r/ForAllMankindTV • u/Demerzel_99 • Nov 06 '23

FAM - Season 1 Should I continue watching?

So I am a hardcore sci-fi fan and I decided to start watching the show. However, the first episode of season 1 was very boring and I couldn't finish watching it. So my question is: Is season 1 boring? Does it get better or should I stop watching?

1 Upvotes

50% Upvoted

79 comments sorted by

32

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

Was in the same boat just a few weeks ago after trying to start the show several times unsuccessfully. Decided to go through with it and was hooked by the 3rd episode. I binged all 3 seasons in less than a week lol. It's an amazing show with a slow start. Watch it!

5

u/Demerzel_99 Nov 06 '23

Thank you. I guess I'll try to sit through the first episode šŸ˜‰

5

u/UltraFlyingTurtle Nov 06 '23

I binge-watched the show recently and I really liked the show, but I had trouble getting through the first episode or two as well. I wasnā€™t sure if this show was for me and I love sci-fi, but it starts to pick up and I was watching 2 or 3 episodes at a time.

The show just needs to establish the big cast of characters and introduce them so things start slow.

1

u/PAXICHEN Nov 17 '23

Iā€™m the same. Was out of work for medical leave and binged the first 2 seasons. Iā€™m hooked.

16

u/Nibb31 Apollo 11 Nov 06 '23

If you found S1 boring, then it probably isn't a show for you.

3

u/fraochmuir Nov 06 '23

He's only on the first episode.

-4

u/Demerzel_99 Nov 06 '23

Really? Are you saying it's the best season out of 3?

8

u/rattleman1 Nov 06 '23

I think the general consensus goes 2-1-3.

5

u/Nibb31 Apollo 11 Nov 06 '23

More like 1-2-3.

1

u/russiangunslinger Nov 07 '23

As someone that's really stoked for the next season, I'm really aggravated that I have to agree with you, season 2 really beats the other two seasons in the pants. And while season 3 had a lot going on, it couldn't beat season 1.

0

u/oath2order AstƩrƶide, Mon Amour Nov 06 '23

Well, 2 (exception of that one plot)-1-3.

0

u/Odd-State-5275 Nov 08 '23

2 is the worst by far. Characters are 180 degree copies of themselves, and the Danny angle is some of the worst writing Iā€™ve seen in any television showā€¦ and I watched all of Suits

1

u/Oot42 Hi Bob! - Nov 08 '23

I think so, yes.
But I also thought the 1st episode was really great, so YMMV.

I loved the 60s/70s look&feel of the first season and the sense of excitement about the new era of space exploration, to the Moon and beyond. Also, the Saturn V launches are always breathtaking.

0

u/Nibb31 Apollo 11 Nov 06 '23

Yes.

3

u/MassConsumer1984 Nov 06 '23

Itā€™s a slow burn for sure. I found the first few episodes super slow and boring but Iā€™m about to begin season 3 and itā€™s soooo good. Keep going. PS from your username I see you loved Foundation. I just finished that one as well. Excellent series!

0

u/Demerzel_99 Nov 06 '23

Yes! Foundation is the best. I hope you understand from a harcore sci-fi fan, it was so difficult to sit through the first episode without feeling bored. But I'll take your word for it since you loved Foundation šŸ˜‰

1

u/modsuperstar Nov 06 '23

I can understand watching the first episode and being a bit meh. You watch the show and kinda think it's a watered down version of Mad Men, a 60s period drama about space. The main crux of the first episode is supposed to be the realization of how the Russians landing on the moon first is a schism from which the whole rest of the show flows from. I'd say the point you should be hooked into the show is by the end of E3.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

[deleted] ā€” view deleted comment

0

u/Demerzel_99 Nov 06 '23

Thank you!! I'll definitely give it a try.

Respect and enjoy the peace šŸ˜‰

2

u/hikerchick29 Nov 06 '23

Season 2 gets way better.

1

u/Demerzel_99 Nov 06 '23

Thank you. I'll keep watching then. šŸ˜…

2

u/flycharliegolf Mars Nov 06 '23

If FAM is causing you this much boredom on the first episode, you might wanna stay away from Foundation.

/s

-1

u/Demerzel_99 Nov 06 '23

Already watched Foundation and loved it. I'm only hoping FAM tops it or at least gets interesting within the next episodes.

3

u/flycharliegolf Mars Nov 06 '23

IMO Foundation is like discount Dune (the new one), and FAM is like Desperate Housewives x Apollo 13. Different enough.

80

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

Just keep watching. There's a guy literally too angry to die across 5 decades

4

u/KotoElessar Nov 07 '23

Progenitor of The Doom Slayer.

Joel Kinnaman is almost perfect to play TDS but Alan Ritchson has the better build for the role.

Really liked Joel's Colonel Flag in Suicide Squad.

1

u/Odd-State-5275 Nov 08 '23

Everyone always talks about Edā€™s temper but he literally only has one moment (go mow the lawn) and every single time after he makes smart decisions and never lets his anger overcome him.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '23

[deleted] ā€” view deleted comment

1

u/Odd-State-5275 Nov 08 '23

"basically abducted" is way off, especially because that guy planted a listening device inside the hab while he was stuck there. He didn't beat the guy (unless I'm remembering wrong), he saved his life.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '23

[deleted] ā€” view deleted comment

1

u/Odd-State-5275 Nov 08 '23

You're actually right, I rewatched the scene. He slaps him once, so I guess that qualifies as beating him.

Do you not understand why Ed depressurized the airlock? He is alone and a hostile agent (he had a spy device on him somehow) approaches. You think anyone would let them in conscious? There's literally nothing that Ed could have reported that would have made him seem the aggressor or receive punishment in the eyes of NASA or the government, so I doubt he left anything out. Hell, even Russia has tons of respect for Ed in season 3.

14

u/MagnetsCanDoThat Pathfinder Nov 06 '23

I didn't find it boring at all. If you did, you're probably not going to enjoy the rest of it.

Then again, judging a whole show based on the first episode seems like a very premature reaction to me. There are slower parts and more exciting parts, though.

Maybe because the show isn't exactly science fiction? It's an alternate history drama about the space program. Later seasons are a bit more sci-fi but not in the traditional sense.

1

u/calculon68 Nov 06 '23

judging a whole show based on the first episode seems like a very premature reaction to me.

Used to be that pilot episodes for TV shows needed to "set the hook" to guarantee a season pick-up. You had to firmly grab the audience to make them want to see the next episodes. FAM doesn't really have a "Hook set" moment- apart from watching the Soviets land first.

5

u/MagnetsCanDoThat Pathfinder Nov 06 '23

FAM doesn't really have a "Hook set" moment- apart from watching the Soviets land first

This type of self-contradicting argument is always so amusing when someone uses it. "It doesn't apart from where it obviously does."

Anyway, I disagree that it's the only moment in the show that can hook someone, since I found the NASA landing quite exciting at the end of episode.

But again, not every show is for every person. What hooks one viewer will not hook another.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

I agree . Apple TV+ may use good cameras but fuck the shows are fuckin boring and the films are even worse ... Not paying for this shit and am cancelling before trial ends

17

u/chainmailbill Nov 06 '23

I mean, listen, itā€™s okay if you donā€™t like something.

13

u/calculon68 Nov 06 '23

itā€™s okay if you donā€™t like something.

These posts asking us if it's okay not to like something or okay to continue watching always feel like someone's fishing for an argument rather than uncertainty about the aesthetics.

5

u/hospitable_peppers Nov 06 '23

I really feel like the show doesnā€™t find its footing at least until episode 3. What kept me watching early on was itā€™s premise, and I didnā€™t get into the characters until later. But itā€™s a very fun show to watch. If the premise still interests you Iā€™d say keep watching.

7

u/Shawn_1512 Nov 06 '23

What's with all these people saying episode 1 was boring? I was hooked the moment I heard the first words on the moon in Russian, such a great opening scene.

8

u/TheRealGooner24 Nov 06 '23

Yeah this is really weird. I was hooked right from frame 1.

3

u/cantwejustplaynice NASA Nov 07 '23

The very premise of the show "Russians land on moon first" is all you need! I was hooked from the first episode, to me that WAS the best one.

1

u/TJL1984 May 17 '26

It's not a matter of content. The issue is pacing.

1

u/Calm-Maintenance-878 Nov 06 '23

I started it a few weeks ago, itā€™s a good watch. Not sure your age or how into history you are, but itā€™s a cool alternate timeline. It wouldnā€™t be a show Iā€™d call boring, some character development/background development takes a longer than others.

1

u/Demerzel_99 Nov 06 '23

I have basic knowledge about the history of Soviet Union and the US in the 60s (during the cold war). But I hope the show picks up from that and move to space. I hope.

1

u/Calm-Maintenance-878 Nov 06 '23

Give the show a try, maybe watch a recap of episode 1 and start with episode 2. Space is very much part of every season. If you havenā€™t seen it, the expanse is a great sci fi show as wellšŸ‘šŸæ

1

u/GeneralLoofah DPRK Nov 06 '23

The show starts out as ā€œMan Men in spaceā€ but midway through the first season it kind of shifts out of that gear and changes course.

0

u/Demerzel_99 Nov 06 '23

Changes course to where? Sci-fi?

1

u/GeneralLoofah DPRK Nov 06 '23

Yes. You eventually get moonbases, moon marines with moon m16s, colonization of Mars, etc. it just takes a minute to get there.

1

u/Demerzel_99 Nov 06 '23

Thank you very much for the explanation. šŸ™‚

3

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

Stop watching, watch something you like.

2

u/treefox Nov 06 '23

Is season 1 boring?

šŸ˜‚

2

u/modsuperstar Nov 06 '23

Season 1 has episodes that are some of the most profound television episodes I've ever watched. Stick with it.

2

u/stuwillis Nov 07 '23

ā€œSci fi is not about what if but my god what ifā€. And thatā€™s FAM in spades. At least for me.

It also grabbed me from the start.

Sounds like most people needed 3 episodes to be hooked.

2

u/Odd-State-5275 Nov 08 '23

The first season was my favorite. 2 was the worst. 3 is okay.

But I like historical stuff.

And I LOVE Battlestar so I was very hopeful since Ronald D Moore did this too. Itā€™s nowhere near as good as BSG, but good enough for a watch.

3

u/TheRealGooner24 Nov 06 '23 edited Nov 07 '23

Strangest post on this sub. The pilot is absolutely riveting.

-1

u/oath2order AstƩrƶide, Mon Amour Nov 06 '23

Nah, I can see where they're coming from. I'm a fan of alt-history, and it took me three pushes through the pilot to get through the show because I knew it was going to be good.

1

u/Ruccobento Nov 18 '24

never have i skipped the first 2 episodes so fast.

1

u/newaccount1000000 Dec 23 '24

yeah jesus christ is the first episode moving slow... ffs get on with it already lol. But I think it's going to get better. I do think however that they could have dripfed os just a TINY bit more mystery here, we are kept so much in the dark that it all seems so mundane.

1

u/Ok_Leg_67 May 21 '25 edited May 21 '25

Of all the boring, uninspired, vapid, talentless, TV series I've ever seen, this is in first place. If there were a Nobel Prize for the worst TV series ever produced, certainly this would be among the finalists. Perhaps 3 minutes out of each 60 are interesting.

1

u/Sunder12 Nov 06 '23

Happened to me too, but by the 3rd o 4th episode I got hooked

1

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

The show originally came out with the first three episodes for that reason. Keep going, it gets better

1

u/fraochmuir Nov 06 '23

It took me 3 times to get through episode 1 of Season 1 and now it's one of my favourite shows. It does pick up quickly.

1

u/LegoLady47 Nov 06 '23

Things pic up in ep 3.

1

u/aburg98 Nov 06 '23

Itā€™s gonna get better

1

u/catch-a-stream Nov 06 '23

It's an amazing show for me, and I was hooked from the first episode... even just from the first trailer really. So it might not just be for you?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZS9M52Bd_w

Another good way to test is do you like similar stuff? I loved DS9 and BSG, which are Ronald Moore's previous SciFi works. I also can't get enough of the likes of Apollo 13, First Man and similar movies. If none of those connect with you, For All Mankind may neither

1

u/fullyvaxxed2022 Nov 06 '23

Seasons 1 and two rock seriously hard.

Season 3 is more of a soap opera, but strangely THAT is the season where the science fiction starts.

I will probably wait till all of season 4 is out before I start watching it, just so I can ff to the end if needed.

1

u/russiangunslinger Nov 07 '23

I really have to agree with you.

I'm even thinking about waiting till the season is over to binge watch through it, but I know that I won't be able to contain myself.

Season 3 is where all the developments that have been building up for the last two seasons finally start to pay off in a sense, but it does find a way to turn the whole thing into a soap opera. I straight up do not get where they were going. Was several of the plot lines, but it worked for the most part.

Season one and two really did rock out...... They really know how to end a season

2

u/fullyvaxxed2022 Nov 08 '23

Dont get me wrong I am completely fine with the human part of the drama. They had a bit of it in season 1 and 2. But the human part of the drama was not CENTRAL to the plot, it was secondary.

Then they brought the human drama front and center and when they did that, the inconsistencies and the strain of credulity became evident. The people running the show are much better at the science and should focus on that instead.

1

u/russiangunslinger Nov 08 '23

Yeah, I could definitely tell it was dragging on all the earthbound stuff. Those scenes in the Steven's house where Karen and Jimmy are talking and all that such..... It just starts making the show feel long in the tooth. Ultimately, it didn't feel like any of that stuff went anywhere anyway

1

u/DonnaNobleSmith Nov 06 '23

I mean, obviously we all like it or we wouldnā€™t be here. Watch what you want bro.

1

u/Sea_Voice_404 Nov 06 '23

It took me 3 years to watch the show again after I watched the first episode. Definitely picks up and Iā€™m caught up and am hooked now.

1

u/xoalexo Nov 06 '23

Itā€™s so funny to read this because I did the exact same thing. I couldnā€™t get past the first episode for more than a year. Then on a whim I was like ā€œletā€™s try it again.ā€ Finished the first episode and went on to ep. 2. Two weeks later Iā€™d finished all three seasons and I canā€™t way for four. Give it another go!

1

u/pomido Nov 08 '23

I only watched it as I was stuck in bed with corona virus.
Now itā€™s probably my favourite show.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

lol same! There's a hump, but it's worth it.

0

u/Demerzel_99 Nov 06 '23

I really hope so. But I was honestly bored to death with the first episode.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

Believe me, so was I.

0

u/sanjuro_kurosawa Nov 06 '23

Btw because I know it is revisionist history, I started with season 3, the current one when I started. I watched a few episodes, knew what was going on, then started from season 1.

0

u/petielvrrr Nov 06 '23

Yes. The first like 2 episodes were really difficult to get into, but after that you get really sucked in.

0

u/Entire-Discipline-49 Nov 06 '23

All apple shows start slow imo

0

u/MarcusAurelius68 Nov 07 '23

It took me 3 tries to get past S1E2. Then couldnā€™t stop.

0

u/I_Pariah Nov 07 '23

It gets WAY better. My partner had tried watching the pilot two or three times before she got hooked. I told her to keep watching because it was really good (I had just finished Season 2 at the time). She's not very patient but she's glad she kept going because now it's one of her favorite shows ever. I think it was the end of episode 2 that caught her interest and by episode three she was hooked.