Apple TV doubles down on sci-fi with two major spinoff series

Apple TV continues to establish itself as a powerhouse for science fiction content, with the streaming service announcing two major spinoff series that expand beloved existing universes. The moves demonstrate Apple's commitment to building out franchise-style content in the sci-fi genre, following the success of shows like For All Mankind, Severance, and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.

Star City: A Soviet perspective on the space race

The first spinoff, Star City, represents a bold creative choice for Apple TV. Set to premiere on Friday, May 29 with two episodes, the series takes the alt-history premise of For All Mankind and flips the perspective entirely. Rather than following American astronauts and engineers, Star City explores the Soviet space program during the same critical period when the USSR became the first nation to put a man on the moon.

According to Apple's official description, Star City is described as "a propulsive paranoid thriller" that examines the lives of cosmonauts, engineers, and intelligence officers embedded within the Soviet space program. The series promises to show "the risks they all took to propel humankind forward" while exploring the political and personal tensions of working behind the Iron Curtain.

The timing is particularly interesting, as For All Mankind itself is preparing to launch its fifth season later this month. Star City will debut immediately after that season concludes, with weekly releases continuing through July 10. This scheduling suggests Apple is testing whether audiences want to stay immersed in the For All Mankind universe even as the main series continues.

Young Lee Shaw: Monarch's Monsterverse expansion

The second major announcement involves Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Apple's successful Godzilla and Kong-themed series that stars Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell as the same character at different ages. The new spinoff will feature Wyatt Russell reprising his role as the young Lee Shaw in a Cold War-era adventure.

Set in 1984, the prequel follows Colonel Lee Shaw on "a secret mission behind enemy lines" to stop the Soviets from unleashing "a horrific new Titan" that could destroy the United States and shift the balance of the Cold War. The series will be showrun by Joby Harold, an Emmy-nominated screenwriter who is also overseeing Legendary's entire Monsterverse franchise for Apple.

While no release date has been announced for the Monarch spinoff, the press release suggests it won't arrive until 2027 or later, indicating Apple is taking a measured approach to building out this universe. The involvement of Joby Harold as both showrunner and franchise overseer suggests Apple is treating the Monsterverse with the same strategic importance as its other major properties.

Building sci-fi franchises in the streaming era

These announcements reflect a broader trend in streaming television where successful shows are increasingly being expanded into larger universes. For Apple TV, which entered the streaming market relatively late compared to competitors like Netflix and Amazon, building out franchise content represents a strategy to create viewer loyalty and extend the lifespan of expensive productions.

The decision to create spinoffs rather than simply continuing existing series also allows Apple to explore different narrative angles and historical periods without disrupting the core storytelling of the original shows. Star City can examine the Soviet perspective without changing For All Mankind's American focus, while the Monarch prequel can explore Cold War-era monster threats without altering the main series' contemporary timeline.

What makes these particular spinoffs interesting is how they both tie directly into historical tensions—the space race and the Cold War—while adding science fiction elements. This blend of real historical context with speculative fiction has been a hallmark of Apple TV's most successful sci-fi offerings, from For All Mankind's alt-history premise to Severance's corporate dystopia.

As Apple TV continues to invest in original content, these spinoffs suggest the service sees significant value in creating interconnected sci-fi universes that can sustain multiple series over extended periods. Whether this strategy will pay off remains to be seen, but the company's willingness to greenlight these projects indicates confidence in the audience appetite for expanded sci-fi storytelling.

The success of these spinoffs could determine whether Apple continues to expand its existing properties or focuses on developing entirely new original series. For now, sci-fi fans have at least two new reasons to stay subscribed to Apple TV, with more potentially on the horizon depending on how these new series perform.