Ahead of For All Mankind’s series debut on Nov. 1 and premiere event tonight, the space race alt-history drama from Ron Moore has been renewed for a second season, which quietly started production within the past week or so, I have learned. Apple declined comment.

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It is part of a strategy by Apple to get second seasons of most of its scripted series going ahead of lunch, which helps amortize costs and keep the Apple TV+ pipeline of original content going, avoiding lengthy hiatuses. Beyond The Morning Show, which had been picked up with a two-season order, Apple had not confirmed any renewals. Along with For All Mankind, also reportedly renewed or in the process of being renewed for a second season are such upcoming Apple series as the Jason Momoa starrer See; Emily Dickinson comedy Dickinson, starring Hailee Steinfeld, which Apple brass have been very high on; anthology immigrant comedy Little America; and the Hilde Lysiak young detective drama Home Before Dark.

Depicting an America that lost the quest to the moon to the Soviet Union, For All Mankind, created by Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi, aims to go very large, stars The Killing alum Joel Kinnaman, Patriot’s Michael Dorman, Sarah Jones, Shantel VanSanten, The Looming Tower’s Wrenn Schmidt and The Crown’s Jodi Balfour. It hails from Sony Pictures Television and Tall Ship Productions