Apple TV’s New Sci-Fi Shared Universe Is Already A 10/10

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Look, as a sci-fi fanatic, I’ve gotta say Apple TV+ has really become my go-to. They’re consistently dropping original shows that are just amazing. I mean, you’ve got stuff like Severance, Silo, Foundation, and Dark Matter – and what’s cool is they’re all so different, but equally smart and well-made. They’re not dumbing anything down, either; these are big-budget shows that actually respect your intelligence, and honestly, that’s why I keep coming back to Apple TV+ for my sci-fi fix.

While Apple has created many popular shows, it hasn’t had a sprawling, interconnected science fiction franchise like Prime Video or Disney+. These platforms build massive worlds that keep viewers engaged for years. Apple’s shows, despite critical acclaim, have generally been self-contained stories. That changed with the arrival of Star City, which expanded For All Mankind and established Apple TV+’s first true shared sci-fi universe.

The new series Star City tells the story of the Soviet space program during the timeline of For All Mankind, revealing the untold stories behind their initial successes. It premiered on May 29th with two episodes and has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, currently holding a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite having six episodes left to air, Star City is already demonstrating that expanding the For All Mankind universe was an excellent decision.

For All Mankind Has Become A Franchise Thanks To Star City

Among Apple TV+’s science fiction series, For All Mankind always felt like it could become something much larger. The show imagined an alternate history with sweeping changes to world events, and while it initially focused on NASA astronauts and American politics, it always suggested a much bigger world. Now, Star City is the first spin-off to truly explore that potential.

Instead of jumping ahead in time, the series Star City delves deeper into the existing world of For All Mankind. It focuses on the Soviet space program, showing us how Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, operated alongside the events we’ve already seen. This approach builds FAM‘s alternate history into a rich and complex world, offering multiple perspectives and interconnected storylines. Essentially, it’s creating a cinematic universe with endless possibilities for new stories.

With the success of Star City, Apple has demonstrated that expanding For All Mankind into a larger franchise was a good decision. The possibilities for future storylines are vast – they could explore Europe’s involvement in the space race, create a political drama set in the White House, or even focus on the inner workings of the Helios corporation. Apple TV+ has a history of producing excellent science fiction series, but Star City suggests the platform is now aiming for even more ambitious projects.

Star City Is A Return To For All Mankind’s Best Era

Though consistently ambitious, the show For All Mankind seems to resonate more with viewers when it focused on its earlier seasons. It’s not that the show gets worse, but as the story shifts towards colonizing Mars and a more futuristic setting, it loses some of the realistic, alternate history feel that initially captivated audiences.

The first few seasons of For All Mankind were popular because they cleverly changed actual historical events. The show started with a fascinating idea: what if the Soviets had landed on the Moon before the United States? It then showed how that one change would dramatically alter the world as we know it. A big part of what people enjoyed was seeing history unfold in unexpected ways. But as the show moved into the 1990s and 2000s, it naturally became more focused on futuristic, traditional science fiction themes related to space.

That’s precisely what makes Star City so engaging. By revisiting the Cold War era and shifting the focus to the Soviet space program, the series successfully recaptures the core appeal of For All Mankind. It firmly establishes the alternate history aspect, reminding us what fans loved about the original show. Star City demonstrates that the For All Mankind universe doesn’t need to constantly jump ahead in time to remain compelling, and that Apple TV+ understands what initially made the show so popular.

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2026-06-01 06:22