Apple TV+ sci-fi drama For All Mankind rockets to popularity

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‘For All Mankind’ season 3 rockets to Mars this June on Apple TV+
'For All Mankind' is one of the most popular shows on streaming.
Photo: Apple TV+

For All Mankind is one of the most popular shows available on streaming, according to a ratings tracker. Season three of the alternate-history sci-fi series premiered on Apple TV+ in early June, and it’s been a Top 10 show both weeks since then.

Critics praise the series, too, so it’s doubly a success for Apple’s streaming service.

For All Mankind achieves liftoff

Apple TV+ remains in sixth place in the highly competitive streaming business, well behind Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and others. But every successful show Apple offers help raise the channel’s profile. And the company keeps racking up hits.

And For All Mankind looks like a hit. The JustWatch video-recommendation service compiles a weekly list of the 10 most popular streaming series in the United States. And Apple’s sci-fi drama squeaked onto the list for the last two weeks. It came in No. 10 during the weeks of June 6 to 12 and June 13 to 19.

'For All Mankind' has been near the top of the charts since season three began
For All Mankind has been near the top of the charts since season three began.
Charts: JustWatch

The show’s season three premiere was June 10, so it didn’t take long to jump near the top of the rating chart. While Apple’s offering was beaten out by Yellowstone, Obi-Wan Kenobi and seven other shows, it’s still more popular than every other series available through streaming services.

Other Apple TV+ offerings that recently topped the popularity charts include Severance, CODA and The Tragedy of Macbeth.

First the moon, then Mars

For All Mankind apparently built a loyal following since its 2019 debut. The sci-fi show started with a unique premise: What if the United States wasn’t the first country to reach the moon?

In season three, the action moves to Mars. Obviously, it is alternate history, so NASA is still competing with Soviet cosmonauts as the red planet becomes the new front in the space race. Plus, there’s an unexpected new entrant in the competition — it’s not just America and the Soviet Union headed for Mars.

The first season ended a little shaky, with a 74% approval rating on review-aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
But both season two and the new season three earned 100% approval ratings.

Watching For All Mankind (and everything else on Apple TV+) comes with a $4.99 per month subscription.

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