Apple TV+'s Space Drama With 92% On Rotten Tomatoes Still Hasn't Convinced Me It's A Sci-Fi Show

Apple TV+'s For All Mankind is marketed as a sci-fi show, but the show still hasn't done enough to convince me that's true since its inception in 2019. I love For All Mankind, and I'm also a massive sci-fi fan, but the generational saga really doesn't feel like it's in the genre that it claims to be. Although For All Mankind season 4's ending teased the show was about to slot far more comfortably into the category, I still think it needs to approach one massive milestone before it can honestly say it's a sci-fi show.

For All Mankind's larger story of exploring space certainly brings to mind some of the most ambitious sci-fi shows of all time. However, occasional space travel is still one of the only sci-fi tropes boasted by For All Mankind. Many of the more conventional hallmarks of the genre, like aliens, futuristic weaponry, and cloning, are notably absent from the show's formula. Either way, it's still one of the best shows on Apple TV+ - I just still don't see it as a sci-fi project. That being said, that could all change in the next few years.

For All Mankind Reaching The Future Will Finally Convince Me It's A Sci-Fi Show

The Apple TV+ space drama fits into other genres far better than sci-fi

I know that For All Mankind technically is sci-fi, but I'm convinced it fits in far more comfortably with other genres. First and foremost, it's an alt-history saga. It's set in the real world, and it's incredibly grounded. The time jumps are so artfully done that the subtle advances in tech caused by the prolonged space race feel like a peek into a genuinely alternative reality that doesn't resort to gimmicks. Having said that, the show's immediate future will take it into the 2010s, and then eventually beyond the episodes' air dates. Then, I'll acknowledge it's solidly sci-fi.

I also think For All Mankind is more of a political thriller than a sci-fi show, it's just that part of it happens to be set in space.

A futuristic setting is one of sci-fi's biggest tropes, so I would be far less justified in my current stance if/when this happens. Of course, For All Mankind has already had to extrapolate certain events in its alternate timeline, but episodes set in the future would go beyond anything Earth's history has known. Rather than putting alternate presidents in the Whitehouse and allowing certain musicians to survive, For All Mankind's stories set in the future will need to make bigger leaps in logic with its geopolitical storylines, as well as the technology in use during humanity's spacefaring adventures.

Why For All Mankind's Genre-Bending Approach Is A Good Thing

More people are likely to watch For All Mankind because it isn't a run-of-the-mill sci-fi story

For All Mankind is almost universally praised by fans and critics alike. Its innovative storytelling doesn't concern itself with confining itself to a single genre, which gives it an incredibly broad appeal. It's enticing to history buffs, those interested in politics and the inner workings of certain organizations, and even traditional sci-fi fans. If the show had taken a few more creative liberties with its blueprint and folded in more recognizable sci-fi elements, it's possible this could have alienated certain demographics.

I might have been less inclined to watch For All Mankind if it hadn't been pushed as a sci-fi show. It hooked me with a buzzword, and I stayed for its brilliance.

Sci-fi's undoubtedly popular, but some can be put off by the idea of starships firing lasers at each other as they somehow cause deafening explosions in the vacuum of space. I'm not one of them, but I can see how people wouldn't find it all that entertaining. That being said, I might have been less inclined to watch For All Mankind if it hadn't been pushed as a sci-fi show. It hooked me with a buzzword, and I stayed for its brilliance. Inversely, people will have watched for its non-sci-fi elements only to discover they love the space travel aspect.

When For All Mankind Will Reach The Future (If It Ever Does)

For All Mankind season 7 sounds like it is the goal

Joel Kinnaman as Ed Baldwin in For All Mankind

The show's creators have been very vocal about how long they want For All Mankind to last. They want the show to run for at least six seasons, but seven sounds like it's the ultimate goal. With the time jumps so far all being roughly a decade, this pattern can be used to work out when For All Mankind's timeline will leapfrog reality. With the last moments of the season 4 finale fast-forwarding to 2012 and ready for season 5 to begin, it would make sense if For All Mankind season 6 took place in the 2020s.

By the time season 6 arrives (if the show is renewed), then it will likely be at the very least 2026 in the real world, but probably even later. So, the time jump between For All Mankind seasons 5 and season 6 could only really take the show slightly into the future - but it would basically be the present day. It would take the show making its desired seventh season before For All Mankind would then presumably enter the 2030s, and it would come across very much like a more traditional sci-fi saga.