Star City (2026)

Star City proves that the world of For All Mankind is far from finished. This spin-off of the excellent Apple TV+ science fiction series returns to the same alternate history, but shifts the perspective to the other side of the Iron Curtain. The Soviet Union was the first man to set foot on the moon; now we see what price was paid for it.

From the very first episode, the oppressive atmosphere of *Das Leben der Anderen* hangs over the series. Soviet life in the 1980s is convincingly portrayed: a society in which repression, mistrust, and the omnipresent KGB define daily life. Against this backdrop, a story unfolds about ambition, loyalty, and love in the shadow of the Cold War. The eight-part *Star City* convinces primarily thanks to the strong acting. Rhys Ifans is excellent as the brilliant rocket scientist 'The Chief Designer', while Anna Maxwell Martin impresses as the cool-headed KGB chief Lyudmilla Raskova.

However, the series is not without flaws. It remains a curious choice that all the Russians speak perfect English – often with a proper British accent – which occasionally breaks the illusion of the Soviet setting. And while the series builds carefully and credibly towards the denouement, it is precisely the final episode that falls short. The forced climax, in which space capsules seem to fall from the sky almost like ripe apples, feels implausible and detracts from an otherwise strongly written and smoothly told drama.

Star City doesn't quite reach the level of the first seasons of For All Mankind, but it is an exciting, atmospheric, and excellently acted addition to that universe. Almost four stars.

Translated from Dutch · View original