"Ted Russo," a surprisingly endearing sitcom about an American football coach who travels to England to coach a different kind of football, was Apple TV+'s first breakout hit, but it It's already over. While few of their other shows are as small a part of the zeitgeist as Old Ted, Apple's streaming service has built a small but reliable library of other original series over the past few years, These original episodes are at least entertaining, or pretty good, or occasionally more.
Apple's products still don't compare to what's available on Netflix or Hulu, at least in terms of volume, but the tech company has enough money in its bank account that they've shown a willingness to try, especially when it comes That's not a bad thing when it comes to high-budget genres like science fiction.
Here are 35 of Apple's best original shows to date. I'm focusing on the ones you probably haven't binge-watched yet, so Ted Lasso isn't on the list, but consider him mentioned here.
Apple TV+
Sugar (2024 – )
"Sugar" doesn't try to hide or downplay its reliance on old Hollywood noir tropes: its characters are driven to emulate the style of old antiheroes, and clips from old movies even play alongside the action as a means of hammering home the point. . At the heart of the mystery is detective John Sugar (Colin Farrell) who is called to the mansion of a wealthy film producer (James Cromwell) whose granddaughter has gone missing. We're only a few episodes in and there's talk of a big twist, but what's happened so far is interesting and even paradoxically unique: Sugar is an anti-antihero... and he's a real hero . He's a good guy in a world where he's expected to play the tough guy. Written by Mark Protosevich ( "Cell," "I Am Legend ") and lovingly directed by "City of God 's" Fernando Meirelles, the show has a unique style.
Pachinko (2022 –, renewed for second season)
Pachinko is technically an American production, but its cast and crew are largely Korean, making it comparable to Korean dramas that have found success in the U.S. in recent years. This multi-generational saga follows a woman (played by Yoon Yeo-jung and Kim Min-ha) and her family from the Japanese occupation of Korea to the Korean diaspora over the decades. It's both epic and personal, its location photography is better than most movies, and it has an all-time great title sequence. The show has been renewed for a second season, with a release date to be determined.
Bad Sisters (2022 –, renewed for a second season)
The comedy murder mystery genre is having a moment, with Hulu's Only Murder in the Building , Apple's own After Party (which I'll review later in this list), and the Knives Out movies all doing brisk business. Bad Sisters falls into the same category but is different in interesting (and important) ways. The Dublin setting and dark comedy stand out, and the show is as much about solving the central murder as it is about rooting for the killer, whoever he is. One of the titular sisters has a particularly abominable husband. When he dies, it's revealed that each of the sisters (one of whom is played by Catastrophe 's Sharon Horgan, who co-created the show) had a good reason for doing the job.
Severance (2022 –, renewed for second season)
Late capitalism encourages “work-life balance” while making it impossible and then making us feel guilty about it. In Severance , biotech giant Lumon Industries proposes a solution: They divide your consciousness into a life at work and a life outside of work. For our protagonists (played by Adam Scott, Jake Cherry, Britt Lorre, and others), the sense of work and the sense of family gradually separate to the point where they become completely different people. Fusing the tradition of office black comedy with films like Brazil and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind , the series delves into the dangers of modern American totalitarian capitalism while serving as a reminder that technology often promises to improve our lives, but It's just that they're worse.
Buccaneers (2023 –, renewed for second season)
The trendy, revisionist period drama (think Bridgerton ) is in its heyday, and with the success of HBO's The Gilded Age (itself an Edith Wharton pastiche), things are naturally coming back to The source – in this case, an unfinished work. Wharton's novel tells the story of five daughters of the American nouveau riche who are transferred to Europe (through marriage) to combine their family's ready cash with old European titles and lands. It's a fun, female-led show that distinguishes the difference between The Gilded Age 's relative fidelity to history and Bridgerton 's gleeful anachronisms.
Hijacked (2023 –, renewed for a second season)
This solid action thriller stars Idris Elba as a business negotiator who discovers he's one of the passengers on a flight from London to Dubai that's... well, hijacked . He is the only one on the ship with the ability to save himself and the other passengers, but must use his experience, intelligence, and physical strength to do so. The show takes place more or less in real time, which adds to the suspense and makes season two's plot a bit confusing. I'm not sure how subsequent episodes will work, but if 24 makes it to nine seasons, I'm sure Elba's Sam Nelson will stick around for at least a few more seasons.
For All Mankind (2019 —, renewed for Season 4)
I love high concepts, but execution is what counts, and " For All Mankind" works well with its premise, thanks in large part to screenwriter/co-creator Ronald D. Moore ( "Battlestar Galactica "). The play opens with a tantalizing hypothesis: What if Soviet space pioneer Sergei Korolev had not died untimely in 1966 and instead helped his country's space program blossom into full bloom, prolonging the space race indefinitely? What will be the result? Our past (and present) would look very different if we were forced to continue and expand our space program, and the show dramatically imagines how this might play out, spanning decades to reveal our alternative past (and future).
Dickinson (2019 – 2021, two seasons)
Dickinson is so weird that it gets points simply for being unexpected. The most surprising thing, however, is that it 's good , not just special. The play imagines the life of 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson, who considered herself inappropriate for her time, a fact that the play reflects through its casual use of anachronistic elements and a more modern sensibility. Think Netflix's Bridgerton or Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette both have a similar vibe, but neither show is about someone as haunting or mysterious as Dickinson. Bonus: It's also beautifully shot and acted.
Seen: On Television (2020, miniseries)
Visible is an effective update of The Celluloid Closet , bringing us up to date with what was going on in the peak era of television, using Apple's big money to assemble an impressive collection of characters. Harking back to the early days of television, when queer characters and themes were either ignored, heavily coded, or ridiculed, this documentary series traces the ups and downs of queer representation on television up to the present day. It’s an interesting record of how far we’ve come and makes it clear there’s still work to be done.
Manhunt (2024 – )
Adapted from James L. Swanson's book "Manhunt: The 12 Days in the Hunt for Lincoln's Killer," "Manhunt" not only recreates (in detail) the murder of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes The night of Booth's (Anthony Boyle) assassination also relives the hours, months and years that led to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Next, the political and cultural impacts of Reconstruction's early years are examined. The surprising star here is Tobias Menzies as Edwin Stanton, the war secretary who fights to preserve Lincoln's legacy, with mixed results. Whether intentional or not, the show also offers strong parallels between Booth, a violent racist, bombastic, vain, and perpetual victim, and modern political figures you may be familiar with. .
The Last Thing He Told Me (2023–, renewed for a second season)
The Last Thing He Told Me received mixed reviews from critics and viewers, with the crime drama receiving mixed reviews and being the streamer's most-watched limited series ever. Based on the best-selling book by Laura Dave, the book's popularity may have something to do with it, as may Jennifer Garner's sensitive performance. Despite such impressive success as a limited series, the show was subsequently renewed for a new season based on the upcoming sequel novel, currently scheduled for release in 2025. David Morse, the show finds Garner's character trying to connect with her stepdaughter to help solve the mystery of her missing husband.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023 –, renewed for a second season)
Monarch has told its own story within the universe of all the American Godzilla movies of the past decade or so, bringing these big stories back to Earth while building the entire monster universe mythology in the process, and Monarch does a rather surprising job of efficient. Anna Sawai stars as a young teacher searching for her father who has been missing since Godzilla's attack on San Francisco (depicted in the 2014 film) and finds herself drawn into the past and present of a secret government agency. Wyatt and Kurt Russell play past and present incarnations of the Army colonel who helps set the whole thing in motion.
See (2019 — 2022, three seasons)
This promotion meeting will be very lively. “We’ll do Country of the Blind…but, you know, in the future!” As with HG Wells’s story, we learn here that being one of the only sighted people among the blind doesn’t necessarily empower you Any special privileges.
Centuries later, humans have lost their sight, and the few born with sight are hunted and despised - as a high concept, it's a bit silly (and the reviews are a bit rough), but the show is beautifully made and entertaining . The Game's atmosphere blends with dystopian sci-fi and boasts Jason Momoa and the ever-talented Alfre Woodard.
Central Park (2020 — 2022, three seasons)
From creators Loren Bouchard, Josh Gad, and Nora Smith, Central Park retains much of the look and feel of Bouchard's beloved (and long-running) Bob's Burgers , which may be enough to keep many adult cartoon fans on board. Its ambitions were different, though: Unlike Bob's , this show invested more in serialization, telling the story of a park manager's fight to save the titular Central Park from greedy developers. . It's also a true musical, with huge numbers packed into each episode. (The sporadic musical moments in "Bob's Burgers" are always the best parts, so it pays to up that quotient here.)
Foundation (2021—, renewed for a third season)
Foundation often misses the point of its source material (a series of influential Isaac Asimov novels), but that doesn't mean it's an impressive sci-fi epic in its own right. Lew Laurel and Lee Pace star in this centuries-spanning series about a group of scholars and rebels who work to overthrow the Galactic Empire in order to save it. The first season was great, and the second season is even more exciting.
"The Silo" (2023—, renewed for second season)
Many of these shows have stellar casts, but this one is at least better than that: Rebecca Ferguson, Rashida Jones, David Oyelowo, Common, and Tim Robbins are all part of main character. Based on High Howey's self-published blockbuster novel Wool , this science fiction novel is set in a post-apocalyptic future. The show's characters live in the show's 144th-floor silo, a closed environment that sustains (and imprisons?) the last vestiges of humanity. Socio-political elements blend with the occult (nothing in the silo is as it seems) to create an impressive dystopia.
Schmigadu! (2021 — 2023)
There's no doubt that "Schmigadu" has a theater-kid vibe, with references and jokes that not everyone will understand. I'm not sure if this matters. When Melissa (Cecily Strong) and Josh (Keegan-Michael Key) set out on a camping trip to strengthen their relationship, they stumble into the title town, where everyone Singing about your feelings, like... you know. The only way out? Real love...Melissa and Josh thought they shared it, but maybe not that much. It's both a tribute to classic musicals and a satire of common tropes and more problematic aspects of these older productions. The second season switches location and era to "Schmicago," presenting a dark-toned musical set in the 1970s.
The Completely Fictional Adventures of Dick Turpin (2024 – )
The Great British Bake Off 's Noel Fielding stars in this completely ahistorical British import, starring real-life bandits who lived in the mid-1700s. When it comes to Turismo, it's impossible to separate truth from legend, so the show respects the legend and adds some inspired silliness in the mix. It's not quite Our Flag Means Death , but it takes the same loose, fun approach to history.
Air Master (2024)
A spiritual successor and companion piece to the earlier World War II miniseries Band of Brothers (2001) and The Pacific (2010), Air Masters focuses on the "Bloody Hundred," the 100th Bomb Group, the pilots of The mission was to bomb targets in German-occupied Europe. Austin Butler (Elvis), Barry Keoghan (Saltburn) and Nutty Gatwa ( Doctor Who ) are all part of this impressive team.
Horoscope (2024 – )
Severance , Foundation , For All Mankind and Silo make Apple TV+ the home of high-concept, big-budget science fiction. Which is cool because even the SyFy channel isn't filling that void anymore. The film follows astronaut Noomi Rapace as she returns to Earth after an accident and discovers that the reality she returns to is not the same as the one she left.
Criminal Records (2024 –, renewed for a second season)
The delightful real-life Peter Capaldi is one of our most effortlessly menacing actors, and he even gave Doctor Who an unpredictable sense of mystery, so he's great at playing a ruthless cop with a checkered past. Not surprising. He is joined by Cush Jumbo's June Lenker, a by-the-book, more idealistic detective who is skeptical of Capaldi's DCI Hegarty , just as she doubts the facts of the cold case the two are investigating. Think of them as twisted versions of Mulder and Scully (minus the aliens, of course).
The Morning Show (2019 —, renewed for a fourth season)
The Morning Show is less conceptual than Apple's other originals, but it's still a solid drama led by Jennifer Aniston's off-kilter performance. She plays Alex Levy, co-host of a major network morning show. Or "co-host," that is, until her 15-year colleague Mitch (Steve Carell) was fired shortly before the show aired one morning for sexual misconduct (a parody of Matt Raul), leaving Alex to explain the situation. The resulting shake-ups and power grabs (including a rising star played by Reese Witherspoon; star power in this thing!) were inspired by Brian Stelter's real-life book The Top of the Morning , a book about the (perhaps) surprising world of morning television that's full of drama and brutality, so that along with TV's ready drama comes an air of verisimilitude.
The Me You Can't See (2021, miniseries)
Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry's co-production may inspire understandable cynicism, but the effort here is worth it: the miniseries touches on both celebrities and non-celebrities, exploring issues related to mental health, specifically It’s the stigma and difficulty of seeking treatment. These famous people are all very candid, while the less famous people come from different backgrounds and face a variety of issues. Sure, the presentation is beautiful, but the fact that a streamer is investing money in expanding the conversation about mental illness alone is worth watching.
Tell the Truth (2019-2023, three seasons)
Honestly, they cast me in Octavia Spencer. It's not just her, though: the cast here is top-notch: Lizzy Caplan, Aaron Paul, Mekhi Phifer, and Kate Hudson also star. The premise is solid and timely, too: Spencer plays a true crime podcaster who denounced a now-convicted killer through her reporting, but now knows she may have gotten some key details wrong. The execution was a bit stumbling in the first season, but it got better in the second and ultimately third seasons.
Afterparty (2022-2023, two seasons)
A murder occurs after a high school reunion, which naturally sets the show in motion — a scenario that's full of possibilities, given the drama surrounding real-life reunions. The spin on the comedy murder mystery lies in its Rashomon-like structure: Each episode explores the night from the perspective of one of the participants, changing the genre style to suit the characters in question. Tiffany Haddish and Sam Richardson are excellent in the lead roles.
Little America (2020 — 2022, two seasons)
Filled with humor, the anthology "Little America" dramatizes a series of works from Epic Magazine that tells the story of immigrants in America. Each 30-minute episode is like a mini-movie, and each episode is packed with emotion—sometimes heartbreak, sometimes joy; Filled many hearts. Each story ends with a tag about the real person it's based on, which helps ground the emotion in reality.
Home Before Dark (2020—2021, two seasons)
I love, love, love that this movie is based on a true story. Home Before Dark tells the story of Hilde Lysiak, an award-winning crime reporter and the youngest member of the Society of Professional Journalists, who began her career at age 9 (She is now 14 years old). Here, she's fictionalized as Hilde Lisko (Brooklyn Prince), who moves with her mother to a Twin Peaks-esque coastal town, where she slowly and tenaciously uncovers a forgotten story. The truth behind a long-standing mystery.
Servant (2019 — 2023)
A creepy babysitter meets a creepy doll in this utterly bizarre psychological thriller from the occasionally brilliant but notoriously inconsistent M. Night Shyamalan (who also starred in the series as Tony Basgallop (Created by Tony Basgallop) and co-produced. The horror isn't overt here, but the show plays some interesting and disturbing games centered around the relationship of the title couple, played by Lauren Ambrose and Toby Kebbell. After the death of their 13-week-old son, a couple was given a lifelike doll as a therapy tool. Of course, there's something wrong with the doll (or Dorothy's attachment to it), and there's definitely something wrong with the young live-in nanny (rich, amirite?) they hire to care for fake baby Jericho.
Ghostwriter (2019 — 2022, three seasons)
This newly updated Ghostwriter goes in a different direction than the original from the '90s, focusing less on the mystery elements of the story and more on the basics of reading: operating in a bookstore that belongs to two The grandfather of the main character. The characters, four children brought together by a ghost, bring characters from classic and modern literature to life, and the CGI is sometimes great...and sometimes not so good. The show's real strength is its portrayal of children who are incredibly smart and savvy, unlike many shows that can't seem to tell the difference between a 12-year-old and a 5-year-old. It's definitely for kids, but that's to be commended.
Defending Jacob (2020, miniseries)
Adapted from William Landy's book, the premise is both clever and harrowing: In an upper-class suburb of Massachusetts, Andy (Chris Evans) and Laurie (Michelle Dockery) ) learns that a classmate of their 14-year-old son was murdered in a local park. What happened next was even more shocking: their son was arrested for murder. The show leans unnecessarily toward melodrama at times, but the performances are solid and the central mystery is so compelling that it's hard not to be drawn in.
Blackbird (2022, miniseries)
Novelist Dennis Lehane ( Gone Baby Gone , Mystic River ) created this miniseries based on a true story, and if you're familiar with his books or the movies they inspired, his style is very apparent. Taron Egerton plays Jimmy Keane, a former football star who was sentenced to ten years in prison for drug dealing. Soon after, he's given another chance: his sentence will be revoked if he is transferred to a higher-security prison for mentally ill criminals and evidence is gathered against the alleged serial killer housed there. It's a killer premise and Egerton is great here.
Endeavor (2020—, renewed for Season 4)
After a difficult pregnancy, Nikki and Jason began the adoption process but found themselves in a difficult situation. If they can get pregnant, they don't need other qualifications to have a baby. Adoption, on the other hand, is a long process filled with screening, classes, paperwork, home visits, and money. It's that rare comedy that's genuinely funny and tender - the show even revisits all the characters at the end of each episode so we know how everyone's doing.
Myth Quest (2020 —, renewed for Season 4)
This may sound a little (or a lot) niche, but we've seen enough headlines about working conditions at many video game production companies to understand why a workplace comedy set against such a backdrop would be effectively dark and Fun comedy. Charlotte Nicdao and Rob McElhenney are the protagonists of this show, playing a talented and driven workaholic and an unsociable egomaniac respectively. The chemistry between the characters brings enough spark to the show.
Acapulco (2021 –, renewed for a third season)
Inspired by the 2017 film How to Be a Latin Lover , this ambitious English/Spanish-language comedy spans the generations and follows Malibu tycoon Maximo Gallardo Ramos (Eugene Neo Derbez), who started out as a pool boy at a luxury resort hotel. . The sweet, sun-drenched show had a gorgeous retro visual style.
Slow Horse (2022 – renewed for seasons 4 and 5)
"Slow Horse" pays homage to John le Carré's great spy drama, updating the setting without losing the excitement or style of the time-honored genre. The "slow horses" of the title are a group of former MI5 agents - all of whom have made a mess of important jobs but are still considered to be of some use, if only in boring administrative tasks. Of course, the group (led by Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden, with Kristin Scott Thomas playing their spymaster) find themselves in deeper trouble than anyone expected. The show has a sly sense of humor that balances a cynical tone with the belief that redemption is entirely possible.
