For All Mankind is praised as a standout Apple TV science-fiction drama whose first season established it as a masterpiece. The alternate-history series imagines the Soviet Union landing on the Moon before the United States in 1969, forcing NASA and the US government to intensify their space programme and reshaping technological and social progress.

The article argues that the show balances its ambitious premise with character-driven storytelling, following astronauts, engineers and officials affected by the altered Space Race. Its central figure is astronaut Ed Baldwin, alongside characters including Gordo and Tracy Stevens and engineer Margo Madison; their personal ambitions and struggles give emotional weight to the wider story of exploration and competition.