What to Watch on Apple TV+

Let’s get this out of the way first: Yeah, we know there are too many streaming services. There probably shouldn’t be this many. Did you know that Chick-fil-A wants to launch a streaming service? I have no idea what would be on there, or if the thing would even work on Sundays. But the discourse around too many streamers is no reason to dismiss Apple TV+, which has stealthily become one of the hubs for science fiction and similar genre programming. It’s also very easy to get access to, since so many Apple products give you free trials, like the newly launched iPhone 16. Hey, you wouldn’t happen to be here because you just got the new iPhone and are looking for shows to watch, would you?

In all seriousness, we’re happy to help no matter how you got access. Apple TV+ has a reputation for having the best shows that no one talks about, so we understand if you haven’t heard of most of these or are wondering what the service even has. If you’re looking to be ahead of the curve and make the most out of your free trial or fresh sign-up, we’ve got you covered.

Severance

One of Apple TV+’s most acclaimed shows, Severance stars Adam Scott as Mark Scout, an employee of Lumon Industries, where workers have had their personalities essentially split in half. Their work personas and out-of-work personas are functionally separate people with no memory of their time in the other half of their lives. The mind-bending sci-fi series was produced and directed by Ben Stiller (Aoife McArdle also handled some episodes), who returned to the director’s chair after directing several films earlier in his career. IGN’s Samantha Nelson loved the show, writing in her review that the premiere episodes use “a clever premise and excellent cast to set up an intriguing mystery.” If you need more incentive to give it a shot, a second season will be premiering on January 17, 2025.

Servant

If you’re looking for something with longevity, Servant would be a solid bet. One of the earliest original shows to premiere on Apple TV+, the supernatural series was produced and showrun by M. Night Shyamalan, and features one of his trademark spooky premises. Centered around Dorothy and Sean Turner (Lauren Ambrose and Toby Kebbell, respectively), a married couple dealing with the tragic loss of their son, they become embroiled in bizarre occurrences due to a doll that Dorothy believes is their dead child reincarnated and the nanny who is hired to take care of the doll. Shyamalan directed a handful of episodes, with others helmed by various directors such as Nimród Antal, Julia Ducournau, and even Shyamalan’s own daughter Ishana. The series received strong reviews and went for four seasons, so it’s the perfect choice if you want to immediately jump into a longer binge.

For All Mankind

Another longer-running show is For All Mankind, an alternate history sci-fi drama that reimagines a world where the space race went on far longer than in our world. Starting with the Soviet Union beating the USA to the Moon, each season takes place in a different decade and depicts how subsequent world events have been radically altered. The ambitious show took a little bit to find its footing according to some critics, but from Season 2 onward, For All Mankind has received stellar reviews, with IGN’s Emma Fraser giving Season 3 and Season 4 a 9/10 and 8/10 respectively. And it’s not done yet, with a fifth season coming up and a spin-off show named Star City in the works, so you know your time investment won’t be wasted. If you want a more cerebral sci-fi drama that really gets its hooks into you, For All Mankind is definitely worth a look.

Foundation

There’s going to be a lot of science fiction on this list, okay? We did warn you. Created by David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman, Foundation is based on the seminal space opera novel series by renowned author Isaac Asimov. The books are dense tomes about a Galactic Empire and various attempts to mitigate its downfall using psychohistory, a new branch of mathematics that can predict the future. The books were long thought to be too impenetrable for adaptation, so give credit to the creators for taking such a wild swing. IGN’s Rafael Motamayor loved the show, giving rave reviews to the first and second seasons, and it seems most other critics agreed with him. A third season is also confirmed, so if you’re a fan of old-school sci-fi, this might be your next television obsession.

Silo

For something a little bit darker and more straightforward in its world-building, perhaps Silo will be more your speed. Created by Graham Yost and based on a series of books by Hugh Howey, this dystopian drama stars Rebecca Ferguson as Juliette Nichols, an engineer tasked with keeping the eponymous silo (where everyone lives sheltered from the outside world) and its generators functional. Featuring strong mystery writing and heart-pumping tension, Silo was praised by IGN and other critics for its scripts, production design and Ferguson’s performance. Between this and the Dune films, she really has been on a roll as a sci-fi queen, and should probably just be in everything. The first season is currently available and the second season will start on November 15, 2024, so it’s the perfect time to jump in if you’re curious.

Ted Lasso

Here’s the one you have heard of: Ted Lasso, the sports sitcom starring Jason Sudeikis, which became an international sensation and is probably the most obvious choice for Apple TV+’s signature show. Featuring Sudeikis as the title character, a gridiron football coach from the US who is placed in charge of an association football/soccer team in England, the series helped put Apple TV+ on the map and became the platform’s most watched series with its second season premiere. Ted Lasso was widely acclaimed during its three-season run, becoming a fan-favorite watch during pandemic lockdowns due to its upbeat tone and winning performances. Although the show’s story did wrap up at the end of the third season, there are rumors swirling that a fourth season may be in the works. Given how successful the show has been for Apple, we’d be surprised if more Ted Lasso wasn’t already on the way.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

Everyone loves giant monsters, right? That’s what Legendary Pictures was counting on when developing their MonsterVerse franchise, featuring relaunched interpretations of Godzilla, King Kong, Mothra and more. Because the films have been fairly lucrative, the franchise expanded into television, including an Apple TV+ series based on Monarch, the government organization dedicated to keeping track of the massive creatures they call Titans. What could have been a throwaway spin-off surprised everyone by being actually quite good, with IGN’s Isaac Feldberg writing that the show “makes a stronger case for character-driven storytelling in Legendary’s MonsterVerse than any of its big-screen outings.” If you’re a fan of the franchise but haven’t watched this show yet, now’s the time to get on it, since Season 2 is currently in production.

Lisey’s Story

Here’s a bit of a curveball for you: Lisey’s Story, a miniseries from acclaimed director Pablo Larraín (of Jackie and Spencer fame) and based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, with King also writing the scripts for the series. Starring Julianne Moore as the title character, the series follows Lisey, the widow of author Scott Landon (Clive Owen), who has to navigate her grief and a mysterious “treasure hunt” that her late husband has left for her to solve. This series received more mixed reviews from critics than other entries on this list, but some fans of King’s writing appreciated it for Moore’s performance and how much the show immerses itself in all of the idiosyncrasies of the famous author’s style. King himself seems proud of the series, so if you’re a fan of his work, it might be worth taking a chance on.

Sugar

For more recent shows that are quicker to get through, Sugar might be one to consider. The detective noir series stars Colin Farrell as John Sugar, a private eye in Los Angeles who’s hired to investigate the disappearance of a Hollywood bigwig’s granddaughter. No points for guessing that things are a bit more complicated than they originally seem. The series was largely directed by renowned Brazilian filmmaker Fernando Meirelles, best known for critically beloved films like City of God and The Constant Gardener (Adam Arkin also helmed some episodes). The show received mostly positive reviews, with pretty much everyone highlighting Farrell’s performance as the element that holds it all together. It also gets truly bonkers in its final episodes, which we won’t spoil, but stick with it if you want to see a show go into real left-field territory.

Sunny

If you’re up for something that’s both thorny and funny, Sunny is another recent entry worth giving a look. The dark comedy series based on Colin O’Sullivan’s 2018 novel The Dark Manual stars Rashida Jones as Suzie Sakamoto (she married into the name, if you were wondering), who is grieving the disappearance and presumed death of her husband and son, and subsequently has to deal with a consolation prize in the form of Sunny, a robotic companion apparently designed by her late husband. Despite Suzie’s initial protests, she has to develop a bond with Sunny as they get involved in a world of conspiracies and Yakuza and all manner of bizarre happenings. The series received largely positive reviews from critics, highlighting Jones’ emotionally complex performance and the use of its Japanese sci-fi setting.

Dark Matter

Between Everything Everywhere All at Once, the Spider-Verse films, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and The Flash (okay maybe not The Flash), multiverses are really “in” these days, aren’t they? If you’re up for one more, look no further than Dark Matter, a sci-fi series from showrunner Blake Crouch, adapting his own novel of the same name. The series stars Joel Edgerton as Jason Dessen, a physicist who finds himself transported to an alternate reality where his life turned out quite differently because of alternate choices, and now he has to find a way back to the life he knows. The first season received strong reviews, and although IGN’s Samantha Nelson was a bit lukewarm on the series (she gave it a 7/10), she did praise its cast and emotional elements. There’s also a second season coming if you do end up getting into it.

Disclaimer

Okay so this one isn’t out yet, but it’s absolutely one to look forward to. Written and directed by acclaimed Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón, best known for movies like Children of Men and Gravity, Disclaimer is a psychological drama starring Cate Blanchett as Catherine Ravenscroft, a documentary filmmaker who finds her life unraveling as someone enacts a revenge scheme against her by publishing a novel that’s actually a true story about her from years ago. I got to see the first three episodes at the Toronto International Film Festival, and from what I’ve seen, it’s a gorgeous show with fantastic cinematography and excellent performances. If you’re in the mood for a murky story with complicated characters, this is one to add to your watchlist. The miniseries will premiere on Apple TV+ on October 11, and will then air weekly all the way to mid-November.

Carlos Morales writes novels, articles and Mass Effect essays. You can follow his fixations on Twitter.