As one of Apple’s first forays into developing expensive, prestige-worthy original television programs, For All Mankind is the sort of impressively realized drama seemingly designed to announce the tech giant’s presence in the crowded streaming TV marketplace. An alt-history period drama set at the height of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, the series hails from Ron D. Moore, a guy who knows a thing or two about blending period dramas with high-concept genre elements, as he’s not only made the adaptation of Outlander a hit for Starz, he also reimagined and redefined Battlestar Galactica for a new generation.
It’s no surprise, then, to see Moore set his sights once more on the stars, with the Sony Pictures Television-produced original set to be available to subscribers on day one of the Apple TV+ launch. The pressure is on for one of the biggest and most popular companies in the world, as it shifts its focus into the service industry, offering iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV owners a slew of shiny new programs to watch on any device of their choosing. And because money is no object in the race to secure as many eyeballs as possible, Apple has spared no expense in developing the kind of programming that enjoys a budget that would make the cast of Game of Thrones blush. But is that money well spent? If the first season of For All Mankind is any indication, it is — or it will be very soon.
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For All Mankind is an amalgam of a great many concepts. It’s first and foremost a reimagining of the space race, one that sees the Soviet Union as the first nation to set a man on the moon, a move that initially demoralizes a U.S. public and space program convinced of its own technological superiority, before galvanizing NASA and the U.S. government to not only set foot on the moon, but to push further into space than humankind ever dreamed. It’s a thrilling concept, one that many a stargazer has likely pondered while looking into the night sky. What if the space race never stopped? Where would humanity be now? Colonizing the moon, Mars, or some distant planet? That’s the core premise behind Moore’s new series, but it’s not all that Moore and his writers’ room have up their sleeves.
The series is also sneakily political, an alt-history genre show that aims to live up to its title in the most literal sense of every word. Soon after the Russians beat NASA to landing a man on the moon, then-President Nixon demands the U.S. space program compete on a much larger level. The series cleverly uses Nixon’s tapes as an expositional device that underlines the fragility of American exceptionalism and illustrates how humiliation can make the wheels of change turn just a little faster. And that’s a boon not only for the space administration, but also for the women and minorities who were locked out of key positions at NASA and the government.
Moore and series director Seth Gordon take the notion of change seriously from the start, beginning their series with its sizable cast that includes Joel Kinnaman, Sara Jones (The Path), Michael Dorman (Patriot), Chris Bauer (The Deuce), Colm Feore (The Umbrella Academy), Wrenn Schmidt (The Americans), watching as the impossible happens: a Russian cosmonaut steps onto the moon, effectively re-writing the Soviet Union’s place in history. Much of the premiere, then, is spent exploring the emotional and governmental fallout of the event. ‘Red Moon’ makes its character introductions quickly and effectively, with little concern over how the character will be perceived.
This is particularly true of Kinnaman’s Edward Baldwin, a hotshot fighter pilot who commanded Apollo 10, and very nearly landed on the moon with his buddy Gordo Stevens (Dorman). Ed’s disappointment is palpable, and he very nearly takes it out on his wife and his young son, when the boy asks why his father didn’t land on the moon when he could have. It’s going to take a lot for audiences in 2019 to sympathize with a guy such as Ed, whose easy privileges don’t prevent him from having his heart and spirit broken again and again. But though Moore takes his period specifics seriously, re-creating the world of the late 1960s with both a sense of nostalgia and an understanding that the opportunities afforded men like Ed and Gordo simply weren’t on the table for everyone else.
That perspective allows For All Mankind to tackle its alt-history agenda from a different angle, one that sees a blow to the American ego as an opportunity for everyone. The race to jump beyond the moon is one giant leap for mankind, but, more importantly, for women and the civil rights movements.
As such, Moore’s series is anchored in a kind of gleaming optimism that seems inherent to Apple’s original programming intentions. Before anyone had seen what Apple had in store for audiences, much was made of the rumor that the company’s TV series would be not only sanguine, but also devoid of anything potentially offensive - like sex, violence, or coarse language. That is thankfully not the case with For All Mankind — or any of Apple’s launch day originals — as though it certainly has a positive outlook, that viewpoint doesn’t result in a sterilized drama or stilted performances. This ultimately works to the show’s benefit, as it will no doubt surprise audiences by surpassing expectations — both good and bad — and delivering the one thing anyone shelling out hard-earned dollars for yet another subscription wants: quality television programming that’s worth the price point.
With its reimagined historical setting that shrewdly opens the door for a literal interpretation of the show’s title, For All Mankind makes for a compelling entry into the world of Apple Originals. Though it may not set the streaming world on fire right away, it may soon enough, based on the strength of the performances from Kinnaman, Schmidt, Jones, Feore, and especially Jodi Balfour (The Crown, Quarry), as Ellen Waverly, an integral part of the series as the season progresses. That’s also true of the fascinating specificity of its surprisingly inclusive “What if?” premise. The result is an absorbing new series that has already earned a second season, and one with the potential to go well beyond that as it sets a course for the stars.
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For All Mankind premieres Friday, November 1, exclusively on Apple TV+.
