After a long wait, For All Mankind season 5 will premiere on Apple TV on March 17, 2026. Although it's very exciting to have the show's first episodes since the season 4 finale in 2024, the upcoming run has an incredibly high standard to maintain. It might not have the huge audience it so deserves, but For All Mankind has long been one of the best active sci-fi shows for a while now. I would also place it among the upper echelon of all-time greats within the genre.
Even ignoring the fact that For All Mankind will become a franchise in 2026 when spinoff Star City premieres, this year brings about a fascinating challenge for the alt-history space opera. For All Mankind does everything brilliantly. From character-driven drama to complex extrapolation of socio-economic divergences from changes to the timeline, the show is airtight in its execution. That said, one of its biggest strengths is made even more impressive by how badly other sci-fi shows often fail to pull it off. The show's upcoming season must maintain a sought-after streak that dates back to For All Mankind's season 1 finale.
For All Mankind season 5's finale needs to match the quality of the previous four
I love For All Mankind, but it can be a tricky show to recommend to people who might be on the fence about giving it a try. It can be quite a slow-burner, especially for those going in expecting a more traditional space opera rather than For All Mankind's grounded approach to the genre. That said, although its pacing can be tricky to adjust to at first, the immense quality of the show's season finales to date has continuously proven that the wait has been worthwhile.
On IMDb, the top four rated episodes are the four finales that have aired to date. Season 2's finale is first with 9.4/10, season 1's is second with 9.0/10, then it's season 4's with 8.9/10. Currently in fourth place is the season 3 finale, which still has a more-than-respectable IMDb score of 8.8/10. Considering how long it can feel For All Mankind to get to these huge episodes, it's a good thing they've all been amazing so far.
The writers clearly have a tried and tested formula when it comes to penning the scripts for a cohesive, emotionally-rewarding season, that's ultimately paid off in a phenomenal final installment. So, while I expect that trend to continue in season 5, there is always the risk that For All Mankind is about to drop its first dud in this respect. I really hope that doesn't happen, as there are already enough sci-fi shows that fall at the final hurdle. We don't need another.
For All Mankind season 5 already has the perfect storyline to make its finale an all-time great
What makes For All Mankind's finales so fantastic is the emotional weight they carry. The show's generational premise means the audience is with the characters for far longer than in a lot of other shows. So, when they die, it hits extra hard. Even characters that haven't been on the show for long feel so tightly woven into the show's timeline, their loss still feels like a significant event. While this isn't the only element of a superlative season finale, as proven by season 4's deathless climax, it has proven to be a central twist.
Set in 2012, season 5 will take place decades after the events of the show's alternate 1969 that saw the Soviets win the Space Race in season 1. So, very few members of the original characters remain, and those that are still around are pretty old by the time of season 5. It wouldn't be within the show's formula to just let these characters die peacefully in their sleep, so I think the upcoming finale has something devastating in mind.
With Joel Kinnaman still playing Ed Baldwin in season 5, it stands to reason that the octogenarian Mars legend is set for an emotional exit. Some kind of sacrifice to save his family or the planet he loves would be a fitting end for Kinnaman's character, and a brilliant way to conclude Ed's story. I'm not saying I'd like to see him die, but he has to go sometime. I'll be very surprised if he survives the events of season 5, especially after For All Mankind's sizeable time jump that traditionally ends each run of episodes.
For All Mankind season 5 premieres on Apple TV on March 27, 2026.