When computer company Apple announced that it was getting into the streaming TV game, there were plenty of people who were skeptical about the company’s ability to pull it off. Why would the tech giant, which is most known for the Macintosh and the iPhone, have any credibility in making television shows? It doesn’t seem the two ideas would mesh in any meaningful way, but in the years since Apple TV Plus launched, the company has come up with some pretty impressive original shows, and it picked up a Best Picture Oscar on top of that.
What’s even more impressive is that these Apple TV shows and movies run the gamut from comedy to drama, and are all set in wildly different and imaginative places. Apple may be best known for making great phones, but it turns out it knows how to tell pretty interesting stories, too. These Apple TV movies and shows are the cream of the crop and the best on this streaming service.
If you’re looking for more great stuff to stream, you should also check out our lists of the best shows on Netflix, the best shows on Hulu, and the best shows on Disney Plus.
The Morning Show (2019)
3 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Cast
Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Billy Crudup
Created by
Jay Carson
There are some major superstars that make The Morning Show one of the best shows on Apple TV+. Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon play news anchors who battle the inner politics and social conundrums of journalism. The writing team and the actors handle the social commentary around topics like sexism, betrayal, and media manipulation with care and confidence. On top of all of that, Steve Carell is also stellar in a supporting role.
Severance (2022)
1 Season
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast
Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Patricia Arquette
Created by
Dan Erickson
One of the best shows to come from Apple TV+ is this science fiction series directed in part by Ben Stiller. Severance follows Parks and Rec star Adam Scott as an office worker who only half-realizes he’s trapped in a nightmarish dystopia. At Lumon Industries, a mysterious biotech firm, employees are given a brain implant that severs their work selves from their personal selves, with no shared memories between the two halves. A mysterious former colleague (Britt Lower) soon appears outside of work, however, leading to a strange and eerie odyssey to find the truth about Lumon and their role there. Also starring John Turturro, Christopher Walken, and Patricia Arquette, this one is a perfect fit for dark sci-fi suckers.
Acapulco (2021)
2 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Cast
Eugenio Derbez, Enrique Arrizon, Raphael Alejandro
Created by
Jason Shuman, Austin Winsberg, Eduardo Cisneros
In 1984, Máximo Gallardo’s (Enrique Arrizon) dream comes true when the young man who grew up in Acapulco lands the job of a lifetime at the vacation destination’s hottest resort, Las Colinas. The new cabana boy, however, soon realizes that working with Las Colinas guests and employees will be far more complicated than he ever imagined. In order to succeed, Gallardo must learn to navigate a demanding clientele, a mercurial mentor, and a complicated home life without giving in to a multitude of temptations or deadly shortcuts. A south-of-the-border coming-of-age story, a talented ensemble cast, and smart humor make this series as great as it is. Acapulco is charming, sweet, and definitely hits the spot.
Servant (2019)
4 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Cast
Lauren Ambrose, Toby Kebbell, Rupert Grint
Created by
Tony Basgallop
If you’re a fan of the dark and unsettling, Servant’s hair-raising weirdness is for you. Lauren Ambrose plays Dorothy Turner, a woman grieving the death of her infant son. Her at-wits-end husband, Sean Turner (Toby Kebbell) and concerned brother Julian Pearce (Rupert Grint) try to help her through grief with a last-ditch effort — a life-like doll as a surrogate. Things get even more mind-bending from there as the very nature of reality seems to warp. Servant is a one-two punch between M. Night Shyamalan and series creator Tony Basgallop, and it serves up a potent mystery filled with the pitched thrills audiences expect from any Shyamalan project.
The Manual streaming roundup
Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock (2022)
1 Season
Genre
Kids, Animation, Comedy
Cast
Lilli Cooper, John Tartaglia, Dave Goelz
From one of the streamer’s darkest shows to maybe its lightest, we all can find joy with the Fraggles. First conceived by Jim Henson back in 1983, the Fraggles represented an uncomplicated love of their world, and the joy of just existing with one another. The 2022 revival, fortunately, captures that colorful musical riot once again. Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, reanimates Henson’s puppets, leaning on the classic cinematography that endeared the Fraggles to audiences in the first place. The new version is still undoubtedly a show made for kids, but its lessons apply to people of all ages. Couple this with an undemanding delight at life and you have a wonderful, nostalgic romp worth taking in.
The Afterparty (2022)
2 Seasons
Genre
Mystery, Comedy, Crime
Cast
Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson, Zoe Chao
Created by
Christopher Miller
This drama-comedy combines two of TV viewers biggest draws: criminal procedurals and high school reunions. Christopher Miller and Phil Lord’s The Afterparty features a star-studded ensemble cast that finds themselves unwitting suspects in a murder investigation when the host of their reunion’s afterparty turns up dead on the cliffs next to his beachside mansion. What follows is a delightful dive into each character as they’re interrogated by the case detective. In a wonderful perspective twist, each episode changes formats to reflect each person’s answers to police questions. Turning from musical to rom-com to animation, The Afterparty is an engrossing genre feast held together by a magnetic whodunnit.
Little America (2020)
1 Season
Genre
Drama, Comedy
Created by
Lee Eisenberg
Depending on your perspective, you may find Little America either surprising or utterly unsurprising. Either way, it’s riveting. Little America is a touching anthology series that goes beyond hyperbolic headlines to tell the funny, moving stories of immigrants in America. Immigration is always a hot-button political issue and these individual stories turn banal arguments into relevant, human stories. Join Africans, Asians, and Latinos in heartfelt, high-spirited immigrant journeys that reveal a country’s many triumphs and pitfalls.
See (2019)
3 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure
Cast
Jason Momoa, Sylvia Hoeks, Hera Hilmar
Created by
Steven Knight
This epic action drama is set in a world large enough for Jason Momoa, who plays Baba Voss, the father of a set of twins born with sight in a world filled with blind people. The footage is truly epic and Momoa gives a great performance fighting against a blind world that does not take kindly to his children. Season 1 received average reviews but in Season 2, See takes off, pitting Voss and his younger brother Edo (Dave Bautista) as they stand up for an evolution of their race amidst a complicated political situation.
Mr. Corman (2021)
1 Season
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Cast
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Arturo Castro
Created by
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
The plot line for Mr. Corman seemingly describes modern life for just about every millennial: “Anxiety-ridden, the titular Mr. Corman questions what he’s doing with his life and whether he’s a good person that deserves good things.” Who can’t relate? Josh Corman (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is now a fifth-grade teacher after failing as a musician. He’s also reeling from a recent breakup, and the stress is bubbling into self-destructive behavior. The man feels like a ticking time bomb, going through the motions in tense relationships with students, family, and friends. “Accidents” happen, arising out of Corman’s uncaring and uncouth behavior. The man doesn’t seem to savor anything anymore, and is becoming a disappointment to the people around him. If this sounds desperate, it is, but amidst this disarray is a purpose that Mr. Corman seems to be stumbling toward. Apple chose not to re-up this show for a second season, but it’s worth it to take this relatable ride on its pessimistic 10-episode train.
Swagger (2021)
2 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Cast
O'Shea Jackson Jr., Isaiah R. Hill, Quvenzhané Wallis
Created by
Reggie Rock Bythewood
Too often we view the lives of elite athletes as gifts that should be easily managed and ignore the pressure that comes from being one of the chosen. Swagger sweeps away that myth completely. Isaiah R. Hill plays Jace Carson, a basketball prodigy who must navigate the gauntlet of pressure and expectations if he’s going to overcome massive odds to embody what it truly means to have swagger. Inspired by the experiences of NBA superstar Kevin Durant, Reggie Rock Bythewood’s drama also stars O’Shea Jackson Jr. as a coach working in the high-stakes world of elite youth basketball. In this exploration of the AAU basketball world in the nation’s capital, players, families, and coaches all walk a fine line between dreams and ambition, and opportunism and corruption. Arriving ready to play, Swagger swings audiences right into the action and doesn’t let go until the final buzzer sounds.
Home Before Dark (2020)
2 Seasons
Genre
Mystery, Drama
Cast
Brooklynn Prince, Jim Sturgess, Abby Miller
Created by
Dana Fox, Dara Resnik Creasey
Home Before Dark has undeservedly flown under the radar on Apple TV+. After breaking out as a young star in 2017’s The Florida Project, Brooklynn Prince leads Home Before Dark as Hilde Lisko, a real-life teenage journalist. After moving from Brooklyn to the small lakeside town her father left behind, Lisko’s dogged pursuit of the solution to a decades-old cold case uncovers secrets that everyone in town, including her own father, tried hard to bury. Both the show’s mystery and another fantastic acting performance from Prince were met with critical acclaim. Join Lisko on the hunt in the appropriately named Erie Harbor and you won’t be able shake the story until the kid journalist cracks the case.
Pachinko (2022)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Cast
Youn Yuh-jung, Kim Min-ha, Lee Min-ho
Created by
Soo Hugh
Adapted from a novel of the same name, Pachinko tells the story of one Korean family over the course of an expansive history. The earliest part of the story is set in Japan in the 1930s, when Korean immigrants were heavily discriminated against and treated like second-class citizens. As this one family rises to prominence, we come to understand their shared history and the tragedies that have befallen them over the decades. It’s a moving, epic work that paints a firm portrait of an experience many Americans may be unfamiliar with, and one of the best shows on TV.
For All Mankind (2019)
3 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, War & Politics
Cast
Joel Kinnaman, Shantel VanSanten, Jodi Balfour
Created by
Ronald D. Moore, Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert
One of the first shows that Apple introduced upon its launch was For All Mankind, an alternate history that imagines what would have happened if the Soviets landed on the moon first. Because the show is about the space race, it features plenty of truly dazzling sequences set in outer space but it’s also a thrilling series that gradually reveals how a single event can reshape history. The show has jumped all the way into the 1990s now, and while its third season was not quite as stellar as the first two, it remains a remarkably compelling drama in part because of its carefully choreographed climactic set pieces.
Silo (2023)
1 Season
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama
Cast
Rebecca Ferguson, Common, Harriet Walter
Created by
Graham Yost
One of the newest shows on Apple TV+, Silo is set in a post-apocalyptic future where a community is living inside the refuge of a silo that is hundreds of stories deep. Inside the silo, the members of this community are told to follow strict rules that they believe were created to keep them safe. As the show unfolds, though, we begin to understand that there are lots of secrets being kept in this particular dystopian future. Starring a better-than-ever Rebecca Ferguson in the lead role, Silo is the kind of sci-fi show that keeps you coming back for more.
CODA (2021)
112m
Genre
Drama, Music, Romance
Stars
Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur
Directed by
Siân Heder
This surprising best picture winner tells the story of a hearing child of deaf adults who finds herself torn between her passion for music and her obligations to her family. While the story certainly has some conventional beats, CODA really soars in the specificity of each of its characters, and in its New England setting. The performances across the board are excellent here, as is the sharp direction that allows you to understand how alienated the movie’s deaf characters are by their daughter’s love of music. Not everything about CODA works, but it packs the kind of emotional wallop that few movies can deliver.
Causeway (2022)
96m
Genre
Drama
Stars
Jennifer Lawrence, Brian Tyree Henry, Linda Emond
Directed by
Lila Neugebauer
Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bryan Tyree Henry, Causeway is a relatively low-key film that nonetheless feels like carefully considered Apple TV movie. The movie follows Lawrence, an Iraq war veteran who is forced to return to her home in New Orleans after being hit by a roadside bomb. Lawrence’s character has complicated feelings about coming back home, but she strikes up a friendship with a mechanic who has also lived through trauma. Causeway is really a gentle story about the difficulty of moving forward, and how often what you really need is a friend to push you along on that journey.
Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)
108m
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Stars
Cooper Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt
Directed by
Cooper Raiff
Telling the story of a young man fresh out of college who finds work as a party starter in New Jersey, Cha Cha Real Smooth is another small, intimate story that nonetheless has pretty incredible emotional sweep. Cooper Raiff wrote, directed, and stars in this movie alongside Dakota Johnson, and the flirtatious energy between the two of them is incredible. Cha Cha Real Smooth served as proof that Raiff is someone to look out for, but even more crucially, it serves as an important reminder that Dakota Johnson is one of the best actors working today. Together, they make something truly special, and one of the best Apple movies.
Hijack (2023)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Cast
Idris Elba, Neil Maskell, Eve Myles
Created by
Jim Field Smith, George Kay
Telling the story of a flight that is hijacked, Hijack is a tense thriller that leverages everything Idris Elba is capable of as an actor. Elba plays a corporate negotiator who tries to navigate the hijacking to his own ends. Although the show is not exactly high art, Hijack is exactly what you need if you’re looking for a chill hang. It’s tense, pretty easy to follow, and features a genuinely great lead performance.
Slow Horses (2022)
3 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Crime
Cast
Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas
A spy show in the most traditional sense, Slow Horses is adapted from a series of novels and follows a misbegotten crew of MI5 agents who are nonetheless charged with protecting their country from a variety of sinister forces. With a sloppy, wonderful performance from Gary Oldman at its center, Slow Horses is both deeply compelling and often wildly entertaining. Great spy shows are hard to come by, and Slow Horses is both totally distinct and deeply comforting.
Flora and Son (2023)
97m
Genre
Music, Comedy, Drama
Stars
Eve Hewson, Orén Kinlan, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Directed by
John Carney
Director John Carney is best known for his ability to use music to tell heartfelt, beautiful stories, and he manages to do that yet again with Flora and Son. The movie follows a young Irish mother dealing with her adolescent son, her own sense of purposelessness, and a new relationship she’s developing with her American guitar teacher. Thanks to some solid songwriting, a great central performance from Eve Hewson, and a good script, Flora and Son manages to be sweet and acidic in just the right combination.
Shrinking (2023)
1 Season
Genre
Comedy
Cast
Jason Segel, Jessica Williams, Luke Tennie
Created by
Brett Goldstein, Jason Segel, Bill Lawrence
The idea of a comedy about grief may be a hard sell, but Shrinking manages to battle its conflicting tones beautifully. Starring Jason Segel, Harrison Ford, and Jessica Williams, the series follows a therapist who decides to start being radically honest with his patients about their lives in the aftermath of his wife’s death. Segel is brilliant in the central role, but Shriking is also a reminder that, even at 80, Harrison Ford is one of the most compelling actors alive today.
What new shows and movies are coming to Apple TV+ in December?
December 15
- The Family Plan (movie)
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