in some way. Some of this may also come down to the weird business world of streaming, especially with Apple TV+ being one of many to recently announce an increase in subscription pricing. It isn’t tied to any sort of existing franchise like Star Trek or Star Wars, making it hard to break through what can be a landscape dominated by IP above all else. However, that only makes For All Mankind all the more valuable as it charts its own path through the magnificence and mundanity of space travel. There is bureaucracy and corruption just as there is a sense of wonder. This continues in Season 4 which makes a leap forward into the new millennium, freeing itself up for new stories while still bringing with it all the intertwined political and human drama coming along with it.

For All Mankind Exploring the possibilities that might exist if the global space race had continued and where humanity would be now. Release Date November 1, 2019 Cast Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, Sarah Jones, Shantel VanSanten, Sonya Walger Main Genre Sci-Fi Genres Sci-Fi, Drama Rating TV-MA Seasons 4

What Is ‘For All Mankind’ Season 4 About?

After an eventful Season 3, we pick back up eight years later in a very different 2003. Humanitarian catastrophes have been averted due to a different presidential outcome, but there are also plenty of challenges looming. For all the collaboration taking place between world powers as the base on Mars that is Happy Valley is brought into the 21st century with many of them sharing it, that doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges. Namely, the extraction of resources from asteroids that fund basically everything has proven to have a heavy cost that will push everyone to reflect on what they’re doing there. There are plenty of familiar faces as many of the cast and characters return, albeit with some old-age make-up that can take some getting used to, to face down the challenges of this new future. Joel Kinnaman is still a driving force as Edward “Ed” Baldwin and Krys Marshall’s Danielle Poole will soon take on a more central role in space. At the same time, Wrenn Schmidt’s Margo, Cynthy Wu’s Kelly, and Coral Peña’s Aleida try to navigate a tumultuous time on Earth.

However, the most interesting storyline this season proves to be one involving a new character. Toby Kebbell, who was previously a part of M. Night Shyamalan’s series of familial frights and biblical brutality Servant, joins the show as Miles, someone who takes a gig on Mars to support his family and soon discovers this supposedly great opportunity is not the one that he was sold. In seven episodes of the ten-episode season, we begin to see Miles and his fellow workers realizing just how blatantly they are being taken advantage of. Each one of them is fundamental to the work being done in space, but they are undervalued at every turn to the point that the situation becomes increasingly untenable.

One of the season’s best sequences is an early use of a split screen set to a classic Gorillaz song that shows just how different the conditions are in space, depending on whether you’re a worker or a part of management. Without tipping off where this goes, the show becomes more exciting when they begin to organize together and use their collective power to make things change. While it is enjoyable to see For All Mankind lean into its sci-fi potential, its engagement with fundamental questions about labor and exploitation is where the series is at its richest. Even when humanity achieves amazing things like space travel, the people necessary to make this happen every single day will still be pushed down unless they rise up. Where this will go remains to be seen, but the characters fighting the good fight is where Season 4 reaches its boldest horizons yet.

‘For All Mankind’ Season 4 Is Sci-Fi for Adults
Image via Apple TV+

While science fiction is a genre with many tones and stories available, there is something refreshing about a show like this that doesn’t hold back from embracing a more mature approach. The questions being raised and the challenges the characters are facing are ones that all of us will have to sit with. There are no heroes coming to save the day. Instead, it is all about coming together to make a world that is better for all. This is no easy task, and there are moments where dialogue can feel a bit stiff in setting this up, including when it threatens to come apart, though the performances make it all work. One can only hope that the series gets to carry out its vision into a fifth season and beyond for what its creators have planned. Science fiction and television writ large is better with a series like For All Mankind in it.

Rating: B+

For All Mankind Season 4 premieres November 10 on Apple TV+ in the U.S.

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