Slowly but surely + Apple TV finds its feet. The streaming service, which we called at launch “weird, angry, and corny as hell,” has evolved into a diverse library of dramas, documentaries, and comedies. It’s also fairly cheap compared to services like Netflix — and Apple often throws in three months free when you buy a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV.
Curious but don’t know where to start? Here are our picks for the best deals on the service. When you’re done, head over to our guides to the best Netflix shows, Amazon Prime shows, and Disney+ shows, because you can never have too much TV.
big monsters
Look, Discovery doesn’t corner the market on animal documentaries — and this 10-part documentary series proves it. Featuring elephant seals, brown bears, orangutans, giant otters, and all sorts of massive mammals in between, it’s the perfect thing if you just want to escape and learn some tales of nature. But the best part? Narrated by Tom Hiddleston, there’s something magical about hearing Loki’s voice talk about a bunch of different animals he can transform himself into in the blink of an eye.
Grand Prize Award
Continuing the “big” theme, Big Door Award, in which Chris O’Dowd plays a 40-year-old high school teacher named Dusty who is very content with his life until a magical machine appears in his small town. The machine, you see, tells people the possibilities of their lives, and as soon as the people around him start using it, everything changes. Marriages end, paths switch, and eventually Dusty must confront whether he is happy with his life.
Ted Lasso
on paper, Ted Lasso It sounds terrible. The unimaginable story of an American football coach who has never seen a football match somehow gets a job as a coach for a (fictional) English Premier League club and tries to make up for his utter lack of qualifications by being a nice guy. It seems unwatchable, right? And yet Ted Lasso She captured the hearts and minds of viewers on both sides of the pond with her stellar cast and irresistible healthy messages, raking in awards for fun in the process. With Season 3 now out, there’s plenty of subtle humor to dip into.
shrank
Are you enjoying in therapy But I hope it was, you know, fun? then shrank It may be suitable for you. Created by Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein Ted Lasso fame — and Jason Segel, the show is about Jimmy (Siegel), a therapist who struggles to cope with the death of his wife and reconnect with his daughter and patients. This may sound like a depressant, and the show isn’t without its tough moments, but it’s buoyed by the fact that it’s also a workplace comedy focused on a therapy practice as Jimmy works alongside Harrison Ford’s Paul and Gaby’s Jessica Williams. shrankIt, in the end, is about the things people do to adapt, but it also features a dream cast and a very memorable party scene featuring a (unrelated) vomit-soaked piano and a hard-hitting Ford.
morning show
Every streaming service needs a glamorous mainstream drama with heavyweight Hollywood celebrities to attract viewers. Contains Apple TV+ morning show. Stars Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell are all at their best as members of the onscreen squad. morning showa popular breakfast news programme. morning show He wastes no time moving on, and it immediately becomes apparent that your announcer Mitch Kessler (Carell) is being fired amid accusations of sexual misconduct. Going forward, the show explores the aftermath of the #MeToo scandal, and while it doesn’t always work, it’s often an exciting watch, and you can’t accuse anyone involved of not giving their all to the important topic.
Servant
Cinematically, M. Night Shyamalan’s movie could be a little hit or miss, however Servant, which the director executive produces and occasionally directs, is excellent. It’s about a Philadelphia couple—a chef and a news anchor—who lose a baby only to have it mysteriously (possibly) revived with the arrival of their new nanny. (You really need to watch the show for any of this to make sense.) Moody, terrifying, and occasionally funny, it will draw you in. And now that it’s in its fourth season, there’s a lot to enjoy.
Essex Snake
Claire Danes does her best chin-shivering performance in a period costume; Tom Hiddleston as borough deputy; Rumors of a mysterious mythical snake – is there anything no To love him in this show? No, there is not. Essex Snake, based on the Sarah Perry novel, follows a recent (Danish) widow as she heads into the Essex countryside to investigate a “sea dragon”. There, she meets Deputy Will (Hiddleston), who is more suspicious of the serpent’s existence. Lush and attractive, it’s the perfect period puzzle.
to cut
Of all the offerings on this list, to cut He may be the one who firmly established Apple TV+ as a streaming player with sharp prestige content. Adam Scott plays Mark, a man distraught by the death of his wife who chooses to undergo the Severance Operation, an operation that separates his memories of work and those of his life at home. He’s perfectly happy with the set up until a former co-worker at Lumon Industries tracks him down when he’s out of the office, setting off a chain of events that makes him question not only Severance but also the work his company does. From there, it just gets weirder and bleaker with every passing minute. Directed in large part by Ben Stiller, this tense and heartbreaking show will keep you guessing and wondering all the way through.
Little America
Originally released when Donald Trump was still President of the United States, Little America It was and remains a timely reminder of what truly makes America great. Each episode of this anthology series focuses on a different story of immigrants living in America. From an undocumented high school student who discovers a talent for squash to a Brooklyn “bra,” each of these 30-minute vignettes—all based on real people—is inspiring and important viewing.
Legendary quest
A very rare example of a video game TV show that really works, Legendary quest is one of the best new workplace comedies of the past few years. The show is presented in half-hour episodes, and it follows a fictional game studio known for it World of Warcraft– like MMO, Legendary quest, like people who make zigzags through their many strange relationships. The writing is excellent, consistently funny, and emotionally poignant when you least expect it, and the show manages to tackle real issues in the industry without sacrificing laughs.
institution
We have called institution A “flawed masterpiece” in our review, which still commands high praise given the intricacies of adapting a sprawling sci-fi classic for TV. Based on Isaac Asimov’s book series of the same name, it’s stunningly ambitious institution It stars Jared Harris as Hari Seldon, a mathematics professor who, along with his loyal followers, is exiled for predicting the coming end of the galactic empire that rules them. It looks amazing, and while the show can suffer under the weight of its massive scope, this is game of thronesWannabe -in-space is still one to check out.
Dickinson
Hailee Steinfeld is young troublemaker Emily Dickinson in this half-hour show from creator Alaina Smith. It was part of the original Apple TV+ lineup and quickly distinguished itself thanks to its not-so-good 19th-century vision of Amherst, Massachusetts. The first season is a collection of sharp, surreal vignettes, inspired by Dickinson’s work and following the imagined life of a young poet, who rebels against her father, the town’s societal rules, and pretty much everything else. Chapters Two and Three delve deeper—examining not only the poet’s life, but also the roles that race, gender, sexuality, and class played in America’s early days. If you’re Stan Dickinson, love a bit of clever queer drama, or have a penchant for a modern soundtrack on a Civil War-era show, you’ll be looking into this.
for all mankind
solid piece of alternate history, for all mankind It starts with a very clever premise: What if the United States managed to put a man on the moon? How did the space race rivalry between the Americans and the Soviets end? It’s mostly a nice, elegant, heavy period drama from NASA, but since this is from the mind of Ronald D. Moore, there are some standout moments and episodes with common interest around the large cast. Easily the best sci-fi show you’re not watching.