For All Mankind: Original Cast Member Not Returning as Series Regular in Season 4 (Exclusive)
For All Mankind is losing another formidable woman.
Jodi Balfour, who plays NASA astronaut-turned-President Ellen Waverly, will not return as a series regular for Season 4, TVLine has learned exclusively. The actress will, however, appear in some capacity, we’re told, presumably to bring closure to her storyline. An Apple TV+ rep declined to comment.
Balfour — who graced the latest season of Ted Lasso as a major love interest for Juno Temple’s Keeley — has starred on Apple TV+’s alternate-history drama since its series premiere in 2019.
In the Season 3 finale, Ellen visited her ex-lover Pam after coming out as a lesbian to the American public at a press conference. Amid the threat of impeachment proceedings, her conservative VP Jim Bragg suggested she resign as POTUS, but her presidential future remained unclear at the conclusion of the episode (which then skipped ahead eight years to 2003).
Balfour won’t be the Season 4’s only loss: Shantel VanSanten’s Karen Baldwin and Sonya Walger’s Molly Cobb both perished during a domestic terrorist attack on the Johnson Space Center in the Season 3 ender.
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Helping to fill the void for Season 4 are new cast additions Daniel Stern (Shrill, Manhattan) as Eli Hobson, the new administrator at NASA who’s been tasked with bringing the agency into the 21st century; Svetlana Efremova (The Americans) as Irina Morozova, a high-ranking Soviet official; Tyner Rushing (Under the Banner of Heaven, The Terminal List) as Samantha, a space worker on the Mars colony; and Toby Kebbell (Servant) as Miles, a former offshore oil platform worker pursuing a new job opportunity on Mars.
Apple TV+ has not yet announced a premiere date for Season 4.
For All Mankind fans, will you miss Ellen? Hit the comments with your reactions to the exit!
