‘Mars is Ours!’: Inside Season 5 of ‘For All Mankind’ as the Next Generation Claims the Red Planet
“Mars is ours!” That was the chant of the day when a handful of journalists and creators were invited to a set visit of For All Mankind on the Sony lot ahead of its Season 5 premiere on March 27. We got to walk the halls of Mission Control…on Mars for the first time ever. A surreal, meticulously designed extension of a series that has built its reputation on marrying speculative fiction with startling realism. And yes, in between takes, some of the cast members were even partaking in TikTok dances and snapping photos with influencers, a reminder that even in an alternate space race, Gen Z still finds a way.
Since its debut, the series has reimagined history by asking what might have happened if the Apollo 11 Moon Landing hadn’t marked the end of the space race, but only the beginning. The writers even go as far as reimaging Al Gore defeating George W. Bush in 2000. Ah, we can dream, can’t we? Anyways, that “what if” has propelled the show across decades, and now, across planets. Creators, showrunners, and executive producers Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolpert teased the series’ next evolution, building on a long-term arc that has quietly made it one of Apple’s most ambitious pioneer dramas, and already earned it a Season 6 renewal. “What if you grew up on another planet? What if your small town was Mars? We’re really excited to bring that new flavor to the show, and that new perspective,” said Wolpert. It’s a natural progression for a show that has always been less about rockets than about the people forced to live with the consequences of progress. This time, the frontier isn’t theoretical. It’s home.
That generational shift is front and center this season. Ruby Cruz, who broke out in Willow and Bottoms steps into the role of Lily Dale, part of a younger cohort coming of age off-Earth. “She just graduated high school, her life is about to change, and realizing she has a role in her world and enacting change that she wants to see made, and I think that’s a really good place for a young person to be in.” “I was excited to explore a younger person getting to learn that they have a voice, especially right now,” Cruz added. “It’s cool to be part of a show that showcases that, even in a fictional way.” It’s a thematic pivot that mirrors the show’s broader evolution–from Cold War brinkmanship to questions of identity, ownership, and belonging in a fully colonized frontier in a polarized Mars vs. Earth world.
For Royalteen’s Ines Asserson, who leans into the political complexity of Avery Sears, that world required a different kind of preparation, one rooted in discipline, control, and structure. She recalled training with the U.S. Army Special Forces (aka the Green Berets) to practice drills, grounding the performance in the same psychological rigor associated with real astronaut training. “Adam Driver was talking about the transition from Marine to being an actor and I think he said some incredible things about how the discipline you learn in the Marine Corps, it’s very hard to move into the free world,” she said, referencing Adam Driver. “You have all this preparedness for something, but you just don’t really know what,” she added, an observation that feels especially resonant on a show where characters are constantly navigating environments that humanity was never meant to inhabit.
Sean Kaufman had a far less gradual entry into that world. “I had to literally jump right into it because I was filming Season 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty and I literally wrapped shooting, hopped on a plane, landed, and immediately started For All Mankind,” he said. That immediacy, however, was softened by a cast known for its cohesion, led by series anchor Joel Kinnaman, whose work on the show has helped ground its increasingly expansive scope. “I cannot express enough how nice Joel Kinnaman is. He is a sweetheart. He was just this wonderfully giving actor and person,” Kaufman said. “He would just show up to set and say, ‘you’re doin’ good.’” It’s the kind of leadership that quietly sustains an ensemble across multiple timelines, technological leaps, and tonal shifts.
And then there’s Cobra Kai’s Barrett Carnahan, who embraces the opportunity to inject levity into a series often defined by existential stakes. Playing Marcus, he relishes being the guy who can cut through tension without undercutting it. “It’s always so much more fun. There were guys I knew growing up and I was always envious of the guys who were able to win a room, and the guys that were able to win over anybody. I always loved those guys and was jealous of those guys. Anytime I get the chance to play a character that is able to bust peoples’ balls and be very honest and earnest with people but to do it in a way that it’s endearing, it’s such an honor to be able to play people like that,” he joked. “Where you know people are going to like this guy. That’s a good feeling.”
Season 5 of For All Mankind debuts March 27 on Apple TV.
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