Since its launch half a decade ago, Apple TV+ has built up a strong reputation for adopting a quality over quantity approach in order to deliver some of the best shows and documentaries streaming has to offer. It's a platform filled wall-to-wall with lavish productions to watch and auteur filmmakers to appreciate, star-studded weekly-drop series to devour and cutting edge documentaries you simply must see.
It's because of this that, despite the vast content libraries of Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video, the house that Tim Cook built has become many a discerning viewer's chosen streaming home. Now, we know what you're thinking: with so many buzzy shows and docs to pick from, wouldn't it be great if there existed some sort of nifty, hand-curated guide to the best the streamer has to offer?
Well, whaddaya know? Team Empire have pooled the expertise of our crack team of critics from the world's biggest film and TV magazine to give you just that — a comprehensive guide to the best shows and documentaries you can watch on Apple TV+ right now. So whether you’re after a Philly set crime saga (Dope Thief), a satirical swipe at Hollywood (The Studio), a deep-dive into the lives of your favourite stars (Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie), some must-see sci-fi (Silo, Severance, Foundation, For All Mankind, Dark M— you get the idea), or some wackadoodle meta musical madness (Schmigadoon), you’ve come to the right place. This list is presented in no particular order, by the way — otherwise Silo would've been first, naturally!
While you’re here, if you're after more recommendations to help you really get the biggest bang for your streaming subscription buck, then check out our lists of what to watch on Disney+, and the best movies and TV shows on Netflix UK.
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The 45 Best Shows On Apple TV+ Right Now (April 2025)
EMPIRE'S PICK OF THE MONTH: The Studio
Showrunner/Creator(s): Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Starring: Seth Rogen, Catherine O'Hara, Kathryn Hahn, Bryan Cranston, Ike Barinholtz, Chase Sui Wonders, Martin Scorsese
What would you get if you took the side-splitting inside baseball satire of The Player, the relentless stress of Uncut Gems, and channelled them into a star-studded sit-com shot entirely in oners? The answer is Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's The Studio, which sees Rogen star as Matt Remick, the newly appointed and instantly regret-filled head of fictitious legacy studio Continental. Unspooling across ten gleefully chaotic episodes, the show follows Remick and his team (Kathryn Hahn! Ike Barinholtz! Chase Sui Wonders! Catherine O'Hara!!) as they try and get movies made without pissing off the talent. Cue calamitous capers involving a Martin Scorsese Kool-Aid movie, Olivia Wilde and Zac Efron getting caught up in a riff on Chinatown, and Rogen's likeable but blundering exec going toe-to-toe with Ron Howard, Ice Cube, Zoë Kravitz, and many, many more, all playing wickedly heightened versions of themselves. It's just as brilliant — and as bananas — as it sounds, an expletive filled love letter to Hollywood.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of The Studio.
Dope Thief
Creator/Showrunner: Peter Craig
Starring: Brian Tyree Henry, Wagner Moura, Marin Ireland, Nesta Cooper, Ving Rhames, Kate Mulgrew
Dope Thief, the latest work from The Town and The Batman co-writer Peter Craig, is a tale of two halves that adds up to a hell of a whole. On the one hand, Craig's series — based on Dennis Tafoya's bestselling book and boasting a season premiere directed by none other than Sir Ridley Scott — is a riveting crime thriller about two Philly felons whose grift, posing as DEA agents to shake down small-time dealers, comes catastrophically undone when they pick the wrong mark. On the other, it's a darkly humorous sort-of buddy comedy driven by the magnetic chemistry shared by Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura, who really put said Philly felons' friendship — and their wider familial relationships — through the wringer amid a heady mix of torture, extortion, and inappropriately timed but exquisitely placed banter. Combine the two and you've got yourself a recipe for pure televisual crack.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Dope Thief.
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Showrunner/Creator: Alfonso Cuarón
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Leila George, Sacha Baron Cohen, Louis Partridge
An incredibly well calibrated, needling look at the power of the stories we tell ourselves to give life meaning — and the stories we conceal to preserve life’s meaning when tales grow taller and the past’s shadows begin to obscure the present’s light — Alfonso Cuarón’s first TV offering in a decade was well worth the wait. Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline are on extraordinary form here as a journalist with a secret and the man bent on said secret’s discovery, but really there isn’t a weak link to be found among an ensemble featuring Sacha Baron Cohen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Leila George, and Louis Partridge, all of whom provide indelible texture to Cuarón’s labyrinthine, chronologically tricksy thriller. This is a mature, psychosexually charged, morally ambiguous work of prestige drama on Cuarón’s part, sure. But it’s also a series with a rich vein of wicked humour, that excites, titillates, and entertains as its dual timelines converge in increasingly dizzying, dramatically potent ways. Disclaimer: Once you start watching, you won’t be able to stop.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Silo
Showrunner/Creator: Graham Yost
Starring: Rebecca Ferguson, David Oyelowo, Common, Tim Robbins, Harriet Walter, Chinaza Uche
A cerebral puzzle-box mystery wrapped in a stunningly realised post-apocalyptic dystopian thriller, Silo is a masterfully handled screen translation of Hugh Howey’s best-selling book series. Set in a near-future where an apocalyptic event has seemingly driven the remnants of humanity to an underground bunker known only as the Silo, the elliptically structured series follows a sheriff (David Oyelowo) and an engineer (Rebecca Ferguson) as they seek to unearth the truth of the who, what, where, when, and why that led to the Sillo’s creation. Over its ten episodes, the series nimbly weaves political, philosophical, and procedural elements into its impressive narrative tapestry, all whilst sustaining a central mystery that genuinely keeps you guessing to the last. And the result? Easily one of the most absorbing viewing experiences of 2023. And with Season 2 delivering the goods ahead of an already shooting Season 3 and 4, there's plenty more to dig into yet.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Silo.
Shrinking
Showrunner/Creator: Bill Lawrence & Brett Goldstein
Starring: Jason Segel, Jessica Williams, Harrison Ford, Luke Tennie, Michael Urie, Lukita Maxwell
Having successfully disguised a weekly therapy session as a football sit-com with Ted Lasso, Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein lose the illusion for Shrinking, which puts therapists - namely grieving shrink Jimmy (co-creator Jason Segel) - front and centre. Mourning the loss of his wife, the series sees Jimmy throw off his training and ethical obligations as he tells his clients straight-up what he thinks about their struggles, ultimately changing their lives - and his own - for the better. It’s a killer hook to hang what we’re dubbing a ‘melancomedy’ on, creating the perfect space for moments of catharsis and carnage to sit side-by-side. The real revelation of the show though is surely Harrison Ford, who brilliantly flexes both his comic and dramatic chops as Jimmy’s curmudgeonly colleague and mentor Paul. By the end of the show's expansive second season, it's hard to think of many better feel-good shows about feeling bad on the box right now.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Shrinking.
Severance
Showrunner/Creator: Dan Erickson
Starring: Adam Scott, John Turturro, Britt Lower, Christopher Walken, Patricia Arquette, Zach Cherry
Bare white walls, endless maze-like hallways and awkward social interactions make up the curious world of Severance – one where office workers like Mark (Adam Scott), Irving (John Turturro) and newcomer Helly (Britt Lower) consent to a procedure that completely severs their work self from their personal one. It's a high-concept premise, delivered in a surreal, high-concept way. It might seem a little cold at first, but as the mystery of Lumon Industries unravels and we understand the implications of this most drastic approach to achieving work/life balance, Severance becomes an incredibly intriguing, unbearably tense ride, fleshed out with endlessly compelling characters. The recently, finally released Season 2 only sees the plot — and Severance's many, many mysteries — thicken. It looks like we're innie this one for the long haul, folks.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Severance.
Bad Monkey
Showrunner/Creator: Bill Lawrence
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Michelle Monaghan, Rob Delaney, Jodie Turner-Smith
Have you ever wondered what Death In Paradise would be like if it were set in the Florida Keys/Bahamas, created by the man behind Scrubs, and starred Vince Vaughn instead of Nick from My Family? Well, wonder no more! In Bill Lawrence’s Bad Monkey, Vaughn is on typically smart-ass form as Andrew Yancy, a former Miami detective-turned-food inspector who spies a chance to get his old job back when he happens upon a case involving a mysterious severed arm. The case itself — which quickly spirals out of control as Russian mobsters and voodoo magic are thrown into the mix — is twisty, turny fare that’s engaging if not constantly gripping. But it’s the show’s game ensemble (Michelle Monaghan! Rob Delaney! Jodie Turner-Smith!) and oddball characters, married with its dextrous genre balance between both its crime and comedy elements, that makes it well worth the trip.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Bad Monkey.
Sugar
Showrunner/Creator: Mark Protosevich
Starring: Colin Farrell, Sydney Chandler, James Cromwell, Amy Ryan, Nate Corddry, Kirby Howell-Baptiste
The mystery of a missing woman and a haunted hero lay at the heart of Sugar, a contemporary LA noir made in the mould of the genre’s greats. The hero’s John Sugar (Colin Farrell on Bogie-worthy world-weary form), a private investigator with a love for old movies and a penchant for hardboiled narration; he’s the kind of guy who says “I don’t like hurting people” whilst always holding his fists clenched. The missing woman is Olivia Siegel (Sydney Chandler), granddaughter of a legendary Hollywood producer (James Cromwell). As a trope-heavy dark side of Hollywood tale involving exploitation, extortion, crosses, and double-crosses, the series’ front half largely coasts by on the strength of its stylish production and Farrell’s insouciant cool. But stick with it and you’ll be rewarded with an out of this world twist that takes this love-letter to film noir to a totally unexpected place.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Sugar.
Dark Matter
Showrunner/Creator: Blake Crouch
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Connelly, Oakes Fegley, Alice Braga, Jimmi Simpson, Dayo Okeniyi
Apple’s second quantum superposition-based sci-fi series in as many months, Dark Matter — adapted by Blake Crouch from his own reality-bending bestseller — is a gripping adult-orientated thriller told on a multiversal scale. Joel Edgerton stars as Jason Dessen, a physics teacher whose happy-if-humdrum existence with wife Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) and son Charlie (Oakes Fegley) is turned upside down when, after being abducted and drugged at gunpoint, he wakes up and finds himself living a different life in a different world. It’s a fascinating take on the many-worlds interpretation, with Jason forced to consider the roads not taken as he travels through his alternate lives, desperately trying to get back home. Despite occasionally bowing under the strain of its many thematic threads, Crouch’s show — buoyed by Edgerton’s layered lead performance and the juiciness of its central “What if?” premise — is accessible and engaging throughout. Well worth a watch in any universe.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Dark Matter.
STEVE! (Martin) A Documentary In 2 Pieces
Director: Morgan Neville
Legendary comedian, actor, writer, art collector, and musician Steve Martin is, as that one album (and a book by our very own leader Nick De Semlyen) once observed, a wild and crazy guy. It makes perfect sense then that documentarian Morgan Neville takes a kinda wild and crazy approach to telling his subject’s story. Bisected into two 90-minute features, Neville’s film(s) chart Martin’s ascent from surrealist TV stand-up and one-time Disneyland magic-shop worker to Hollywood star, and then from Hollywood star to a septuagenarian icon reflecting on his life, legacy, and relationship to his own legend. The first half breezes by at a fair clip and is filled with brilliant archival material, but it’s the back-half — in which the ordinarily intensely private Martin opens up and displays a surprising emotional vulnerability — that really astonishes. It’s a maverick filmmaking effort, and no less than a maverick like Steve Martin deserves.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of STEVE! A Documentary In 2 Pieces.
Manhunt
Showrunner/Creator: Monica Beletsky
Starring: Tobias Menzies, Anthony Boyle
With Manhunt — aka_The Assassination Of President Abraham Lincoln By The Coward John Wilkes Booth_ (as nobody but us is calling it) — showrunner Monica Beletsky explores in exacting detail the killing of the 16th President of the United States in 1865 and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton’s (Tobias Menzies) subsequent hunt for his killer (Anthony Boyle). Adapted from James L. Swanson’s best-selling book Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase For Lincoln’s Killer, Beletsky’s series seamlessly combines the mechanics of a police procedural, the knotty plotting of a political thriller, and a real dirt-beneath-the-nails approach to American history in order to paint a compelling picture of the state of the nation, both then and now. Despite the who, what, where, when, and why of it all being no mystery to most viewers, Menzies’ formidable central performance and Beletsky’s dynamic, chronologically ambitious storytelling approach imbue this 159-year-old case with a real contemporary resonance.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Manhunt.
Palm Royale
Showrunner/Creator: Abe Sylvia
Starring: Kristen Wiig, Ricky Martin, Allison Janney, Josh Lucas, Leslie Bibb, Laura Dern
Camp, clever, and oh so stylish, Palm Royale is a lavish adaptation of Juliet McDaniel’s Mr & Mrs. American Pie that’ll surely keep you coming back for more. Set in Florida, 1969, the series — a soapy comedy with real serrated satirical edge — follows penniless dreamer Maxine Simmons (Kristen Wiig) as she desperately tries to lie, cheat, and steal her way into the luxurious Palm Royale high society resort club. Wiig anchors the series exceptionally, finding pathos and evoking pity in the outwardly otherwise narcissistic Maxine. And she’s backed up by one heck of a supporting cast, whose highlights include Laura Dern as hippy feminist Linda, Allison Janney’s scenery chewing über-snob Evelyn, and… uhh… Ricky Martin (yes, that Ricky Martin) as buff and brooding bartender Robert. The gorgeous production design and costuming alone would’ve been more than enough to have us hooked here honestly; that the game ensemble and compelling social commentary substantiate the style so satisfyingly is just the cherry on the cake (or in the cocktail.)
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Palm Royale.
Constellation
Showrunner/Creator: Peter Harness
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Jonathan Banks, James D'Arcy, Rosie Coleman, Davina Coleman, Julian Looman
Profoundly strange, narratively obtuse, and very deliberately paced, writer-creator Peter Harness’ Constellation is a noodle-twisting sci-fi thriller that may demand patience from its viewers but only because it earns it. The series follows Noomi Rapace’s astronaut Jo Ericsson, who returns to Earth after an accident aboard the ISS only to find the life she once knew upended in ways both small and seismic. Rapace grounds the chronologically discombobulating early episodes, Jo’s rising panic and confusion mirroring our own as plot threads appear and disappear in a haze of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey shenanigans and seeming hallucinations. It’s a bold, occasionally infuriating storytelling gambit on Harness’ part, eased by a magnetic ensemble. In particular, twins Davina and Rosie Coleman are extraordinary as Jo's daughter Alice, and it is that mother-daughter bond which forms the show's emotional core. And when Harness does eventually reveal what exactly is going on here... well, we're still yet to pick up our jaws from the floor.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Constellation.
Masters Of The Air
Showrunner/Creator: John Orloff, Steven Spielberg (EP), Tom Hanks (EP)
Starring: Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Ncuti Gateau, Barry Keoghan, Nate Mann
The hair-raising heroics of the 100th Bomb Group of the USAAF — an air force unit nicknamed the 'Bloody Hundredth' for good reason — provide the basis for this alternately tense, thrilling, tearjerking, and jaw-slackening new WWII series from the brains behind Band Of Brothers and The Pacific. Austin Butler and Callum Turner lead a powerhouse ensemble (Ncuti Gatwa, Barry Keoghan, and Nate Mann all co-star — and shine — here) as Majors Gale ‘Buck’ Cleven and John ‘Bucky’ Egan, a dynamic duo whose impeccable chemistry grounds the show even as we take to the skies with the Bloody Hundredth in a series of dazzling raids and mêlées. Filled with heart and helmed by master craftsmen such as Cary Joji Fukunaga and Band Of Brothers veteran Tim Van Patten, Masters Of The Air soars as both a throwback to old-school American war epics and as a contemporary reminder of the human cost paid — and the courage displayed — in history's bloodiest conflict.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Masters Of The Air.
Slow Horses
Showrunner/Creator: Will Smith
Starring: Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas, Olivia Cooke, Rosalind Eleazar, Aimee Ffion-Edwards
It's sometimes seen as the anti-le Carré, but this show, adapted from Mick Herron's novel series, is more a natural descendant, blending dark, very British comedy with spy craft. Le Carré-on, then. Anchored by Gary Oldman playing every burping, farting note of chief agent Jackson Lamb, Slow Horses follows a group of MI5 types who've all screwed up in their careers and are banished to "Slough House": a scummy satellite office that sits far from the agency's top stars in their shiny Regent's Park base. And yet, this team gets things done, solving a tricky kidnapping case. A stacked cast (Jack Lowden, Saskia Reeves, Olivia Cooke, Kristin Scott Thomas and many more) ensure the performances match the sly scripts. Following a fantastic Season 2 and a frankly astounding Season 3 and 4, we're unsurprised a fifth and sixth season with Lamb and co are already in the works. Don't you just love the smell of musty storage rooms in the morning?
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Slow Horses.
Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters
Showrunner/Creator: Chris Black, Matt Fraction
Starring: Anna Sawai, Wyatt Russell, Kurt Russell, Ren Watabe, Kiersey Clemons, Joe Tippett
Combining blockbuster scale (and budget) with longform storytelling, Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters - a TV take on the cinematic MonsterVerse - decentres its kaiju star attractions to dig a little deeper into the origins of the cryptozoological cabal who investigate them. Headlined by the inspired casting of Kurt and Wyatt Russell as older and younger versions of Monarch man Lieutenant Lee Shaw, the show - set in the aftermath of 2014’s Godzilla - tells an ambitious, character-driven story, delving into the human cost of citywide beastie brawls whilst gradually unspooling Monarch’s many secrets. It also just so happens to be an insanely lavish, timeline- and globe-trotting series featuring breathtaking location work across Japan, the Philippines, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Alaska, Utah, and San Francisco. The human factor adds an interesting new wrinkle to the MonsterVerse’s scaly tapestry, whilst the big bois - when they do eventually appear - do not disappoint. GOJIRAAAAAA!!!
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters.
Lessons In Chemistry
Showrunner/Creator: Lee Eisenberg
Starring: Brie Larson, Lewis Pullman, Aja Naomi King, Stephanie Koenig, Patrick Walker
Having beaten Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, and joined the faaaamily to take on Jason Momoa’s Dante in Fast X, Brie Larson faces her greatest foe yet in Lessons In Chemistry - the patriarchy! Adapted from Bonnie Garmus’ eponymous bestselling novel, the series centres around Elizabeth Zott (Larson), a brilliant chemist and talented cook living in the male-dominated world of 1950s America. Forced out of her PhD and languishing as a lab-tech in a workplace filled with mediocre men, an unexpected chain of events propels Elizabeth into the limelight as the host of a TV cooking show, where she educates America on a fair bit more than merely the fine art of julienning carrots. Buoyed by a brilliant, winning lead performance from Larson and its jaw-slackeningly luscious period detailing - not to mention the serotonin summoning cooking scenes - this is pure televisual comfort food.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Lessons In Chemistry.
The Pigeon Tunnel
Director: Errol Morris
Better known to the world as master spy fiction writer John Le Carré, actual former MI5 (and 6!) spook David Corrnwell makes for a fascinating interview subject in documentarian Errol Morris’ The Pigeon Tunnel. Shot like its own espionage epic - complete with ingeniously caught close-ups and dynamic, evocative camerawork - Morris and Cornwell engage in their own game of cat-and-mouse as the two infamously cagey masters of their respective craft get candid. As much an interrogation of the lines between art and artist as a soup-to-nuts doc about the man behind Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, Le Carré’s final interview is every bit as gripping and enigmatic as any of the author’s works. A real must-see, whether you’re a dyed-in-the-wool Carré fan or you think Smiley is one of Snow White’s seven dwarves.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of The Pigeon Tunnel.
Hijack
Showrunner/Creator: Jim Field Smith, George Kay
Starring: Idris Elba, Neil Maskell, Eve Myles, Max Beesley, Ben Miles, Zora Bishop
Forget snakes, it’s Idris On A Plane we’re here for - and that’s exactly what we get in real-time thriller Hijack. Idris Elba takes to the skies here as businessman Sam Nelson, a cool-as-you-like businessman who becomes an impromptu negotiator when a Neil Maskell-led band of ne’er-do-wells turn a Blighty-bound flight from Dubai into a full-blown hostage situation. As ground control scramble to figure out exactly what’s going on and Sam tries to get a handle on things in the air, the entire event plays out minute by unbearably tense minute before our very eyes, 24 style. Despite some frankly insane logical leaps as the show races towards its bonkers climax, uniformly great performances and a propulsive script make this real edge-of-your-seat stuff from start to finish.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Hijack.
Platonic
Showrunner/Creator: Francesca Delbanco, Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne
Bad Neighbours co-stars Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne star as two former best friends who reconnect in their mid-life in charisma-driven comedy Platonic. Right from their initial awkward coffee shop reunion, it’s all too clear that stay-at-home mum Sylvia (Byrne) and L.A. based bartender Will (Rogen) have fallen back into each other’s lives at just the right time, leading the duo to BFF it up in a series of silly comic capers that largely serve to distract from their own middle-aged hang-ups. The joy of the series is two-fold: firstly, it’s refreshingly low-stakes and greatly leavened by the lack of any real overarching themes or messages to deliver; and secondly, Rogen and Byrne just have fantastic on-screen chemistry, their merciless ribbing of - and riffing off - one another making them a real pleasure to hang out with.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
The Crowded Room
Showrunner/Creator: Akiva Goldsman
Starring: Tom Holland, Amanda Seyfried, Sasha Lane, Will Chase, Jason Isaacs (Hello!), Zachary Golinger
Inspired by a best-selling Daniel Keyes book, The Crowded Room - written and created by Akiva Goldsman (Star Trek: Picard, Strange New Worlds) - is a psychological mystery-cum-character-study set in '70s New York. Tom Holland stars here as Danny, a troubled young man who we first meet during an attempted shooting at the Rockefeller Center. Later, we rejoin him as Amanda Seyfried’s empathetic interrogator Rya questions him about the incident, shining a light on Danny’s turbulent childhood in the process. It's a handsomely mounted, slickly stylised production, and Holland gives a career-best performance as he really digs into the many layers of Danny’s fractured psyche. Forgiving its occasional sensationalist flourishes, the show also offers an incredibly timely commentary on the way society stigmatises mental health issues, starting a conversation that more than justifies your investment.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of The Crowded Room.
Black Bird
Showrunner/Creator: Dennis Lehane
Starring: Taron Egerton, Paul Walter Hauser, Greg Kinnear, Ray Liotta
The ‘trafficking drugs and disappointing your policeman father as you stare down the barrel of 10 years in the slammer to cutting a deal with the FBI to enter a maximum security joint and befriend a serial killer’ pipeline is a niche one, we’ll concede. But it is the one crook Jimmy Keene - whose explosive memoir is the basis for Dennis Lehane’s lacerating police procedural-cum-prison drama Black Bird - took. Rocketman’s Taron Egerton brings abundant natural charisma to the role of Keene as we follow the career criminal on his crooked path to freedom, which involves several uneasy encounters with “creepy as all fuck” serial killer Larry, played by a skin-crawlingly creepy, wispy-voiced Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewell). Whilst the performances across the board are exceptional however, a special mention has to be given to the late, great Ray Liotta, whose richly textured turn as Jimmy’s regret-filled father is a real stand-out.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Black Bird.
Schmigadoon!
Showrunner/Creator: Ken Daurio, Cinco Paul
Starring: Keegan-Michael Key, Cecily Strong, Dove Cameron, Alan Cumming, Ariana DeBose, Aaron Tveit
Perhaps one of Apple TV’s most outré offerings, Schmigadoon! Is an inspired musical theatre satire that, season by season, simultaneously sends up and celebrates different eras in musical history. Keegan-Michael Key (Wendell & Wild) and Cecily Strong star as married couple Josh and Mel, whose backpacking trip to save their relationship unexpectedly leads them to Schmigadoon, a thespian dreamland torn straight from the Golden Age. Boasting a stacked cast of stage and screen musical stars - Kristin Chenoweth, Ariana DeBose, Alan Cumming, Aaron Tveit to name just a few - and a banger-filled soundtrack with a surprising amount of genre-critical bite, whether you love or hate musicals you can enjoy this. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, what if we also told you the second series - Schmicago - pushes the needle forward to the 60s and 70s and is a Fosse-inspired noirish delight, complete with its own Cell Block Tango homage? Schmimply Schmincredible.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
Director: Davis Guggenheim
Despite his already well-documented battle with Parkinson’s disease, Michael J. Fox remains the consummate movie star through and through, a man of infinite charisma and magnetic charm. Davis Guggenheim’s playfully titled Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, a documentary about a man who’s always been making moves one way or another, channels that star power spectacularly. Head-spinningly well edited and ingeniously put together, Guggenheim’s account of Fox’s rise to prominence and journey with Parkinson’s, largely related by the man himself, is characterised by a rich vein of humour and a mean self-effacing streak that takes the bitter sting out of a sobering tale without reducing its emotional punch. Like the Back To The Future star at its centre, Still is a real crowd pleaser that’ll make you laugh, make you cry, and leave you begging for more.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.
Drops Of God
Showrunner/Creator: Quoc Dang Tran
Starring: Fleur Geffrier, Tomohisa Yamashita
Oenological one-upmanship is the order of the day in Drops Of God, an unlikely adaptation of an even unlikelier smash-hit manga series about, er, wine. Unfolding as a sort of sensorily stimulating sommelier Succession (try saying that after a few red Burgundys), this Franco-Japanese co-production concerns the decision of who will be the beneficiary of renowned wine critic Alexandre Léger’s $148 million hoard. Vying for the treasure are Léger’s estranged daughter Camille (Fleur Geffrier), whose upbringing has given her a visceral aversion to the grapey good stuff, and his Japanese apprentice, Issei (Tomohisa Yamashita), a world-class oenologist with his own baggage. As the pair are put through their wine-tasting paces in a series of tests to determine the recipient of Léger’s riches, compelling familial drama and striking surrealist flourishes swirl around, giving the series a flamboyant, full-bodied international flavour. Santé! Kanpai!
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Bad Sisters
Showrunner/Creator: Brett Baer, Dave Finkel, Sharon Horgan
Starring: Sharon Horgan, Claes Bang, Eve Hewson, Sarah Greene, Eva Birthistle, Anne-Marie Duff
The first episode of Bad Sisters begins with the, err, stiff corpse of Claes Bang’s odious bully John Paul providing the backdrop to a title card that simply reads “The Prick”. It’s an opening gambit that instantly sets the tone for a blacker than black dramedy with co-creator and star Sharon Horgan’s inimitable stamp upon it. Part-murder mystery, part-farce, the series fluidly flits between past and present as five sisters - Eva (Horgan), Becka (Eve Hewson), Bibi (Sarah Greene), Ursula (Eva Birthistle), and John Paul’s downtrodden widow Grace (Anne-Marie Duff) - find themselves at the heart of a life insurance investigation. With an absolutely killer cast and a perfectly pitched sense of precision-engineered chaos both in the plotting and the characterwork, this is an engrossing mystery that’s just as concerned with the why and how as the whodunnit. And Season 2 is pretty killer, too. (Sorry, not sorry.)
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Bad Sisters.
Beastie Boys Story
Director: Spike Jonze
Directed by renowned filmmaker and music videographer Spike Jonze (Her, Jackass Forever), Beastie Boys Story is exactly what its title suggests, the soup to nuts story of how Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "MCA" Yauch, and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz - three white dorks from New York City - changed hip-hop forever. Filmed at Kings Theatre, Brooklyn, Mike D and Ad-Rock’s two-man show combines a tongue-in-cheek TED Talk presentational style with carefully selected archive footage, surprising needledrops, and abundant moments of humour, introspection, and emotional rawness - especially as Diamond and Horovitz talk candidly and share stories about their much-missed friend MCA. The closest thing to the definitive article on the band we’ve seen on screen yet, Jonze’s camera lets the guys to tell their own story, on their own terms, and set the record straight (with the odd scratch for shits and giggles). It’s simply delivered yet incredibly effective - cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Beastie Boys Story.
The Essex Serpent
Showrunner/Creator: Clio Barnard
Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Claire Danes
With a megawatt cast, lavish production values, and British filmmaking great Clio Barnard in the director's chair, The Essex Serpent is a prime example of how Apple TV+ is making its mark in the streaming world – going big with the budget, bringing in top-tier talent, and trusting its audience with slow-burn storytelling. Based on Sarah Perry's award-winning historical novel, the series stars Claire Danes as Cora, a newly-widowed naturalist drawn to Essex by rumours of a dangerous sea creature; Tom Hiddleston is William, a pastor who refuses to believe in the mythical titular serpent. Together they form an unlikely but deep bond, their romance eked out irresistibly against the backdrop of clashing morals, social panic and era-specific struggles. A gorgeous, Gothic delight that brought the genius of Barnard to the small screen.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of The Essex Serpent.
Ted Lasso
Showrunner/Creator: Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Bill Lawrence
Starring: Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Nick Mohammed, Brett Goldstein, Phil Dunster
Apple's surprise jewel in the crown came out of seemingly nowhere, and proved something of a lifeline during the pandemic – momentarily keeping the doom scrolling at bay with its earnest portrayal of a bunch of people trying to do their best. Jason Sudeikis deserved (and got) all the awards as the moustachioed American football (or, 'soccer') coach tasked with shaking AFC Richmond into shape while wrestling with a messy divorce. With football serving as more of a peripheral theme, Ted Lasso instead spotlights its band of charming, imperfect characters, from Brett Goldstein's foul-mouthed old-soul-with-a-heart-of-gold, Roy, to Juno Temple's peppy entrepreneurial model Keeley, to Nathan “Nate The Great” Shelley, brought beautifully to life over the course of the show’s three seasons by Nick Mohammed. If the Lasso way is wrong, it’s hard to imagine being right!
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Ted Lasso.
For All Mankind
Showrunner/Creator: Ronald D. Moore
Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Wrenn Schmidt, Krys Marshall, Cynthy Wu
Originally sparked by the compelling alt-history concept of Russia beating America to the Moon in the 1960s space race, For All Mankind spins its timeline in an ever-expanding arc away from ours as the world's boosted interest in space tech sparks societal change. Created by Star Trekand Battlestar Galactica veteran Ronald D. Moore — plus former Fargo writers Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolpert — the show mixes riveting, scientifically-accurate space action with layered characters who age through the seasons and deal with their various dramas on Earth, which also leak into their work. It jumps ahead roughly a decade each season and in the most recent fourth instalment, the show deals with the aftermath of humanity's race to Mars. This is superior sci-fi — hailed by its devoted fans as the greatest show on right now that far too few people are watching.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of For All Mankind.
The Afterparty
Showrunner/Creator: Christopher Miller
Starring: Dave Franco, Sam Richardson, Ben Schwartz, Ilana Glazer, Ike Barinholtz, Tiffany Haddish
Murder mysteries are enjoying something of a renaissance of late, and much like Rian Johnson's Poker Face, Christopher Miller's The Afterparty is a fun, fresh, highly entertaining take on the genre. Set during a school reunion that sees one of their classmates dead (the unbearable, Bieber-esque popstar Xavier, played impeccably by Dave Franco), a number of suspects including Aniq (Sam Richardson), Zoë (Zoë Chao), Yasper (Ben Schwartz), Chelsea (Ilana Glazer) and Brett (Ike Barinholtz) are questioned by Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) as she zeroes in on the culprit. The twist? Each person recounts their evening in a different genre — romcom, musical, animated, psychological thriller — giving every episode its own unique flavour, as well as playing out the whodunnit through-line. Haddish is having a whale of a time, Richardson marks himself as a wonderful leading man, and Jamie Demetriou is a scene-stealer as permanent outsider Walt. Don't be late to the (after)party — Season 2 is already here and it’s a real killer!
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of The Afterparty.
Pachinko
Showrunner/Creator: Soo Hugh
Starring: Kim Min-ha, Youn Yuh-jung, Jin Ha
TV truly does not get more epic, emotional, or beautifully made than Pachinko. Adapted from Min Jin Lee's best-selling book, it tells the story of one family across several generations; in one thread, young Sunja (Kim Min-ha) uproots her life in rural Korea and moves to the urban, unwelcoming Japan; in another, she's much older (played by Oscar-winning Minari standout Youn Yuh-jung) and is visited by her ambitious banker grandson Salomon (Jin Ha), who's beginning to form a deeper connection with his family's past lives. As well as delivering an authentic depiction of the Korean immigrant experience during the Japanese occupation and its after-effects, Pachinko is a sweeping romance, an intense drama, and a simply stunning piece of filmmaking. Plus, it gives Peacemaker a run for its money for 2022's most fun title sequence.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Pachinko.
Defending Jacob
Showrunner/Creator: Mark Bomback
Starring: Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, JK Simmons, Betty Gabriel, Cherry Jones
In one of his first roles post-Captain America, Chris Evans keeps the Infinity War-era beard (yay!) but puts in a very different turn – this time as a father having to defend his teen son Jacob (Jaeden Martell, perhaps best known for both chapters of IT) who's been accused of murdering schoolmate Ben. While Evans' Andy and his wife Laurie (Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery) prepare to protect their family from the intense scrutiny of the media, the townsfolk, and the murder trial, they're left wrestling with the ultimate question: What if he did do it? Adapted from Williams Landay's novel into a standalone miniseries, Defending Jacob is a slick, star-studded thriller with all the twists and turns you'd expect given its page-turner origins, bolstered by an excellent supporting cast (JK Simmons! Cherry Jones! Get Out's Betty Gabriel!) and icy direction from Headhunters' Morten Tyldum.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Billie Eilish: The World's A Little Blurry
Director: RJ Cutler
Documentaries about musicians aren't new, but recent years have seen an influx of films where some of the world's biggest popstars share their rawness and vulnerability in a more up-close-and-personal way than we've ever seen before – Lady Gaga's Five Foot Two, Taylor Swift's Miss Americana and Katy Perry's Part Of Me, to name a few. With Billie Eilish: The World's A Little Blurry, this closeness feels intensified. Director RJ Cutler followed the teenage pop phenomenon for almost two and a half years, charting the making and release of her album 'When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?' and her propulsion into superstardom, climaxing in her 2020 Grammy awards sweep. Juxtaposing sold-out concerts with the small childhood bedroom in which Billie and brother Finneas make their magic, The World's A Little Blurry is especially potent given it is, perhaps, the first film of its kind to focus on a star so familiar with living their life through a camera, with the lens of social media such an ingrained presence.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Billie Eilish: The World's A Little Blurry.
Prehistoric Planet
If Jurassic World Dominion didn't quite give you the dinosaurs-in-the-wild rush that you hoped for, then Prehistoric Planet will delight you. Anyone who fondly remembers BBC favourites Walking With Dinosaurs and Walking With Beasts will get a huge kick out of this series, which takes the same dino-doc premise and ups the ante with contemporary science (feathered dinosaurs!), photo-real visual effects, and the likes of Jon Favreau, David Attenborough, and Hans Zimmer (as executive producer, narrator, and composer respectively) on board. Across five episodes, the series portrays slices of dino-life in a documentary style – depicting turkey-like Velociraptors prowling for prey on cliffs, broody Quetzalcoatlus' protecting their nests, and T-rexes swimming to find a new home. Yes, swimming. The science is mind-blowing, the presentation utterly believable, the effect entirely enchanting, and the second helping is even better than the first. Roarsome stuff!
Streaming now on Apple TV+
See
Showrunner/Creator: Steven Knight
Starring: Jason Momoa, Sylvia Hoeks, Hera Hilmar, Christian Camargo, Archie Madekwe, Nesta Cooper
One can only imagine the meeting in which Steven Knight pitched this post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama in which everyone in the world is blind and a mad queen wank-prays furiously before sending out witchfinders in search of sighted folk. However, despite its gonzo premise, the Peaky Blinders creator struck gold with See, with its rich world-building, inspired blind-fighting and engaging generational character drama. Shot on location in the Canadian wilds, every frame is stunning and Jason Momoa has created a hero for the ages in lethal paterfamilias Baba Voss. Watch it for the masturbatory piety; watch it for an epic Season 2 face off with Dave Bautista; watch it for the chance to witness a blind Momoa punch a grizzly bear. But watch it you must.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of See.
Dickinson
Showrunner/Creator: Alena Smith
Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Ella Hunt, Anna Baryshnikov, Adrian Enscoe, Jane Krakowski, Toby Huss
Astonishing actor, chart-topping singer, Oscar-nominated at just 15 – to say Hailee Steinfeld is an overachiever is one hell of an understatement. With Dickinson, she embodies revered American poet Emily Dickinson in her youth. A genius who was underappreciated in her own time, the series charts her grappling with her talents, her identity, and the kind of legacy she wishes to leave behind, expanding in scope in the final season by exploring her relationship to the Civil War raging around her. Surreal sequences that take us inside Emily's imagination and a modern approach to the dialogue keep the period setting feeling fresh, as does the queer romantic longing between Emily and her sister-in-law Sue, played by Ella Hunt. It's a remarkable vehicle for one of the greatest young actors of her generation, which also features rapper Wiz Khalifa as the personification of Death. Sold.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Dickinson.
Foundation
Showrunner/Creator: David Goyer
Starring: Lee Pace, Jared Harris, Leah Harvey, Lou Llobell, Terrence Mann, Laura Birn
Isaac Asimov's Foundation books are mind-blowing, boundary-pushing, and overflowing with radical ideas. They are not, however, packed with compelling character drama. David Goyer's adaptation changes all that, finding ingenious ways to keep a constant cast of characters in a galaxy-spanning saga set over a thousand years. Lavishly-staged, with effects, set, and costume design your average blockbuster would kill for, it depicts a future in which mankind has become decadent and corrupt, with a vast galactic empire ruled by a triumvirate of revolving clones (Lee Pace's Brother Day being the MVP). Then, Jared Harris' scientist predicts the fall of the Empire, the dynasty, and civilisation as they know it with his mathematical algorithm. The basic premise barely scratches the surface of what Foundation truly is (Goyer is planning eight seasons to fully explore it - and the second, here already, is a dizzying doozy), the decade-spanning time jumps can be discombobulating, and there's a whole plot thread that hinges on someone being secretly colourblind — but this is prestige television writ large, as epic and ambitious as anything you've ever seen.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Foundation.
Mythic Quest
Showrunner/Creator: Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, Megan Ganz
Starring: Rob McElhenney, Danny Pudi, Charlotte Nicdao, Ashly Burch, Jessie Ennis, Imani Hakim
Creator, writer, actor, and Wrexham AFC co-owner Rob McElhenney leaves the drunken debauchery of It’s Always Sunny… back in Philly for Mythic Quest, a very different, significantly sweeter workplace comedy. As Ian Grimm, Creative Director of a wildly popular video game studio, he channels the same all-front hyper-masculine energy as Mac, his Always Sunny character, but is balanced out by a melange of delightful, passionate oddballs. It's hard to pick a standout from the gang, which includes F. Murray Abraham as the eccentric head writer C.W. Longbottom or Community's Danny Pudi as the company's ruthless head of monetization. But as Poppy, Ian's lead engineer, Charlotte Nicdao soars above this talented ensemble as a peppy, snack-snaffling nerd on a constant mission to prove herself (mostly to herself).
Streaming now on Apple TV+
The Morning Show
Showrunner/Creator: Jay Carson, Kerry Ehrin
Starring: Steve Carell, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Bel Powley, Mark Duplass, Jon Hamm, Billy Crudup
Morning TV in the States is a curious beast, a giant televisual industry that throws even the likes of the legendary Lorraine Kelly into shadow, like a Star Destroyer pulling alongside a rebel blockade runner. How much you enjoy The Morning Show then — whose Jon Hamm starring third season is out now — might depend on whether you can tune in to its blend of occasional loopiness and serious issues. It doesn't always land, but when it does, it's a whole lot of fun. Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon are naturally great, though keep an eye out for the likes of Bel Powley and Mark Duplass in supporting roles. Plus, there's Billy Crudup as the scene-stealing executive Cory Ellison. Tackling real-world themes and creating characters you either love or hate, it's always an intensely entertaining watch.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of The Morning Show.
The Last Days Of Ptolemy Grey
Showrunner/Creator: Walter Mosley
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Dominique Fishback, Walton Goggins
Starring and produced by the mighty Samuel L Jackson and adapted from Walter Mosley's novel by the writer himself, this powerful six-part limited series has a deliberately off-kilter edge to the storytelling, dramatising the mental state of 91-year-old main character Ptolemy Grey (Jackson), who has dementia. When he's suddenly left without his nephew and trusted carer, orphaned teenager Robyn (Dominique Fishback) takes over the job, and Ptolemy signs up for an experimental treatment to restore his confused memories. Together they embark on a disturbing investigation into his nephew's death. Jackson is as brilliant as you'd expect, but Fishback is a revelation.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of The Last Days Of Ptolemy Grey.
The Velvet Underground
Director: Todd Haynes
Todd Haynes is no by-the-numbers filmmaker, and The Velvet Underground is no by-the-numbers rock doc. Rather than a standard soup-to-nuts story of Lou Reed and John Cale's avant-garde experimentalists, the Carol director mounts an impressionistic tour de force, using ever-present split screen to contrast interviews with adverts, newsreel, photographs and archive footage of the band. The approach is surprisingly cogent in giving you the history of the band — the formation, Warhol's Factory, the fights, the break-up — but also doubles as a compelling snapshot of a cultural moment. For, taken together with Haynes' glam-fest Velvet Goldmine and oddball Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There, The Velvet Underground remembers a time when music, film and art came together, allowing the iconoclasts to become kings. The result is much more fun than any 'radical documentary' has the right to be.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of The Velvet Underground.
Shining Girls
Showrunner/Creator: Silka Luisa
Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Wagner Moura, Chris Chalk, Jamie Bell, Phillipa Soo
Based on the novel by Lauren Beukes, Shining Girls once again stars Elisabeth Moss as a woman haunted by trauma, giving as staggering a performance as you'd expect. But there's a timey-wimey twist here — Kirby's (Moss) entire world can change at a moment's notice, connected to a brutal attack she experienced by a serial killer still on the loose, seemingly murdering women in a non-chronological order. Not one to watch whilst simultaneously scrolling on your phone, this is a complex, carefully-plotted show that demands your attention. Wagner Moura and Chris Chalk provide excellent supporting performances as a reporter helping Kirby crack the case and her photographer-slash-husband respectively, and Jamie Bell is on top form as a looming, dangerous antagonist.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Shining Girls.
Trying
Showrunner/Creator: Andy Wolton
Starring: Esther Smith, Rafe Spall, Imelda Staunton, Sian Brooke, Oliver Chris, Darren Boyd, Phil Davis
Amid all the glitzy epic series made by world-renowned creatives, this a very different kind of gem in Apple TV+'s slate of originals. It's a returning comedy starring Rafe Spall and Esther Smith as a North London couple increasingly desperate to have a child. After exhausting all the other options, they decide to go down the adoption route, and it proves to be a long, challenging journey. Expertly written by Andy Wolton (though it's his first ever scripted series), it's a joy to watch a show about regular, messy human beings with unglamorous jobs who are also deeply engaging and very funny, much like the show itself. And, in an increasingly rare display of authorial conviction, this one ends with its lovely third series on its own terms, neither outstaying its welcome nor finishing too soon.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Servant
Showrunner/Creator: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Lauren Ambrose, Toby Kebbell, Rupert Grint, Nell Tiger Free
One of Apple's very first original shows, M. Night Shyamalan's Servant remains one of its most daring. Following a couple, Dorothy (Lauren Ambrose) and Sean (Toby Kebbell) with an unusual baby, and their even more unusual live-in nanny Leanne (Nell Tiger Free), this is a dark, horror-inflected, supernatural-tinged mystery box which, even after its horrifying reveal near the end of Season One, continues to escalate to new levels of creepiness and chaos. The fourth and final season does not disappoint either, so prepare yourself to be gripped by this one all the way to the end of the line.
Streaming now on Apple TV+
Read Empire's review of Servant.