The realism of 'For All Mankind' makes it stand out among other works of historical fiction
Historical fiction makes for some interesting storytelling even when the story itself doesn't exactly concern itself much with historical accuracy. However, with Apple TV+'s 'For All Mankind', its historical accuracy and realistic depiction of its time period are what make the show an interesting watch.
Technically speaking, 'For All Mankind' is an alternate history show but there's very little alteration done to history as it actually happened. Most of the people and events portrayed in the series are shown as they were in reality, which makes 'For All Mankind' both an entertaining show and a crash course in NASA history.
Unlike most alternate history shows, 'For All Mankind' pays a lot of attention to detail and maintaining realism. While other works of historical fiction like the film 'Inglourious Basterds' or the show 'Peaky Blinders' go for a more loose adaptation of historical events, 'For All Mankind' actually incorporates as many historical facts as possible in its narrative.
We see this in the very first episode with the Soviet Moon landing. While in reality, the Soviets were not the first to land on the Moon, the backlash that this historical shift causes on the show is based on the actual public outrage after the Soviets beat America to sending the first man into space.
This attention to detail also extends to the props that are used on the show. The clothing, accessories, and cars shown in the series are all designed in accordance with the aesthetic standards of the time and the cars, in particular, look pretty stunning.
Beyond historical events and aesthetics, the show also doesn't pull any punches when it comes to showing the darker side of the '70s, especially the homophobic and sexist attitudes of people in government. Yes, most of the women on the show are housewives and gay characters are forced to stay in the closet but this was how society actually was during that time and if the series had shown things any differently, it would have been a real disservice to all those who suffered injustices during that time over their sexuality and gender.
Every piece of historical fiction brings its own perspective to adapting history and ultimately, there's no one way to go about telling stories. If they wanted to, the creators of 'For All Mankind' could have gone a completely different route and created a highly fictionalized version of the '70s with nothing to do with reality but looking at the final product, we're glad they chose to stick with the realistic approach.
'For All Mankind' Episode 6 'Home Again' will arrive on Apple TV+ on November 22.