We’re deep into alternate history now that we’ve made it all the way to For All Mankind season 4. The effects of an ongoing Space Race have led to innovations far beyond those we’ve seen in reality, creating the backdrop for one of Apple TV Plus’s most impressive sci-fi series.
Apple has shown itself to be a home for great sci-fi with both Foundation and Invasion, but For All Mankind deserves its place among them thanks to that killer, history-twisting concept. Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi’s endlessly smart show is one of the best sci-fi series released in recent years, and definitely sits among the best TV series Apple has produced to date. Here’s everything we know about For All Mankind season 4.
Who’s in the For All Mankind season 4 cast?
Joel Kinnaman, Wrenn Schmidt, and the rest of the For All Mankind cast all returned for season 4, but Jodi Balfour’s role was greatly reduced.
Balfour was previously a series regular but will leave the show after a guest appearance in season 4 to bring the storyline of astronaut-turned-president Ellen Wilson to an end.
Of course, a whole host of new faces joined the cast, most notably Toby Kebbell, Daniel Stern, and Tyner Rushing. Unfortunately, a few old faces didn’t return for season 4. Shantel VanSanten, who played Ed’s wife, Karen, was killed in the season 3 finale, so barring a flashback or two, her time among the stars is over.
Here’s the For All Mankind season 4 cast list:
- Joel Kinnaman as Edward “Ed” Baldwin
- Jodi Balfour as Ellen Wilson
- Wrenn Schmidt as Margo Madison
- Krys Marshall as Danielle Poole
- Cynthy Wu as Kelly Baldwin
- Casey W Johnson as Danny Stevens
- Coral Peña as Aleida Rosales
- Edi Gathegi as Dev Ayesa
- Daniel Stern as Eli Hobson
- Tyner Rushing as Samantha
- Toby Kebbell as Miles
- Maria Mashkova as Svetlana
- Dimiter Marinov as Iyla
- Salvador Chacón as Gerardo
- Svetlana Efremova as Irina Morozova
For All Mankind season 4 release date and reviews
For All Mankind season 4 premiered on Friday, November 10, 2023, and there will be a new episode every week until January 12, 2024.
The reviews are in and it’s clear that For All Mankind is still one of the best Apple TV Plus shows. There aren’t many seasons of TV that can claim a 100% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes, but For All Mankind season 4 is among them.
Inverse wrote in its review that the unpredictable tone of the show was one of its biggest assets. “The profundity of watching the show is thinking about how the choices the people make are always shaping the future, one way or another,” they said.
Meanwhile, over at Rolling Stone, it was the characters that were singled out. They wrote: “Grounded even in its most out-of-this-world moments, it’s science fiction that puts people first and, in doing so, recognizes that creating a lasting future hinges on our willingness to unite.”
What is For All Mankind season 4 about?
For All Mankind season 4 started with a time jump of around a decade and follows a new group of recruits who discover an incredibly valuable asteroid floating through space.
The finale for season 3 was packed with death and drama, and even though there was a time jump from 1995 to 2003 between seasons, the explosion in the Johnson Space Center had a lasting impact on our heroes.
The trailer for season 4 introduced a group of new recruits hired by Helios to help develop a colony on Mars. However, things are thrown into disarray when they come across an asteroid containing significant amounts of radium. Naturally, all the other countries want a piece, so it becomes yet another Space Race for various nations to get their hands on it.
The decision to jump forward in time is a strange one, but also extremely original and clever, as articulated by the executive producer Maril Davis. “I initially thought the writers were crazy,” Davis said [via Entertainment Weekly]. “…But I’ve come to realize it was a genius decision because you kind of assume you know what the next chapter is going to be — but you jump 10 years and suddenly you get to explore everyone’s baggage through the prism of the years that have passed.”
Is there a For All Mankind season 4 trailer?
The first For All Mankind season 4 trailer was released on Wednesday, September 3, 2023, and was followed by a longer trailer on October 12.
The first trailer (above) is framed like a recruitment video for Helios, including everything you’d expect: uplifting music, people joining the workforce, and everyone looking optimistic. At the end of it, we’re told our “destiny awaits.”
The second trailer gave a better picture of what season 4 is about, showing us a fresh group of recruits who have been brought on to set up a new colony on Mars. However, the discovery of a valuable asteroid sets off an entirely new race between countries. Watch it for yourself below:
Where can I watch For All Mankind season 4?
For All Mankind season 4 is available to stream on Apple TV Plus, just like previous seasons, with a new episode arriving every Friday.
Here’s the full For All Mankind season 4 release schedule:
- Season 4, Episode 1: November 10, 2023
- Season 4, Episode 2: November 17, 2023
- Season 4, Episode 3: November 24, 2023
- Season 4, Episode 4: December 1, 2023
- Season 4, Episode 5: December 8, 2023
- Season 4, Episode 6: December 15, 2023
- Season 4, Episode 7: December 22, 2023
- Season 4, Episode 8: December 29, 2023
- Season 4, Episode 9: January 5, 2023
- Season 4, Episode 10: January 12, 2023
As it stands, the show is not available on any of the other best streaming services or on cable, so you’d better make sure you’re signed up with our link below!
Will there be a For All Mankind season 5?
For All Mankind has been planned to run for seven seasons, so For All Mankind season 5 will definitely happen as long as Apple TV Plus is happy with the viewing figures and gives the green light for more.
“When we were first breaking the series, even before season one, we talked about this overarching story that takes about seven seasons. That’s our goal,” co-creator Matt Wolpert told Den of Geek in November 2023.
Given the current rate of running through time, that could mean that For All Mankind’s speculative history actually overtakes the real world. In a show built around innovation, that would be a fascinating and very welcome flourish. Now we just have to hope that enough people are watching for everyone involved to keep this going.
That’s everything we know about For All Mankind for now. If you want to know more about what’s new on Apple TV Plus, we’ve got you covered. You can also see why we think For All Mankind is the natural successor to Star Trek and find out how For All Mankind season 4 is inspired by one of the Westerns.
If that’s not enough great sci-fi, look ahead to Foundation season 3 release date and read our guide to the new villain: The Mule.