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Apple TV science fiction series for all Mankind Begins with a fascinating historical premise: What if Soviet space pioneer Sergei Korolev had not died untimely in 1966, but had instead helped develop his country’s space program, thereby extending the Space Race indefinitely?
If America and the world had been forced to continue the space program, our past (and present) would have looked quite different – at least according to this show, which spends decades imagining how it might have unfolded in an alternate past. (By the current fifth season, which is set in alt-2012, some humans are living off the planet in a Martian habitat.)
for all Mankind It’s both a great, generally optimistic historical fiction and a grounded, compelling science fiction show. As the final season on Apple TV nears its conclusion, here are 10 other ambitious shows that follow similar winding paths.
The Man in the High Castle (2015 – 2019)
Philip K. From the novel by Dick (whose work served as the basis for blade Runner, total Recall, minority Report, A scanner darkly, among many others), The Man in the High Castle A political thriller set (mostly) in the 1960s in which the Axis powers have won World War II, and in which the United States is split down the middle, with Japan ruling the West and Germany overseeing the East. The title “Man in the High Castle” is (or is?) a propaganda film that presents an alternative view of what our history books look like. As the show progresses through its four seasons, the parallels with our increasingly fascist-friendly world become increasingly apparent. Stream The Man in the High Castle on prime video And Netflix.
right stuff (2020)
The second attempt to adapt Tom Wolfe’s 1979 book, this series isn’t really about space exploration, but about the strange, winding road to get there. The show begins in 1959 with the selection of seven pilots best suited for America’s budding space program, individuals who brought sterling qualifications along with the butch and photogenic vibe necessary to sell the multi-billion dollar program to 1960s Americans. With impeccable period style, it’s at least as much about the building of a mythology as it is about the space race. Purchase right stuff From Prime Video.
From the Earth to the Moon (1998)
Call it Alt-History Alt-History for all Mankind (Okay, that’s just “history”). This iconic miniseries dramatizes the real events of the space program, beginning roughly with the flight of the Freedom 7 Mercury in 1961 and ending with humanity’s most recent moon landing with Apollo 17 just a decade later. Largely an anthology, this docu-drama combines personal stories (the final episode follows the wives and families of several astronauts) with more traditional mission drama. Executive producer Tom Hanks produced most of the episodes, featuring the entire 1990s cast. Stream From the Earth to the Moon on hbo max.
battlestar galactica (2003-2009)
Not a perfect match for for all Mankind Whether in vibe or setting, there’s still an intellectual and philosophical depth between that show and this one (noting that both have a creator in Ronald D. Moore). The Cylons, intelligent machines who have rebelled against their human masters, are motivated by their growing religious commitment to violently break free from their creators. Humanity has dwindled to a population of just tens of thousands, and while the show contemplates existential questions with surprising depth, we’re never allowed to forget that we’re watching more than just the human race being destroyed, surviving on a handful of rickety spacecraft in search of a mythical world called “Earth.” The oppressed become the oppressors, and while we mostly follow the human characters, the series never takes a hard stance on the moral superiority of either side. Purchase battlestar galactica from prime video Or Stream it on Pluto TV and Paramount+ starting May 1.
1983 (2018)
Sure, we’ve all wondered what would have happened if we hadn’t moved slowly through the space program after landing on the Moon, but the real historical question is what would have happened if the Communist Polish People’s Republic had never fallen? This political thriller is largely set in 2003, twenty years after a series of bombings ended hopes of ending the Cold War, which still continues behind an existing Iron Curtain. In this view of Poland, digital surveillance is always present; Art is censored; And personal behavior and sexual morality is restricted legally and through polite populations (the parallels to our supposedly more enlightened post-communist era are not coincidental; they are the point). Law student Cajetan (Macys Musial) and National Police investigator Anatol (Robert Wickiewicz) are drawn together into a web of conspiracy that could result in revolution. Stream 1983 On Netflix.
What do you think so far?
Expansion (2015 – 2022)
Set in the somewhat near future, Expansion (based on the book series by James S.A. Corey) imagines a colonized solar system in which we have encountered all our old familiar problems, and then some: Earth sits at the historical and cultural center of things, while Mars colonists have developed technological and military superiority based on survival in a challenging environment, and those living in “the Belt” have had to struggle to survive. Greed, fear and short-sightedness make conflict almost inevitable, even if the series is not as malleable as it seems at first glance. Expansion shares with for all Mankind A practical view of human progress that never completely gives way to skepticism; They also share the creative voice of executive producer (and frequent Ronald D. Moore collaborator) Naren Shankar. Stream Expansion on prime video.
conspiracy against America (2020)
Another dark turn on an alternative path in American history, conspiracy against America Ask, what if Charles Lindbergh had succeeded in his bid for political power in the 1930s, realizing his vision of an America that followed in the footsteps of Nazi Germany by preventing “infiltration of inferior blood” (by which he meant, mostly, Jewish people). Adapted from the book by Philip Roth, the series twists history, depicting Lindbergh’s successful campaign for the US presidency against Franklin D. Roosevelt, ultimately keeping America out of World War II – resulting in things becoming increasingly dangerous at home for the Jewish family at the show’s center. Morgan Spector, Zoe Kazan, Winona Ryder, and John Turturro star. Stream conspiracy against America on hbo max.
Manhattan (2014 – 2015)
A loose, but still convincing exploration of the Manhattan Project, this mostly true story still feels like a piece for all Mankind A look at a crucial moment in human history as well as a taste of its impeccable timing. John Benjamin Hickey plays scientist Dr. Frank Winter, an amalgam of several real-life personalities, with Olivia Williams playing botanist (and Frank’s wife), Liza. J. Robert Oppenheimer (here played by Daniel London) lurks in the background, with the show focusing primarily on the tireless efforts of the scientists who developed technology that, for better and worse, would prove foundational to the space program. Stream Manhattan on prime video.
watchman (2019)
This may seem like a stretch, but for my money, watchman stands with for all Mankind As a great alternate history of all time, even if it’s a little more fictional, imagining the impact of Jim Crow-era racial violence on a world that saw the rise of fascist superheroes in the 1980s. A standalone follow-up to the groundbreaking graphic novel from Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons and John Higgins, the series begins in an alternate Tulsa, Oklahoma, in a world where super-powered vigilantes exist but have been outlawed. Regina King plays Angela Aber, a modern-day policewoman whose grandparents were murdered real life tulsa race massacreA phenomenon that echoes throughout the series – it’s a dystopia that doesn’t look too different from our own, with masked police operating within the bounds of the law, and openly racist organizations gaining increasing political influence. Stream watchman on hbo max.
First (2018)
Set in 2031, First It follows a fictional first crewed mission to Mars after a disaster nearly derails the entire endeavor. Heavily inspired by real-life history that serves as a starting point for all MankindThe show follows the astronauts, their families, ground crew, and even the tech CEOs who help lead us on the rocky path to the Red Planet. Given that making it to 2031 seems a bit optimistic at the moment, this could start looking like alt-history in a few years. Stream First On Hulu.
