For All Mankind returns to Apple TV for its fifth season on March 27, continuing its alternate history timeline into the early 2000s. The series, now one of Apple's longest-running dramas, frames the new episodes around a changed political reality rather than a single mission, continuing its weekly release strategy.

Season 5's trailer shows Mars has evolved from a distant outpost into a permanent Happy Valley colony with a growing civilian population. The conflict shifts from exploration milestones to tensions over governance, control of off-world resources, and authority between Earth and a self-sustaining Martian society.

Following Season 4's introduction of the resource-rich Goldilocks asteroid, the series now explores the consequences of a post-space race world. The show's premise—where the Cold War space race never slowed—has led to permanent lunar bases and a sustained human presence on Mars, setting the stage for complex political drama.