Star City
Genre
  • Alternate history
  • Drama
  • Science fiction
Created by
  • Ben Nedivi
  • Matt Wolpert
  • Ronald D. Moore
Starring
  • Rhys Ifans
  • Anna Maxwell Martin
  • Agnes O'Casey
  • Alice Englert
  • Solly McLeod
  • Adam Nagaitis
  • Ruby Ashbourne Serkis
  • Josef Davies
Music by Federico Jusid
Country of origin United States
Original language English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 2
Production
Executive producers
  • Nick Murphy
  • Steve Oster
  • Andrew Chambliss
  • Maril Davis
  • Ronald D. Moore
  • Ben Nedivi
  • Matt Wolpert
Production locations Vilnius, Lithuania
Cinematography Brendan Uegama
Editors
  • Justin Bourret
  • Garret Donnelly
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time 60–62 minutes
Production companies
  • Tall Ship Productions
  • Delicatessen Media
  • Sony Pictures Television
Original release
Network Apple TV
Release May 29, 2026 (2026-05-29) –
present
Related
For All Mankind

Star City is an American science fiction drama television series created by Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert, and Ronald D. Moore for Apple TV. It is a spin-off of For All Mankind with a focus on the Soviet Union. The name comes from the home of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Star City. The series premiered on May 29, 2026.

Cast

Main

  • Rhys Ifans as Sergei Korolev, referred to as the Chief Designer, the driving force behind the Soviet space program.[1][2] The character was portrayed by Endre Hules in For All Mankind.
  • Anna Maxwell Martin as Lyudmilla Raskova, the head of the KGB surveillance department at Star City
  • Agnes O'Casey as Irina Morozova, a recent addition to the surveillance department at Star City. The character was portrayed by Svetlana Efremova in For All Mankind.
  • Alice Englert as Anastasia Belikova, an untested female cosmonaut in the Soviet space program. The character was portrayed by Rita Khrabrovitsky in For All Mankind.
  • Solly McLeod as Sasha Polivanov, a reckless cosmonaut who has yet to live up to his potential
  • Adam Nagaitis as Valya Mironov, a highly respected cosmonaut within the Soviet space program
  • Ruby Ashbourne Serkis as Tanya Mironova, a cosmonaut's wife who struggles within the confined world of Star City
  • Josef Davies as Sergei Nikulov, a young, brilliant engineer who works at Soviet Ground Control. The character was portrayed by Piotr Adamczyk in For All Mankind.

Recurring

  • David Dencik as Maxim Tarasov
  • Eliot Salt as Vika Yegorova
  • Ellie Piercy as Galina
  • Robin Berry as Rem Balabanov
  • Chris Leaney as Viktor
  • Eadie Johnson as Zoya Morozova
  • Aurelijus Pocius as Zhenya

Guest

  • Niamh Algar as Yana Akhmatova
  • Jenny Walser as Leonova
  • Sam Strike as Pavel Fetisov
  • Ian Drysdale as Doctor Borovsky
  • Sam Wilkinson as Alexei Leonov
  • Neringa Bulotaité as Natalia Ivanovna
  • Sean Gilder as Vladimir Belikov
  • Jamie de Courcey as Stanislav Kalinsky
  • Fadily Camara as Celine
  • Michael James as Galytzin
  • Šarūnas Datenis as Arkady
  • Priya Kansara as Lakshmi, a gifted scientist

Additionally, Colm Feore, Chris Bauer and Dan Donohue made uncredited appearances in "The Eyes" as Wernher von Braun, Deke Slayton and Thomas O. Paine, respectively.

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by [3] Original release date [4]
1 "The Eyes" Nick Murphy Teleplay by : Ben Nedivi & Matt Wolpert
Story by : Ben Nedivi & Matt Wolpert and Ronald D. Moore		 May 29, 2026 (2026-05-29)
In June of 1968, Svetlana Leonova is awoken in the middle of the night and learns her husband Alexei has become the first person to walk on the moon. The Cheif Designer is awarded the honor "Hero of the Soviet Union" in secret as his identity is being concealed to protect him from the Americans. He expresses frustration to Colonel Lyudmilla Raskova, the KGB's head of surveillance at Star City. She reveals to him that the Americans have somehow aquired his lunar base plans. Irina Morozova reports for her new job transcribing conversations captured on a listening device planted in the home of Cosmonaut Valya Mironov. Her co-worker notices a discrepency regarding cosmonaut Yana Akhmatova's brother who may be publishing anti-government materials. Akhamtova, Mironov and their fellow cosmonauts train for a mission that will land the first woman on the moon. During skydiving training cosmonaut Sasha Polivanov plays a practical joke by throwing a dummy out of the plane, making it appear his chute had failed to open. Akhamatova is detained by the KGB as a result of her brother's activities. She claims her brother has been dead for years until breaking under torture and falsely confessing to being the American mole. The Cheif Designer is enraged by the arrest, and the fact that her replacement Anastasia Belikova will only have three days to prepare for the mission. He collapses and is told by a doctor he must rest. While monitoring the Mironov household Irina learns that Sasha is having an affair with Valya's wife, and that Akhmatova does not speak to her family. Irina suggests that her co-worker amend her report, but she refuses. Anastasia and Valya clash while training for their lunar mission, as he is angry about Yana's arrest. Anastasia is told to focus on remembering the scripted speech she is to deliver upon setting foot on the moon. Irina decides to deliver a report to her superiors casting doubt on Akhmatova's guilt after confirming that her brother is deceased. She encounters Colonel Raskova and is taken to meet Akhamtova in her cell. Raskova aknowledges her innocence, but tells Irina to shoot her to maintain the fiction that the KGB doesn't detain people in error. Irina refuses and is shaken when Raskova kills Akhmatova. After a suit malfunction and harrowing spacewalk, Belikova becomes the first woman to walk on the moon. She strays from her scripted remarks before having her audio feed cut off.
2 "A Bear on a Chain" Nick Murphy Andrew Chambliss May 29, 2026 (2026-05-29)
Returning to earth after their mission, Mirnov and Belikova's capsule fails to separate on reentry. Throwing them off course and causing them to land in a remote region. They encounter a bear who Mirnov shoots before it can harm Belikova. Colonel Raskova and Deputy Minister Tarisov confront Belikova, introducing her to a body double that will assume her identify if she speaks out again. They also insist she must get married, to which she reluctantly agrees. Sasha is informed that he is to become Belikova's husband, and warned to take the program more seriously. Irina is assigned to monitor Anastasia and Sasha while they travel to Paris. The Chief Designer attends a meeting where he pushes for a manned mission to Venus but is shot down by his superiors and told to expedite the establishment of a soviet moon base instead. Sasha and Anastasia arrive in Paris where they are treated like celebrities. The Mirnovs arrive and Tanya treats Sasha coldly following his engagement to Anastasia. Sasha and Anastasia begin to bond, and sneak out of the tightly controlled event they are attending. While at a bar Anastasia is approached about defecting to America, but the agent who approached her is later revealed to work for the KGB. Raskova uses Irina as a German translator for an interrogation. Fearing that Raskova will kill the subject, Irina burns him to extract information. They learn that the man's contact was seeking to smuggle something into Star City. The Chief Designer visits Sergei at his home and enlists him to work on a secret unapproved mission to Venus. Anastasia and Sasaha are married. Raskova raises the security threat level at Star City.
3 "Bad Dancer"[5] Stefan Schwartz Megan McDonnell June 5, 2026 (2026-06-05)
4 "Dark Forest"[6] Stefan Schwartz Liba Vaynberg June 12, 2026 (2026-06-12)
5 "Bite Your Elbow"[7] Kasia Adamik Gursimran Sandhu June 19, 2026 (2026-06-19)
6 TBA TBA George Mastras June 26, 2026 (2026-06-26)
7 TBA TBA KC Scott July 3, 2026 (2026-07-03)
8 TBA TBA Ben Nedivi & Matt Wolpert July 10, 2026 (2026-07-10)

Production

The series is created for Apple TV by Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert and Ronald D. Moore, with Wolpert and Nedivi as showrunners and executive producers alongside Moore of Tall Ship Productions, and Steve Oster and Andrew Chambliss. Rhys Ifans is in a lead role as the Soviet's Chief Aerospace Designer with Anna Maxwell Martin as the head of the KGB surveillance team.[8][9] In February 2025, Solly McLeod, Agnes O'Casey, Alice Englert, Adam Nagaitis, Josef Davies and Ruby Ashbourne Serkis joined the cast.[10][11] In July, Priya Kansara joined the cast.[12]

Filming took place in Vilnius, Lithuania, from February 2025.[13][14] Filming locations included Vingis Park and Pašilaičiai.[15]

Release

Star City had its world premiere out of competition at the 2026 Canneseries.[16] It premiered on Apple TV on May 29, 2026.[4]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes determined that 96% of 23 critics' reviews were positive and the average rating was 8.3 out of 10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Taut, ambitious, and impressively self-assured, Star City proves a worthy expansion of the For All Mankind universe with its blend of political intrigue and human drama."[17] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 80 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[18]

References

  1. ^ Miller, Liz Shannon (April 23, 2021). "For All Mankind Creator Explains Why Season 2 Had to End in Tragedy". Collider. Archived from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  2. ^ Tinubu, Aramide (May 29, 2026). "Apple TV's 'For All Mankind' Spinoff 'Star City' Is a Flawless Alt-History Thriller: TV Review". Variety. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  3. ^ "Star City - WGA Directory". Writers Guild of America. Archived from the original on April 29, 2026. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  4. ^ a b Petski, Denise (February 26, 2026). "Star City: For All Mankind Spinoff Sets Release Date; Unveils First-Look Photos". Deadline. Archived from the original on February 26, 2026. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  5. ^ "Star City, Season 01, Episode 103, Bad Dancer". Australian Classification. Australian Classification Board. May 15, 2026. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  6. ^ "Star City, Season 01, Episode 104, Dark Forest". Australian Classification. Australian Classification Board. May 15, 2026. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  7. ^ "Star City, Season 01, Episode 105, Bite Your Elbow". Australian Classification. Australian Classification Board. May 23, 2026. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  8. ^ Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (February 3, 2025). "'Star City': Rhys Ifans To Star In Apple TV+'s 'For All Mankind' Spinoff". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 23, 2026. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  9. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 6, 2025). "'Star City': Anna Maxwell Martin Joins 'For All Mankind' Spinoff At Apple TV+". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 6, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  10. ^ Otterson, Joe (February 13, 2025). "'For All Mankind' Spinoff 'Star City' Adds Three to Cast". Variety. Archived from the original on February 15, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
  11. ^ Petski, Denise (February 19, 2025). "'For All Mankind' Spinoff 'Star City' Rounds Out Cast With Adam Nagaitis, Josef Davies & Ruby Ashbourne Serkis". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 20, 2025. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  12. ^ Cordero, Rosy (July 1, 2025). "'For All Mankind' Spinoff 'Star City' Casts Priya Kansara As Series Regular". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 1, 2025. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  13. ^ "Sony Pictures to film new space series in Vilnius: filming will take place throughout the city". Made in Vilnius. January 31, 2025. Archived from the original on March 12, 2025. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  14. ^ "Sony Pictures Television Series to Shoot in Lithuania". Film New Europe. February 2, 2025. Archived from the original on March 29, 2025. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  15. ^ "Sostinėje – serialo "Star City" filmavimo darbai" [Filming of the series "Star City" underway in the capital]. alkas.lt (in Lithuanian). February 18, 2025. Archived from the original on March 24, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  16. ^ Leffler, Rebecca (March 31, 2026). "Canneseries 2026 to showcase Apple TV's 'Star City', Richard Gadd's 'Half Man', Disney's 'Alice And Steve'". Screen International. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  17. ^ "Star City: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  18. ^ "Star City: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved June 2, 2026.