Star City: A New Perspective on the Space Race

Image: Rhys Ifans in "Star City," Apple TV Press

By Jon Donnis

Apple TV is about to return to the world of For All Mankind, but this time the story takes a very different direction. The new drama Star City expands that alternate history universe and shifts the focus behind the Iron Curtain, offering a look at the Soviet side of the space race. After seeing the first details and cast announcements, it already feels like the kind of series that could deepen the mythology of that world while telling a tense story of its own.

The eight episode series will launch globally on Apple TV on Friday 29 May with the first two episodes arriving together. From that point, new instalments will follow weekly every Friday until the finale on 10 July.

Star City is described as a propulsive paranoid thriller, and the premise alone is enough to spark curiosity. The story revisits the key turning point in the alternate history timeline where the Soviet Union becomes the first nation to land a man on the moon. Instead of watching events unfold from the American side, the series looks inward at the Soviet programme itself. It follows the cosmonauts who trained for the mission, the engineers responsible for making the impossible possible, and the intelligence officers working quietly within the programme. All of them are bound together by risk, secrecy, and the drive to push humanity further into space.

The cast is impressive and packed with familiar faces from recent television. Rhys Ifans leads the ensemble, joined by Anna Maxwell Martin, Agnes O'Casey, Alice Englert, Solly McLeod, Adam Nagaitis, Ruby Ashbourne Serkis, Josef Davies and Priya Kansara. With actors known for work in shows such as House of the Dragon, Motherland, Chernobyl, Andor and Bridgerton, the line up suggests a strong character driven drama rather than a spectacle alone.

Behind the camera, the creative team adds even more reason for excitement. Star City is created by Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert and Ronald D. Moore, the same minds who helped shape the acclaimed world of For All Mankind. Wolpert and Nedivi serve as showrunners, while Moore executive produces alongside Maril Davis of Tall Ship Productions. Andrew Chambliss and Steve Oster also join the executive producing team. The series is produced for Apple TV by Sony Pictures Television.

What makes Star City particularly intriguing is the shift in perspective. For All Mankind explored an alternate version of history where the space race continued to escalate, but it largely centred on the American side of the rivalry. This new series promises to reveal the people and pressures behind the Soviet programme, opening the door to a side of that world we have only glimpsed before.

For anyone who enjoys tense political storytelling mixed with the ambition of space exploration, this looks like a fascinating addition to the For All Mankind universe. With its Cold War backdrop, a cast full of strong performers, and a story rooted in secrecy and scientific daring, Star City already feels like one of those shows that will be difficult to ignore once it begins. The countdown to May suddenly seems a lot longer.

Shrinking Returns: Jason Segel and Harrison Ford Lead Season Three This January

By Jon Donnis

Apple TV has set the calendar. Shrinking, the Emmy Award-nominated comedy from Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein and Jason Segel, returns for an eleven-episode third season beginning Wednesday 28 January 2026. The season opens with a one-hour premiere and then continues with a new episode each Wednesday until 8 April.

The central conceit remains simple and sharp. Segel reprises his role as the grieving therapist who starts to flout the rules and tell his clients the blunt truth, with all the messy consequences that follow. Harrison Ford is back among the leads, and the rest of the ensemble returns: Christa Miller, Jessica Williams, Luke Tennie, Michael Urie, Lukita Maxwell and Ted McGinley.

Season three also brings a mix of familiar faces and fresh ones. Creators and guest star Brett Goldstein returns to appear on screen, joined by Damon Wayans Jr., Wendie Malick and Cobie Smulders. New additions include Jeff Daniels and Michael J. Fox, both listed as part of the season's guest line-up.

Apple's announcement teases more of the show's blend of black comedy and emotional rawness, but it keeps the specifics close to the chest. What is clear from the credits and the casting is that the series continues to rely on strong performers who can shift between laughs and hurt in a single scene.

For anyone who liked the tonal balancing act of earlier seasons, the schedule is straightforward. Mark your diary for 28 January 2026 for the hour-long opener, then tune in weekly on Apple TV for the remaining episodes through early April.

Catch up seasons one and two at https://apple.co/47h5Wfz

Apple TV+ Announces Premiere Date for New Mystery Thriller Series "Sunny"

Apple TV+ has revealed that its highly anticipated mystery thriller series, "Sunny," will premiere globally with its first two episodes on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. The show, created by Katie Robbins ("The Affair," "The Last Tycoon"), promises a gripping narrative with a darkly comic edge.

Sunny will be available at the following link on Apple TV so get it bookmarked. - https://apple.co/446gdt8

Executive produced and directed by Lucy Tcherniak ("Station Eleven," "The End of the F***ing World"), "Sunny" stars Emmy Award nominee Rashida Jones ("On the Rocks," "The Other Black Girl," "Quincy") in a multifaceted role. Jones, who also serves as an executive producer, is joined by a talented cast including Hidetoshi Nishijima, Joanna Sotomura, Judy Ongg, You, Annie the Clumsy, and Jun Kunimura.

The series follows Suzie, portrayed by Rashida Jones, an American woman residing in Kyoto, Japan. Suzie's life takes a drastic turn when her husband and son vanish in a mysterious plane crash. To alleviate her grief, she is presented with Sunny, a cutting-edge domestic robot manufactured by her husband's electronics company. Initially resistant to Sunny's attempts to fill the void left by her family's disappearance, Suzie eventually forms an unexpected bond with the robot. Together, they delve into the unsettling truth behind Suzie's family's fate, leading them into a perilous world previously unknown to Suzie.

"Sunny" is produced for Apple TV+ by A24 and is based on the book "The Dark Manual" by Colin O'Sullivan, an award-winning Irish writer based in Japan. The series is written and executive produced by Katie Robbins under her production company, Babka Pictures, with A24 and Rashida Jones also serving as executive producers.

This collaboration marks the second project for Apple, A24, and Rashida Jones, following the global success of Sofia Coppola's acclaimed film "On the Rocks." Rashida Jones also recently starred in Apple's hit series "Silo," based on Hugh Howey's bestselling dystopian trilogy.

With its intriguing premise, talented cast, and the creative forces behind it, "Sunny" promises to be a must-watch series, sure to captivate audiences when it premieres on Apple TV+ on July 10, 2024.