Apple TV’s New Sci-Fi Series Rockets to Instant Hit With a Near-Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score
Once an underdog in a crowded streaming arena, Apple TV is now punching above its weight—building loyal fandoms and turning sleek originals into must-watch events.
Apple TV+ has taken the long road in streaming: smaller slate, fewer cancellations, and a real soft spot for science fiction. It has paid off. The service keeps launching smart, well-made genre series and actually gives them time to find their people. Case in point: the For All Mankind universe just spun off Star City, and it is already punching above its weight.
What Star City is and why it exists
For All Mankind hangs on a clean sci-fi hook: what if the Soviets beat the U.S. to the Moon? Over five seasons, that what-if has spiraled into a full alternate history, growing from NASA control rooms to a permanent base on Mars and missions stretching across the solar system. A sixth and final season is coming, but the franchise is expanding in the meantime with Star City, a spinoff that flips the camera to the Soviet side of the story that kicked this whole timeline into motion.
The early numbers look strong
Star City premiered its first two episodes last week and immediately started climbing Apple TV+ charts. Per FlixPatrol (they aggregate streaming top-10s), the show debuted at #10 on day one and then jumped to #4 in under a week. Normally, a new series not cracking the top three on launch might be a little eyebrow-raising, but look at what it is up against right now:
- #1 Your Friends & Neighbors – still rolling out new episodes and closing in on its season finale
- #2 Widow's Bay – also mid-release with weekly drops
- #3 For All Mankind – just finished a major season and now sits at 50 episodes
- #4 Star City – only two episodes out so far
Given that the three shows ahead of it all have more episodes (and a lot more hype right this second), Star City landing at #4 out of the gate is a pretty solid start.
The critical bump does not hurt
On Rotten Tomatoes, Star City is sitting at 96% as of now. That is not nothing, and it is currently higher than For All Mankind Season 5, which holds a 90%. If those numbers hold and the show keeps dropping new hours, you can see the path for Star City to keep climbing.
Do you need to watch For All Mankind first?
Nope. Star City is built to work for newcomers. Yes, some characters cross between the two shows, but they are not played by the same actors here, so you are not being asked to memorize five seasons of backstory before you hit play. Also helpful: the tone is different. For All Mankind is an optimistic, science-first drama. Star City is a paranoid thriller that leans into the very real, very cold terror of space. That genre shift could bring in fresh viewers who bounced off the main show’s vibe — and, fair warning, it might briefly throw diehards expecting the exact same flavor.
The road ahead
Star City has six episodes left in its first season. We will see if it can hang in Apple TV+’s top 10 while the heavy-hitters above it finish their runs, but between the early charting, the reviews, and the low barrier to entry, the trajectory looks good.
Big picture: Apple TV+ and sci-fi
This is very much Apple TV+ doing what it does best right now: backing high-profile sci-fi (adaptations and originals), giving shows room to breathe, and letting audiences actually find them instead of rushing to cancel. Star City feels like the latest beneficiary — and the For All Mankind universe is suddenly looking like a franchise built to last, even as the flagship heads toward its final season.