Apple TV+’s streaming offerings don’t have the breadth of something like Netflix or Hulu (or even more direct competitors like Disney+), but that has allowed the platform to cultivate an air of prestige around every single one of its shows. There aren’t that many, so all of them feel at least a little bit special by default, but even then For All Mankind feels like one of the more special ones. Ronald D. Moore’s alternate history space race drama was set up to be one of Apple’s biggest projects before the platform launched, since Apple renewed it for a second season a whole month before Apple TV+ was even available, and now the show has been picked for a third season two months before the premiere of the second—clearly Apple has some confidence in this thing continuing to draw in/keep subscribers.
The second season of For All Mankind is going to bring the show into an alternate-’80s, though not alternate enough that the U.S. was spared a Ronald Reagan presidency, so there’s a chance this third season will take things even further. Will we get to see an alternate-’90s? Will grunge still be a big deal even in a world where the space race never ended? We might know in a year… or more than a year, since season two won’t even premiere until February.