Out of this world: Season 4 of Apple TV+'s 'For All Mankind' enters new millennium

Whether it takes "one small step" or "one giant leap" to get to your couch, do it "For All Mankind." The Apple TV+ television series is back for a fourth season Friday, Nov. 10, after taking a year-and-a-half-long hiatus. With one Primetime Emmy win under its belt already, the sci-fi drama's newest season is comprised of another 10 episodes, thus bringing the total episode count for the series to a whopping 40.

The series first made (gravitational?) waves when it premiered on its home streamer in 2019. Marketed as an alternate version of 1969, in which "the Soviet Union beats the United States to the moon" (per IMDb), the series re-imagines history and speculates how this one change in events could have sparked a whole new world order. Largely focused on the political and scientific ramifications of the then-U.S.S.R. making history on the moon, "For All Mankind" Season 1 leaned into the idea of a space race that "continues on for decades with still grander challenges and goals."

With the premiere of Season 2 in February 2021, the astronauts faced an all-new set of challenges that took place more than a decade after the moon landing. Having confronted everything from lunar ice and trespassers to gender debates in Season 1, the next two seasons promised higher stakes and bigger problems. And on this promise, it surely delivered.

From natural disasters such as solar storms and generally harsh living conditions to personal qualms ranging from reckless and selfish behavior to ego-based contests and grand political motivations, there has never been a dull moment on the screen - or in the lives of "For All Mankind's" fictionalized astronauts and their families.

One of these astronauts is Edward Baldwin, played by "The Killing's" Joel Kinnaman. The head of the Baldwin family, which has seen some serious struggles throughout the show's three seasons to date, Ed is one of NASA's best astronauts and is rumored to have been based upon real-life Apollo 10 commander Thomas P. Stafford. While Ed has been supported by several family members over the years, including Karen (Shantel VanSanten), Kelly (Cynthy Wu) and Shane (played by brothers Teddy and Tait Blum), the only confirmed Baldwin returning (other than Ed) is Kelly. That said, the others may still make an appearance or two as the season's 10 episodes progress.

Joining Ed in space and on Earth are returning characters Ellen Wilson (Jodi Balfour), an astronaut who, to put it in a way that avoids spoilers for those not yet caught up, is a high achiever in every corner of her life; Margo Madison (Wrenn Schmidt), a NASA engineer based on Apollo program veteran Frances "Poppy" Northcutt; fellow astronaut Danielle Poole (Krys Marshall), who, like Ellen, is a member of "Nixon's Women"; Helios Aerospace founder Dev Ayesa (Edi Gathegi), who is in constant competition with both NASA and the Soviet Union in the race for Mars; and Aleida Rosales (Coral Peña), an undocumented American with a passion for all things space-related.

Also confirmed for Season 4 are Casey W. Johnson as Gordo (Michael Dorman) and Tracy Stevens' (Sarah Jones) son, Danny; Meghan Leathers as Pam Horton; and Vera Cherny as Lenara Catiche, director of Roscosmos.

They will be joined by new cast members Daniel Stern, Toby Kebbell, Tyner Rushing, Svetlana Efremova and Dimiter D. Marinov.

Viewers who are already familiar with "For All Mankind," and who may be wondering what is to come in the newest season, need look no further than the official trailer, as issued by Apple TV+ in mid-September. Designed to simulate a recruitment video, the trailer shares many similarities with real-life recruitment advertisements for the military and the police force, serving as an audience reminder that while "For All Mankind" is a fictional re-imagining of past events, it is a series that is very much based in reality.

Also similar to reality, time flies in "For All Mankind." In a move that echoes the near-decade jump from Season 2 into Season 3 in June 2022, the fourth season of the series picks up eight years after the Season 3 finale.

"Rocketing into the new millennium in the eight years since Season 3," reads an Apple TV+ news release from Sept. 13, "Happy Valley has rapidly expanded its footprint on Mars by turning former foes into partners. Now 2003, the focus of the space program has turned to the capture and mining of extremely valuable, mineral-rich asteroids that could change the future of both Earth and Mars."

But Apple is quick to remind viewers of the darkness lurking in space as "simmering tensions between the residents of the now-sprawling international base threaten to undo everything they are working toward."