Joel Kinnaman as Ed Baldwin in For All Mankind. Credit: Courtesy of Apple TV+
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In a genre dominated by grim, dystopian visions of the future, For All Mankind is a powerful counterweight: an alternate history that imagines a timeline in which the Soviet Union beat America to the Moon, prolonging the space race and laying the foundation for a more egalitarian, tech-forward 20th and 21st centuries.
If you’ve finished the recently completed fifth season and need more of that kind of sci-fi positivity, you’re probably already excited about the spin-off series Star City, and you’ve probably already made your way through our list of shows with similar vibes to watch. Hence, it’s time to explore other media. Here are the best movies, books, games, and podcasts with similarly starry-eyed vibes.
For All Mankind is a dense, novelistic series with deep world-building and terrific character work—which means a good book is your best bet for filling that rocket-shaped void in your life.
The Calculating Stars, by Mary Robinette Kowal
This award-winning novel, the start of a series, is the ideal book to read if you love For All Mankind. It’s an alternate history that imagines a devastating meteorite impact that almost ends civilization and sends the world careening toward environmental disaster. In the desperate effort to recover and save humanity, manpower shortages mean women step into roles they were traditionally barred from, including the race to the stars. Despite the cataclysm that opens the story, this is the kind of optimistic sci-fi that imagines humanity will rise to every occasion, and fans of the show will love it.
The Right Stuff, by Tom Wolfe
If your favorite parts of For All Mankind involved the terrifying training for, and experience of, spaceflight—especially in the early seasons—this legendary work of “new journalism” is the ticket. It recounts the early work in the U.S. on rocket-powered aircraft, Project Mercury, and the first astronauts, detailing the incredibly challenging and dangerous work undertaken by these men. It also delves into the impact their careers had on their families, and offers real-world background that makes the experience of the show even richer.
The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
If you loved the way Mars colonization is depicted in For All Mankind—that grounded, plausible approach that makes it all seem thrillingly possible—check out Robinson’s Nebula and Hugo award-winning series. It shares the same basic optimism, imagining a realistic and detailed vision of humanity establishing a permanent presence on Mars.
