For All Mankindhas spent four seasons exploring an alternate timeline of space exploration, and with Season 5 in development,many fans are wondering how much story is left to tell. According to co-creatorsMatt WolpertandBen Nedivi, the end may be closer than we think. Speaking exclusively with Collider’sSteve Weintraubat San Diego Comic-Con, the duo reaffirmed that their long-standing plan for the series remains largely intact. While some creative detours have occurred along the way, the show’s trajectory hasn’t veered too far from their original vision.
“It has done a little bit of both,” Wolpert said when asked how much of the show still follows the seven-season blueprint. “I think a lot of the things we talked about in those early stages have held and some things, as you go, you realize, ‘Oh, that doesn’t really track,’ or we thought of a more interesting idea. You always want to be open to new ideas and new concepts, and as you’re seeing which actors are really rising to the challenge and making it their own and which dynamics are forming, you go in certain directions.But I think we’re pretty much sticking to that original concept, at least of arcs.I mean, in terms of seven seasons, I think our goal was always to catch up to the present. When we first talked about that, it was starting in 1969 with that butterfly effect and reaching the present, and whether we can go beyond that. That was kind of the intention.”
That goal—bringing thealternate timelineup to modern day—remains the guiding star. But whether the journey ends in Season 6 or stretches to a seventh installment is still a decision in progress.
“There is,” Nedivi said when asked if Season 6 could be the final chapter. “I mean, we’ve left ourselves some flexibility.We’ve always said it’s either six or seven because I think the hope was when we do catch up to the present. When you’re in the room, when you’re coming up with the roadmap, I think story-wise, you kind of want to make sure you’re not overextending your welcome either, and that the arcs make sense.I think for us, whether it’s six or seven, it is about what feels like the ending, what catches up to the present. Beyond that, who knows? But I think for us, yeah, there is a chance. We’ll see what the characters tell us, what the storylines tell us.”
‘For All Mankind’s Showrunners Know The Endgame
The good news for all of us? The creators have always had a roadmap—and they’re still on it. They know where we’re all going, and they’ve learned how to get to the finish line.
“Early on, we kind of had a feeling,” Nedivi continued. “Look, we’ve learned, also, from other shows, it’s good to have a sense of an ending before you start. So one of the first conversations Ron, Matt, and I had was about the ending — how does the show end? — to ensure when we’re building each season that that’s still in mind.What’s nice is, honestly, we’re still on that pathto achieve the ending we originally envisioned for the show.Whether it’s exactly how we first envisioned it, who knows? Because you want to leave yourselves, like Matt said, a little flexibility there with the writers and the writers’ room, but it’s pretty cool to think, in this day and age, that we’re maybe able to get to that point with this show. That we may actually be able to do the full circle from the past to the present is really a unique and incredible opportunity, and very rare for a show to go the distance like that.”
For All Mankindis streaming now on Apple TV+.
For All Mankind
