For All Mankind lands a fifth season but will everyone return?

There is some great news for For All Mankind fans. The alternate history series is getting another season. Apple has ordered a fifth season.

What’s even better is that it’s not a “fifth and final” season. We know that For All Mankind has a seven-season plan, and now we’re hoping that Apple believes the show is strong enough to go that full length. Things are looking promising considering it hasn’t told the show to wrap things up this season.

This is the first time the show has premiered a new season without a renewal. While there will have been talks about Season 5, there wasn’t a writers room open at the time of Season 4 airing on Apple TV+. We will have to wait a little longer than normal for Season 5.

Who will return in For All Mankind Season 5?

When TVLine reported the exciting news, it came with a reminder that this show changes its cast each season. New people come in, and some of the beloved characters have to be written out. And there have been some heartbreaking exits over the years.

The fourth season ended with questions about a few characters. Ed is facing some major medical problems. He doesn’t want to heat to Earth because he doesn’t want to be put in some nursing home and left to rot. He wants to go out on his terms, and that means being in space.

Meanwhile, Margo was arrested by the FBI during the fourth season finale. She had unwittingly sold secrets earlier in the series and that led to her having to take a deal from the Soviets and “defecting.” Of course, she never fully defected, and she wanted to help all space missions. The problem is her actions led to NASA’s mission failing, and she was arrested for her part in that.

When will For All Mankind Season 5 pick up?

The fourth season saw a time jump to 2012. That suggests this is when the show will pick up. There  have been times when we’ve seen a time jump at the end of the season and then the next season has picked up slightly later or earlier, but Season 5 is sure to be around the earlier 2010s.

With the jump, it puts many of the characters we know and love in their 80s. This could suggest that some died in between seasons and others have just retired and moved on.

For All Mankind is available to stream on Apple TV+.