10 Best TV Shows Like For All Mankind

“For All Mankind” is one of the most ambitious shows Apple TV has ever made, spanning decades, continents, and even planets. The series begins with the 1969 moon landing, but instead of Americans landing on the moon, the Soviets get there first. Thus, “For All Mankind” presents an alternate history of the world from this point on, and that one change has a massive ripple effect across the globe. Some things stay the same, and we witness, through both archival and faux news footage, how world politics play out in the following decades.

Though politics play an important part in “For All Mankind,” the show is primarily about the astronauts and cosmonauts, in addition to the scientists who send them up to space, who live out these changes. 

The series has spanned five decades so far, telling an epic story filled with one-of-a-kind characters and amazing production design. Its unique scope means it appeals to history buffs, sci-fi fans, or those just looking for a complex, character-driven drama. Though the show stands out from its contemporaries, it’s not totally peerless. If you’re looking for more compelling takes on history or politically prescient science fiction, we’ve got you covered. Here are 10 great shows like “For All Mankind.”

If you’re in the mood for another epic sci-fi show with deep world-building and political intrigue, “The Expanse” is your best bet. One of the most underrated sci-fi shows of all time, “The Expanse” is based on the novel series of the same name by James S. A. Corey. Many years into the future, humanity has colonized the solar system, but earthly power struggles remain, and the universe is plunged into a pseudo Cold War.

Three groups manage this precarious balance of power. The United Nations of Earth, represented by politician Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo), are locked in an intractable conflict with Mars, a militaristic society. Meanwhile, the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA) comprises folks who live in the asteroid belt, known as Belters, and perform the brutal manual labor that provides the rest of the universe with valuable resources. Thomas Jane plays Josephus Miller, a hardened detective on the case of a missing Belter with revolutionary aims.

The show’s home base, if you will, is the Rocinante, a spaceship piloted by a group of ice harvesters whose mission went awry. The crew of the Rocinante becomes embroiled in a vast political conspiracy involving greedy warmongers and the discovery of alien technology. “The Expanse” requires a certain amount of patience, as its slow-burning plot takes some time to coalesce, but for fans of hardcore science fiction, it’s an immensely rewarding journey.

Before he co-created “For All Mankind,” Ronald D. Moore worked on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” as well as “Deep Space Nine” and “Voyager.” After cutting his teeth on those sci-fi classics, his first TV creation was “Battlestar Galactica,” the beloved series that combines military drama, politics, robots, and space travel. Based on the 1978 television series of the same name, “Battlestar Galactica” is a smartly written space opera grounded in Cold War paranoia and knotty philosophical questions about the nature of humankind and democracy.

The show centers on a conflict between humans and a race of killer androids they created. These humanoid androids, known as the Cylons, decimate the human population, leaving a group of survivors living on spaceships. The Battlestar Galactica is the only military ship to survive the attack, and its crew leads the charge to evade the Cylons and find a new planet to colonize. Commander William Adama (Edward James Olmos) presides over the Galactica alongside and Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), a schoolteacher who becomes President when everyone else in the line of succession is killed.

Humankind’s fight for survival is complicated by the fact that Cylons are indistinguishable from humans, making trust difficult. “Battlestar Galactica” is a sci-fi show that defines the genre, mixing complicated plots and world-building with nuanced, dynamic characters.

“For All Mankind” is one of the best alternate history shows of all time, but the genre has seen some other high points in recent years. Take “The Man in the High Castle,” a Prime Video series based on sci-fi legend Philip K. Dick’s novel of the same name. The show is set in a very different version of America. In this universe, Franklin D. Roosevelt was assassinated in the 1930s, which led to the United States delaying their entry into WWII. The Axis powers, led by Germany and Japan, win the war, and Germany drops an atomic bomb on Washington, D.C.

Now, in the ’60s, Germany and Japan control much of the world, including North America. Japan rules the West Coast while Hitler (who is still alive) and the Third Reich rule the Eastern half of the United States. The Rocky Mountains remain unoccupied and serve as a neutral zone separating the two superpowers.

Though pockets of resistance exist, many Americans have accepted this new world order. But what if things didn’t have to be that way? Alexa Davalos plays our protagonist, Juliana Crain, who lives a fairly comfortable life in Japan-occupied San Francisco. When Juliana comes across a series of videos depicting an alternate history where the Allies won the war, she joins the resistance. What initially appears as a somber dystopian story and cautionary tale reveals itself as a sci-fi epic in which the multiverse opens up endless possibilities.

Like “For All Mankind,” “Manhattan” depicts a hugely consequential moment in American history from a new perspective. But rather than create an alternative universe, “Manhattan” fictionalizes famous events to create a character-driven narrative. Set in Los Alamos, New Mexico, during the creation of the atomic bomb, the series follows the scientists working there, who, along with their families, are forced to move to the desert and keep their activities a secret.

Though the WGN America series ostensibly follows the building of the atomic bomb, it’s not really about the bomb. Instead, it’s about the creation of American identity, the onset of modernity, and the evolution of the suburbs. Paranoia, of course, is a common theme, and espionage plays an important role in the narrative. But as these characters work towards what we know is an inevitable conclusion, we’re forced to reckon with their humanity, rather than the monstrosity they’ve created.

The criminally underrated show features an incredible ensemble, some of whom would go on to become TV stars after “Manhattan” was canceled. A pre-“Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Rachel Brosnahan plays the wandering wife of one of the scientists, while Katja Herbers of “Evil” plays a Dutch scientist fighting to be heard. Other cast members include John Benjamin Hickey, Olivia Williams, William Petersen (“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”), David Harbour (“Stranger Things”), Richard Schiff (“The West Wing”), and Neve Campbell, who appears in several episodes as Kitty Oppenheimer.

We’ve all heard the saying — two J.K. Simmons are better than one. Justin Marks, also the creator of Shōgun, developed the sci-fi thriller “Counterpart” as a means to put that idea to the test, and boy, does it deliver. Simmons plays Howard Silk, a mild-mannered gentleman working at a United Nations agency called the Office of Interchange. Similar to “Severance,” Howard performs seemingly meaningless tasks, the implications of which he remains entirely unaware.

Howard’s humdrum existence is upended by the appearance of his doppleganger, who reveals the existence of a parallel universe. The Howard we first meet lives in the Alpha World, while his doppleganger lives in the Prime World. When the two worlds were first created, they were nearly identical. Years later, a virus wiped out millions in the Prime World, and Prime residents suspected it was a coordinated attack by the Alpha World. Ever since then, the two worlds have been at odds.

Howard Alpha discovers the true meaning of his work, which has been to communicate with and monitor the Prime World. Howard Prime is an accomplished spy sent to capture an assassin, and he couldn’t be more different from his Alpha counterpart. Howard Alpha’s wife, Emily (Olivia Williams), is in a coma, and she becomes a part of this conspiracy as well. Despite spinning a fascinating conspiracy story, the series was canceled by Starz after two seasons, but it’s still worth a watch.

“For All Mankind” and “Invasion” both tell big-budget, epic, space-faring stories from the perspective of a few extraordinary individuals across the globe. In “Invasion,” which also airs on Apple TV, the arrival of aliens on planet Earth has a massive ripple effect for all of humankind. Oddly enough, the show isn’t exactly about aliens, at least not at first. Cities around the globe face attacks of unknown origin, as ordinary people race to save themselves and their families. We don’t actually see the aliens until the sixth episode, and even by the end of the first season, we know almost nothing about them.

Indeed, the first season functions as a sort of prologue, as we get to know the characters who are fighting to survive amidst unprecedented circumstances. Caspar (Billy Barratt) is a bullied pre-teen with epilepsy whose seizures may be connected to the aliens. Shamier Anderson plays Trevante, a Navy SEAL who becomes Caspar’s protector. Mitsuki (Shioli Kutsuna) works for Japan’s space agency and is distraught when her astronaut girlfriend doesn’t come home. She may have the key to communicating with the aliens. Aneesha (Golshifteh Farahani) gave up her career as a doctor to have kids and is faced with a cheating husband. She’ll stop at nothing to protect her children, and doesn’t trust the military.

“Invasion” balances large-scale action and set pieces with character-driven narratives, homing in on the nature of survival more so than the existential threat of alien life forms.

In “For All Mankind,” the Soviets’ moon landing changes the course of the Cold War, and it actually lasts longer in this alternate timeline. The Polish drama “1983” also explores the implications of an extended Cold War. Though much of the series takes place in 2003, the title refers to the year a devastating terrorist attack took place in Poland. This attack amplified the Cold War, and in Poland, resulted in a period of intense surveillance and an increasingly totalitarian government. In 2003, Al Gore is President of the United States (just like “For All Mankind”), and the Iron Curtain remains.

Despite these “1984”-like conditions, resistance groups have emerged in Poland, and the government’s secrets about what really happened with the terrorist attacks may not stay buried for long. At the center of this conspiracy are law student Kajetan (Maciej Musiał), whose parents died in the 1983 attacks, and Anatol (Robert Więckiewicz), a police inspector with a habit of sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. As cracks begin to appear in the facade of the oppressive regime, we learn more about resistance groups like the youth movement known as “The Light Brigade.”

“1983” is a visually striking dystopian piece, with the first two episodes co-directed by influential Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland. Simply put, the series is a must-watch thrill ride for any sci-fi fan with a Netflix subscription.

Netflix’s reboot of the classic sci-fi series “Lost in Space” cleverly updates the original with stunning visuals, enthralling characters, and plenty of thrilling action. Fans of “For All Mankind” will appreciate its take on the dangers of space exploration and the strain intergalactic travel puts on families. The show has a lot in common with the ABC series “Lost,” in that it follows a group of people who crash-land in a strange world and must fight to survive. It also employs frequent flashbacks.

But it’s not just “Lost” in space, and it successfully pulls from TV classics to create an entertaining family saga. The Robinson family is part of a group of colonists sent to start a settlement on Alpha Centauri. Their plan goes awry, and they’re forced to land on a remote planet filled with untold dangers. “Lost in Space” is part family drama, part survival thriller. The Robinson parents are Maureen (Molly Parker) and John (Toby Stephens), who are having some marital troubles amidst their interstellar adventure. Their kids are Judy (Taylor Russell), an 18-year-old doctor, Penny (Mina Sundwall), a mischievous rebel, and Will (Maxwell Jenkins), who befriends a strange robot.

The Robinsons aren’t alone on this strange new planet, and their fellow castaways form a community of sorts. Among them is Parker Posey’s Dr. Smith, a mysterious, villainous figure. Posey’s mercurial, occasionally hilarious performance is a highlight of the series, and its complicated characters, like Dr. Smith, give “Lost in Space” its edge.

“From the Earth to the Moon” is one of the best miniseries HBO has ever made, though it remains under-discussed today. The historically-based series premiered in 1988, a few months before HBO aired “Sex and the City” and a year before the world feasted its eyes on “The Sopranos.” The show explores NASA’s Apollo program in the 1960s and 1970s, with an emphasis on historical accuracy via a fictionalized portrayal of the space race.

All 12 episodes of “From the Earth to the Moon” tackle a different aspect of the Apollo Program, told from a variety of different perspectives. Some episodes take a broader look at an issue, like the first episode, “Can We Do This?”, which tracks the progress of the Mercury and Gemini programs. Others are more contained, like episode nine, which details Alan Shepard’s recovery after an inner ear disease. The final episode, “Le Voyage Dans La Lune,” takes a big creative swing, interspersing a fictionalized account of the making of Georges Méliès’ “A Trip to the Moon” in 1902 with Apollo 17, NASA’s final lunar mission.

Most episodes feature an entirely new cast of actors, though Tom Hanks acts as a host of all 12 episodes (in addition to starring in the twelfth episode). Cast members include stars such as Bryan Cranston, Mark Harmon, Tony Goldwyn, Gary Cole, John Slattery, Tim Daly, Chris Isaak, and many more. Sally Field directed and stars in an episode about astronaut wives that also features Elizabeth Perkins and Rita Wilson.

“Ascension” functions like a murder mystery in space, though its Cold War politics recall the space race depicted in “For All Mankind,” the retrofuturism of “Fallout,” and the self-contained societies of “The 100.” The Syfy series is split into three chapters (for a total of six episodes), and it tells the story of a spaceship called Ascension. At the height of the Cold War in the 1960s, fearing nuclear annihilation, JFK’s government sent 600 people to space as a last-ditch effort to preserve humanity. The Ascension is en route to a distant planet, but it will take 100 years to get there. That means that only descendants of the original travelers will live to see its arrival.

We touch down, figuratively speaking, in 2014, halfway through the Ascension’s journey. Things are going smoothly, relatively speaking, until a young woman is found murdered aboard. Officer Aaron Gault (Brandon P. Bell) is tasked with investigating the murder, but his resources are limited. The residents of Ascension are stuck in 1963, still listening to the same music, watching the same movies, and adhering to the same regressive social norms as they did when they left Earth. This creates a compelling dynamic wherein those in power maneuver to maintain the status quo while the teens on board moan about their pointless existence. Further intrigue emerges thanks to the machinations of Captain Denninger (Brian Van Holt) and his power-hungry wife, Viondra (Tricia Helfer of “Battlestar Galactica”).