With season 5 about to air, Apple TV gives For All Mankind a sixth and final season

The countdown to the final mission launches with the season five premiere on Friday, March 27.

Why a sixth and final season

From our perspective, the show has made an unusual transition from an alternate history story set in space to pure science fiction (and yes, it’s a narrow line to cross at times). Apple TV’s own announcement has plenty to say about the show (and its spin-off).

Today, Apple TV announced that its award-winning and celebrated space drama series, For All Mankind, has been renewed for a sixth and final season, marking the show’s final mission ahead of its highly anticipated season five debut. From creators Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi, the 10-episode fifth season lifts off on Apple TV with one episode on Friday, March 27, followed by one new episode every Friday through May 29, and an exciting new spinoff, Star City, is set to make its global debut on May 29.

As a franchise, it’s looking healthy, with one story told and another coming into play. The announcement gives a potted history of the show’s place in the story of the growth of Apple TV, and we also have a reminder of upcoming season 5:

…the generation-spanning series picks up in the 2010s, years since the Goldilocks asteroid heist. Happy Valley has grown into a thriving colony with thousands of residents and a base for new missions that will take us even further into the solar system. But with the nations of Earth now demanding law and order on the Red Planet, friction continues to build between the people who live on Mars and their former home.

We’ve covered more on the new season elsewhere.