Apple TV+ launched in November 2019 amid a sea of other also-emerging streaming services. Three years later, the tech giant’s foray into original content has carved out some solid niches that should help it maintain a foothold. That’s right, whereas Netflix is dominating the stand-up comedy realm, and Peacock delivers a classic TV library like no one else, Apple TV+ is crushing the comedies series realm.
Yet there’s an also surprising amount of variety (including sci-fi, thriller, and darker-comedy series) on this service. To help you wrap your arms around it all, we rounded up the top 25 shows on Apple TV+.
1. Ted Lasso
Year(s): 2020 –
Starring: Jason Sudeikis, Brett Goldstein
Genre: Dramedy
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 2 (33 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
This show’s viral ubiquity kicked off this streaming service’s wave successful comedy series, which now includes Mythic Quest and The Afterparty. Back before Apple TV+ even existed, though, the eponymous (and eternally charming) soccer coach’s origin story went back to NBC Olympic coverage promos from nearly a decade ago. Someone brilliant decided to greenlight the great idea of giving Jason Sudeikis’ alter ego his own show, and from there, the show turned into a phenomenal success before backlash set in — because the the Internet simply cannot let happiness exist. (And that’s only further evidence that Ted Lasso has made an impact.) One can expect Season 3 to address this in some way, but don’t worry about Ted Lasso. He won’t let a few naysayers get him down, unless we’re talking about tea, which he believes tastes “like hot brown water.” I agree wholeheartedly. This show really does have something for everyone!
2. Dickinson
Year(s): 2019 – 2021
Starring: Hailee Steinfeld
Genre: Dramedy
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 3 (30 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Literary history inspired into one of the most ultramodern series of recent years, as odd as it sounds, in this show that pleased legions while still managing to be underrated. Hailee Steinfeld gave a commanding performance as the iconic American poet with a flair for the unconventional, both on the page and in her personal life. Of course, this is not a standard retelling of the life of this poet, who was thought to be a recluse but transforms into a rebel on the small screen. Still, even tweaks of the truth didn’t stop the show from being faithful to what Dickinson wrote in her letters, and somehow, the layering of fantasy atop the truth made the show even more reliable in communicating the spirit of the poet. As a bonus, Season 2 includes both writing and an onscreen emergence from Ayo Edebiri (who broke out in 2022 with The Bear).
3. Fraggle Rock: Back To The Rock
Year(s): 2022 –
Starring: Them Puppets
Genre: Family
Rating: TV-G
Seasons: 1 (13 episodes)
Director:
Trailer: Watch here
Miss you, Jim Henson. The best news here is that, if everyone on Earth would only watch this series, perhaps humanity could heal itself. Wars could end, and I’m not even exaggerating. Get this show in front of Putin. Perhaps this could make him see through the eyes of these zany puppets, who impart life lessons and ruminate upon the importance of getting down to coexisting, despite the difficulties inherent in getting the Fraggles, Doozers and Gorgs to all do their part in making that magic happen. There’s also, tellingly, a literal Echo Chamber in this season. Oh boy.
4. Physical
Year(s): 2021 –
Starring: Rose Byrne
Genre: Dramedy
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 2 (20 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
It’s worth mentioning that Rose Byrne previously portrayed Gloria Steinem (Mrs. America), and this role feels like a continuation of that feminist arc. At times pitch black, this show is much more than aerobics, as it turns out. Byrne glides right into the spandex-covered layers of an endlessly frustrated housewife who struggles mightily against an eating disorder and finds refuge in channelling her body image issues into a different kind of obsession. Rather, make that a brand of obsession. She’s soon at the top of the 1980s fitness video craze with a rival played by Murray Bartlett of White Lotus notoriety. As they both know, they’d better work it.
5. For All Mankind
Year(s): 2019 –
Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Shantel VanSanten, Michael Dorman, Wrenn Schmidt
Genre: Sci-Fi-Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 3 (30 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
This phenomenal series, ironically enough given the subject matter, suffered from a slow liftoff when it surfaced amid a lunar sea of other first-generation Apple TV+ shows. (Aniston, Reese, and Momoa do tend to attract attention, so yep, that checks out.) Fortunately, word of mouth eventually drove enough interest to spark renewal after renewal, and Season 4 will be forthcoming. This alternate-history take on the space race shows exactly how much one tiny trick to the timeline can change matters. That is to say, the U.S. loses the space race to the Soviet Union in 1969, and that changes everything. Joel Kinnaman plays Ed Baldwin, a frontrunner U.S. astronaut, and the show almost effortlessly blends these characters’ personal and professional worlds.
6. Mythic Quest
Year(s): 2020 –
Starring: Rob McElhenney, Charlotte Nicdao, F. Murray Abraham, Ashley Burch
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 3 (31 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Always Sunny pals Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day did it again, even if only one of them stars in this series that made workplace comedy fresh again. Our own Brian Grubb can’t stop raving about this show because it somehow pulls of “the highest level execution of a genre that has worked forever,” and perhaps that’s partially because these characters are doing what they love for a living. That adds some flavor of its own, especially when conflict strikes. Also, Snoop Dogg showed up and got Rob high during an early call time. A+ idea.
7. Slow Horses
Year(s): 2022 –
Starring: Gary Oldman, Olivia Cooke
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 2 (12 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
A whole lot of Gary Oldman farts will be had in this series, which is now in the thick of season 2. Yet don’t let that frequent display distract you from the failed spymastering of his group full of of British intelligence f*ck-ups. Olivia Cooke and Jack Bowden co-star, and maybe, just maybe, they’ll move past their collective “slow horse” reputation through a series of crises. Yet mainly, it’s nice to see an espionage-focused TV show that puts a fresh, and bumbling, spin on the genre with all those super Krasinski-spies running rampant on streaming.
8. Severance
Year(s): 2022 –
Starring: Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Patricia Arquette
Genre: Sci-Fi/Mystery
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (9 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
The idea of work-life balance got skewered in this Ben Stiller-directed series that takes huge swings in the satire department. This unsettling show presents a world where “severed” employees have completely distinct personalities at work and at home. Naturally, too much self-awareness and crossover is eventually bound to happen, and let’s just say that Adam Scott’s prior experience in the workplace comedy realm makes him even more effective in this thriller series. As the clické goes, not everything is what it seems, and the workplace of this show is even more cult-like than one could have imagined.
9. Servant
Year(s): 2019 –
Starring: Lauren Ambrose, Toby Kebbell, Rupert Grint
Genre: Horror/Mystery
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 4 (40 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
M. Night Shyamalan’s movies might be hit-and-miss, but this series has stayed consistent in delivering upon well-laid arcs full of suspense and mysteries that don’t (at least not yet) carry too much in the “gotcha” realm. Those punches are why a lot of people gave up on Shyamalan’s films sometime around The Village and haven’t looked back, but show’s an altogether different creature. Perhaps he should have been showrunning all along? The painstakingly crafted storytelling of this series (which began with a Philly couple attempting to overcome the loss of their infant) takes us miles away from the quick wrap-ups of his usual fare, and the fourth season will soon show if the writing can truly overcome the Shyamalan-ending curveball curse. Fingers crossed.
10. Shining Girls
Year(s): 2022
Starring: Elizabeth Moss
Genre: Horror/Sci-Fi
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (8 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Elizabeth Moss might be the Queen of Streaming after having harnessed the trailblazing energy of her Mad Men character into stunning career turns. The Handmaid’s Tale star took some detours into horror, including The Invisible Man and also this Apple TV+ show, in which is based upon the Lauren Beukes novel and earned the coveted Stephen King endorsement: “This is exactly what streaming was made for.” The story follows Moss as a newspaper archivist attempting to overcome her own trauma when she becomes involved with a case that bears a startling resemblance to what she endured. Wagner Moura (Narcos) plays a reporter who attempts to help her unravel what happened, and the lines between genres blur, along with the minds of all who get wrapped into the mystery.
11. Black Bird
Year(s): 2022
Starring: Taron Egerton, Ray Liotta, Paul Walter Houser
Genre: True crime dramatization
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (6 episodes)
Director:
Trailer: Watch here
This limited series brings us one of Ray Liotta’s final onscreen appearances, and yes, you’ll soon see him in the flat-out crazy Cocaine Bear, but first, prepare yourself for six hours of flat-out intensity. Liotta portrays Big Jim Keene, a veteran cop and dad to Taron Egerton’s Jimmy in this Dennis Lehane-produced adaptation of Jimmy’s In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption memoir. The drug-dealing Jimmy does end up in hell, meaning that he takes an FBI deal to go undercover at a max-security prison, where he ends up tangling with Larry Hall, a serial killer played by Paul Walter Hauser. Surely, you’ve seen his work before, and he’s at his unsettling best in this unyieldingly tense series that never takes its foot off the gas.
12. Foundation
Year(s): 2021 –
Starring: Lee Pace, Jared Harris
Genre: Sci-Fi/Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (10 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Lee Pace fans rejoiced (and Jared Harris followers weren’t mad, either) at the gorgeous first season of the Isaac Asimov adaptation, which spread no detail while bringing the classic work to life. Actually, I need to back up again and stress the thirst factor from Pace fans again, but then I’ll say that, yes, the substance of this show delivers, too. Sci-fi addicts finally got to see Asimov’s battle to rebuild civilization after Harris’ prophet got his butt declared a heretic when he dared to predict that humanity was on its last legs, and dire action was needed in the form of The Foundation. This is a good followup to watching Dune on HBO while waiting for the second installment of both properties.
13. See
Year(s): 2019 – 2022
Starring: Jason Momoa, Hera Hilmar, Sylvia Hoeks, Dave Bautista
Genre: Drama/Action
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 3 (24 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Jason Momoa rides again in furs in this series, in which he portrayed Baba Voss, a warrior who helps to lead one faction of humanity after a virus wiped away vision, which made for a compelling premise. As always, Momoa put every ounce of energy possible into this show, which cruelly provides lush visuals even though nearly 100% of its characters cannot enjoy them. It’s a wild and wooly series that is so absurd at times (there’s a masturbating queen), and Dave Bautista showed up in Season 2 with a familial vendetta, which didn’t exactly turn into a buddy comedy, before a Season 3 wrap up for one of the most daring shows on this streaming service thus far.
14. The Morning Show
Year(s): 2019 –
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell, Billy Crudup
Genre: Dramedy-ish
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 2 (20 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
You gotta hand it to Billy Crudup, who manages to be the greatest part (and some might say the Kermit the Frog) of this series that began as the “Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon as rivals with a side of Steve Carell” intended juggernaut of Apple TV. The series turned into a headliner, for sure, but it evolved into a product that moves past its original subject matter: fallout from sexual conduct scandal at a high-profile lite-news show. The show’s taken intense dives (also into systemic racism) despite the sunshine product within its fold, and Crudup has had so much fun playing a chief instigator while also attempting to keep the whole joint together. Later this year, we should see round three of this series, but rest assured that no one will be more fun to watch than Crudup.
15. Shantaram
Year(s): 2022 –
Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Shubham Saraf, Fayssal Bazzi
Genre: Crime drama
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 ( episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Charlie Hunnam is a long way from Charming, California, in this series that sees him playing Lin Ford, a convicted bank robber and addict who flees an Australian prison and emerges in Bombay, India. The story’s based upon the probably-biographical story book by Gregory David Roberts, and at one point, Johnny Depp wanted to make this project into a movie. Fortunately, that didn’t happen because Charlie and his right-hand man, Shubham Saraf, give us a central friendship for the ages with a world that’s both dazzling and forbidding. This sprawling (and ultimately life-affirming) story deserves more seasons, although I’m not feeling terribly optimistic about that prospect, given Hunnam’s health woes that could take him out of the game for years.
16. Little America
Year(s): 2020 –
Starring: Suraj Sharma, Peggy Lu, Mélanie Laurent
Genre: Dramedy
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 2 (20 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Kumail Nanjiani’s name might get you in the door here, but he’s only one of the creators, which also include his wife, Emily V. Gordon, as well as Lee Eisenberg. Together, they guide viewers through an anthologizes batch of stories about the immigrant stories in America. Although anthologies can be accused of not going deep enough (given the vast amount of territory that they cover), that’s not the case here. Each episode brings something entirely different to the table, frequently with humor as well as heartwarming touches.
17. The Afterparty
Year(s): 2022 –
Starring: Ken Jeong, Tiffany Haddish, Zoe Chao, Ben Schwartz
Genre: Comedy/Mystery
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (8 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
A whole lot of murder-mystery comedy can be found out there these days, and this is no Glass Onion, but this show from Christopher Miller (frequent filmmaking partner of Phil Lord in projects such as Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs) will still do. The story revolves around the fallout from a high school reunion, which happens to have been followed by a party that happens to have included a death. The voluminously funny cast (including Tiffany Haddish, Ben Schwartz, Ilana Glazer, and Sam Richardson) pulls out all the stops here, and you probably won’t be sorry that you skipped your own reunions.
18. Schmigadoon!
Year(s): 2021 –
Starring: Cicily Strong, Keegan-Michael Key, Kristin Chenowith
Genre: Musical/Comedy
Rating: TV-14
Seasons: 1 (6 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Cicily Strong (SNL) and Keenan-Michael Key (Key and Peele‘s nightmare text recipient) stumble into a 1940s musical in this show, which is actually far less grating than one could imagine. In reality, this is a charming whirl of a show, in which these backpackers must learn the meaning of love before they can escape their confines. The series also includes Broadway dynamos Alan Cumming and Kristin Chenoweth, along with Jane Krakowski and Martin Short.
19. Pachinko
Year(s): 2022 –
Starring: Lee Min-Ho, Minha Kim, Soji Arai
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (8 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
If you’re in the mood for a truly immersive saga, then tuck into the first season of this generational-spanning tale that’s a meal unto itself. This show defies explanation within a simple blurb, but prepare yourself for a Korean family’s journey from their home country to Japan and beyond. While maneuvering against a historical backdrop of war between nations, the focus here is remains upon individuals and, poignantly, how their connections can be forged through and communicated through food, much like The Bear while also being several worlds away.
20. Mr. Corman
Year(s): 2021
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Juno Temple, Hugo Weaving, Arturo Castro
Genre: Dramedy
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (10 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars here, and quite simply, you can’t go wrong with a little JGL. This show did make me long for the days when he led a street-bound ensemble dance scene in (500) Days Of Summer because JGL’s character is musical-adjacent even though he’s making a living as a music teacher. Actually, that’s part of his problem. Mr. Corman’s in the midst of an existential era of his life, in which he’s grappling with a failed creative career and trying to make things work in the here-and-now without falling prey to the irresistible urge to look back without remembering to look forward.
21. Defending Jacob
Year(s): 2020
Starring: Chris Evans, Jaeden Martell, Pablo Schreiber, Michelle Dockery
Genre: Crime Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (8 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
It’s a familiar story: major action franchise star takes a serious turn, and the project ends up stressing out the audience in the process. This psychological thriller starring Chris Evans goes heavy on the atmosphere but still ends up being a paint-by-numbers permutation of the Upstanding Member Of The Legal Community Finds That The Call Might Be Coming From Inside The House story. Evans plays an attorney whose child may very well be a murderer, and this ain’t an easy watch. Still, there are thrills to be found the cast, which includes Pablo Schreiber ripping off the Pornstache for another one of his stellar antagonists.
22. Mosquito Coast
Year(s): 2021 –
Starring: Justin Theroux, Melissa George, Gabriel Bateman, Logan Polish
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 2 (20 episodes)
Director:
Trailer: Watch here
No one could ever accuse this project of a lack of enthusiasm. This reboot of the Harrison Ford/Helen Mirren movie stars Justin Theroux in his passion project of bringing the classic 1981 novel of his uncle, Paul Theroux, to an extended, small-screen retelling. Throughout two seasons, the audience remained steady, although the show itself is contradictory as heck. On one hand, Allie Fox is a brilliant and idealistic U.S. inventor, but on the other hand, he’s a paranoid and frighteningly erratic father who puts his family through hell on a race through Mexico. He rages against consumerism (which is particularly odd, considering where this show streams), and this also tries trying to be the next Breaking Bad but not giving us a main character who’s relatable and worth rooting for at all.
23. Essex Serpent
Year(s): 2022
Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Claire Danes
Genre: Drama/Mystery
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (6 episodes)
Director:
Trailer: Watch here
All of the parts are here for a compelling watch, although the package doesn’t seem to come together onscreen. That’s particularly frustrating because the source material, Sarah Perry’s 2017 novel of the same name, rarely fails to compel (and surprise) those who’ve had the pleasure of reading it. Claire Danes, as always, immerses herself in the role of a widow who is grieving, yes, but also finds liberation after the death of her abusive spouse. She relocates to a village where a mythical beast is said to have emerged to punish humanity for his sins. Tom Hiddleston plays a local religious leader, and the two find that they have much in common.
24. Snoopy In Space
Year(s): 2019 –
Genre: Family/Animation
Rating: TV-G
Seasons: 2 (24 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Hey, if the Fast and Furious gang and Tom Cruise can flirt with space, so can the Peanuts Gang. Snoopy goes interstellar here and achieves his dream of becoming an astronaut with Woodstock in tow. He’s officially in league with NASA in this story, and you really cannot go wrong with deciding to fire this one up as some comforting background noise.
25. The Shrink Next Door
Year(s): 2021
Starring: Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd
Genre: Psychological Drama/Dark Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (8 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Hoo boy. Paul Rudd, that interminable charmer, portrays a therapist (Dr. Isaac “Ike” Herschkopf) who slowly manipulates the hell out of his patient (Marty Markowitz) portrayed by Will Ferrell, for nearly three decades. This can be triggering, obviously, given that this show is based upon Joe Nocera’s popular Wondry podcast, which is in turn based upon a real-life doctor-patient relationship. The show’s all over the place, tonewise, and is actually a rather disturbing watch. Sorry, Rudd fans!
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