Apple TV+ has come a long way since it first launched in late 2019. It only costs $5 a month, but the service struggled to find an audience initially because the only content on the service are Apple Originals and there is no back catalog of shows and movies. There just wasn’t that much to it.
Now, two years on, there are plenty of shows and movies to watch starring some of the most famous faces in Hollywood. They also have several projects that have been received well by both critics and audiences, earning a plethora of awards.
Long Way Up – 8.3/10
Long Way Up is actually something of a legacy project for Apple. It’s the third in a series of shows featuring Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman finding their way around ok motorcycles, the first two being Long Way Round and Long Way Down. In each of the series, the two guys hop on motorcycles and try out different paths to travel around a different part of the world.
Long Way Up tracks the guys as they travel across South America and Central America, up to Los Angeles, California. It’s a documentary series that is simple yet fascinating. They have real charisma together, and so you can’t help but want to watch them as they hit the open road again and again.
Earth At Night In Color – 8.3/10
Earth At Night In Color is exactly what it sounds like, and that’s far from a bad thing. This nature documentary series showcases the beauty and wonder that can be found on the planet Earth when the sun goes down with incredible and vibrant cinematography.
Narrated by Tom Hiddleston, the show offers an insight into the way animals behave in the dark. Each episode focuses on a different environment and the animals that live there. Whether it’s the pumas of Puma Mountain or the bears of the Bear Woodlands, Earth At Night In Color is sure to show you something you haven’t seen before, with cinematography sure to leave you in awe.
Fraggle Rock: Back To The Rock – 8.3/10
Fraggle Rock is a classic kids show from the Jim Henson company. The show helped many children learn important life lessons by spending some valuable time with the puppets known as the Fraggles. In 2022, Apple brought the show back from its decades of hiatus to entertainment and teach a whole new generation of children.
Fraggle Rock: Back To The Rock updated the show for modern sensibilities while still maintaining that special something that made Fraggle Rock what it was. In the age of computer graphics being used for just about everything, it’s incredibly admirable that they stuck to the puppets and made them appear incredibly real. There’s something about that craft that really adds to the experience of the whole show.
Stillwater – 8.3/10
No, this is not the Matt Damon crime thriller, this Stillwater is a kids cartoon about a friendly panda named Stillwater who helps kids learn how to deal with the problems they face and how they make them feel.
Stillwater is an adorable, poignant take on a kids show that also helps introduce kids to the complexity of their emotions. Learning why you feel the way you do is a really tough think for any kid to do, so they are really lucky to have someone like Stillwater the panda to help them through.
The Morning Show – 8.3/10
The Morning Show was announced as the big centerpiece show of Apple TV+’s launch. It was meant to be the big, dramatic swing that would plant Apple’s flag in the streaming wars. While another show may have taken that title before The Morning Show, the show has still been received quite well by audiences.
The Morning Show stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon as two women in the tough world of morning news shows, as the show transforms after allegations are made against its co-host played by Steve Carrell. Fueled by excellent performances across the board, the show touches upon a lot of themes that are incredibly relevant to the modern social landscape post-#MeToo. If you want a show with lots of topical, interpersonal drama, then The Morning Show is the show for you.
Get Rolling With Otis – 8.5/10
Get Rolling With Otis is a part of the classic sub-genre of kids TV where inanimate objects are brought to life to teach the kids at home all about the world around them. It’s a trope that’s used often because it keeps the kids’ attention while also educating them in a creative way.
Otis is a tractor on Long Hill Dairy Farm. Each episode follows him and his friends as they help a friend in need. Not only will your child learn about life lessons like overcoming your fears, but they’ll also learn some of the basics about farming, and how important it is to make healthy, natural food.
Severance – 8.6/10
Severance is a show with so many mysteries and strange occurrences, you can’t be quite sure what exactly is happening, and yet you can’t stop watching. It encourages the audience to join the characters in uncovering layer after layer of its world.
The show takes place in a world where, if you choose to, you can separate your consciousness between your personal life and your work life. That means that the version of you at work never experiences anything other than work, and the version of you outside of work never experiences work. The protagonist is Mark (Adam Scott) who has undergone the severance procedure for the Lumen company, whose objectives are unclear at best. With several episodes directed by Ben Stiller, Severance is one of the best shows on TV thanks to its balance between intriguing mystery and dark comedy. Watch one episode and you’ll be hooked.
Pachinko – 8.6/10
Pachinko is like a K-drama if it was made in the style of American prestige television. Based on a novel of the same name, the show follows four generations of a Korean family who leave their home to find a better life. While that may sound like a simple premise, what elevates the show is the way that the story just explodes with emotion.
From top to bottom Pachinko is beautifully constructed. The cinematography is breathtaking, the music is gorgeous, and the performances are exceptional across the board, especially Academy Award winner, Youn Yuh-jung. At the time of writing, Pachinko season one hasn’t ended yet, but it’s already won over an audience becoming one of Apple’s best reviewed shows.
Tiny World – 8.9/10
At this point, it’s difficult to re-invent the animal documentary. Just about every angle on the genre has been done, so the best thing to do, is to just make sure you do it really, really well. That’s exactly what Apple did with Tiny World.
The series, narrated by Paul Rudd, explores nature from the perspective of the tiny creatures that inhabit it. From bugs to frogs to crabs to squirrels, the show focuses on animals that don’t typically get the spotlight in these documentaries. Paul Rudd brings a real charisma to the narration that really brings it all together, making Tiny World an incredibly comfy, relaxing TV show.
Ted Lasso – 8.9/10
Ted Lasso is to Apple TV+ what Stranger Things is to Netflix. It’s the show that became a cultural phenomenon and put the streaming service on the map. Based on a series of advertisements Jason Sudeikis starred in for NBC, the show follows American football coach Ted Lasso as he makes his way across the ocean to England to become the new head coach of the AFC Richmond Football Club.
Some may write the show-off as just another “fish out of water” comedy, but Ted Lasso is so much more than that. The show is incredibly sincere and heartfelt. Its fans love it because in a time when it feels like every TV show is either dark or ironically light, Ted Lasso is all about the resilience of kindness and positivity. You can’t have ups without downs, and in that way, the characters feel incredibly real. They have moments of vulnerability, where you see why someone like Ted encourages kindness in his lifestyle. It’s not only the best show on Apple TV+, it’s also guaranteed to make you want to be nicer.
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