Key takeaways
- Premiered May 29, 2026; 8-episode Season 1, finale July 10, 2026
- Spinoff of “For All Mankind,” told from the Soviet side of the space race
- Stars Rhys Ifans, Anna Maxwell Martin, Adam Nagaitis
- Created by Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert, and Ronald D. Moore
- Streaming exclusively on Apple TV
Overview
“Star City” is Apple TV’s spinoff of the long-running alternate-history series “For All Mankind,” created by Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert, and Ronald D. Moore. The eight-episode first season premiered May 29, 2026, with two episodes released together and the remainder rolling out weekly through a July 10 finale. Filming took place in Vilnius, Lithuania, standing in for the Soviet Union’s real-world Star City cosmonaut training complex, from which the show takes its name.
Story and Cast
Where “For All Mankind” tells its story of an accelerated, competitive space race largely from the American side, “Star City” flips the perspective entirely, following the cosmonauts, engineers, and intelligence officers inside the Soviet space program during the same alternate timeline — one where the USSR beat the United States to the Moon. The show leans into Cold War paranoia, focusing as much on the danger of life under KGB surveillance as on the literal risks of spaceflight.
Rhys Ifans leads the cast as Sergei Korolev, the “Chief Designer” driving the Soviet program, with Anna Maxwell Martin as the head of KGB surveillance. Agnes O’Casey, Alice Englert, Solly McLeod, and Adam Nagaitis round out the ensemble, with Ruby Ashbourne Serkis playing a cosmonaut’s wife navigating the isolated world of Star City itself.
What Works
Critics have responded enthusiastically to the show’s decision to expand its universe laterally rather than simply following established “For All Mankind” characters into new plotlines. By shifting entirely behind the Iron Curtain, “Star City” functions as a tense, paranoid thriller distinct in tone from its parent series’ more optimistic, institutional focus. Reviews have praised the performances — even allowing for some shaky accents — and the way the show builds intrigue around both the literal space race and the internal dangers of operating inside a surveillance state.
The series’ focus on figures like a female cosmonaut thrust into the public eye, and the intelligence officers monitoring the people around her, gives “Star City” a more intimate, character-driven angle on a story that “For All Mankind” fans already know the broad strokes of.
Where It Falters
As a spinoff explicitly tied to “For All Mankind” lore, viewers unfamiliar with the parent show may find some of the alternate-history stakes less resonant without that context. The Cold War setting and heavier emphasis on political paranoia over space-exploration spectacle is also a tonal departure that longtime fans of the original series’ more hopeful tone should go in expecting.
Verdict
“Star City” is a confident, well-reviewed expansion of the “For All Mankind” universe that mostly avoids the common pitfalls of franchise spinoffs. By reframing familiar events through a completely different perspective, it manages to feel fresh rather than derivative, and its focus on paranoia and control over pure space-race optimism sets it apart from its parent show.
Where to watch: Apple TV, $12.99/month after a 7-day free trial (US pricing).
FAQ
Do I need to watch “For All Mankind” before “Star City”? Not strictly, but familiarity with the parent show’s alternate-history premise — where the Soviet Union beats the US to the Moon — deepens the stakes.
How many episodes are in “Star City” Season 1? 8 episodes, released weekly with the finale airing July 10, 2026.
Who stars in “Star City”? Rhys Ifans leads as Chief Designer Sergei Korolev, alongside Anna Maxwell Martin, Agnes O’Casey, Alice Englert, Solly McLeod, and Adam Nagaitis.
