In a world of warring streaming platforms, content is king. Which is why, when Apple announced their plans to move into the TV world in 2016, they were armed with some big guns from the off.
Taking inspiration from James Corden’s insanely popular Carpool Karaoke segment from his US chat show, the Cali tech giant released a whole show dedicated to the format in 2017. Around the same time, the company announced plans for network TV drama The Morning Show with Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carrell, which went on to become one of the platform's biggest shows, earning Aniston a SAG award in the process.
So by the time 2019 rolled around, when Apple launched its very own Apple TV+ platform, people were expecting big things. But it launched in November of that year with just eight shows and one documentary. According to LA Magazine, its plan was to lure people in using the few shows as “as catnip,” in the hope that the user-friendly interface (and relationship with other Apple gadgets) would convince people to sign up for good.
Did it work? Well, by March 2022 the platform was estimated to have pulled in 25 million paying customers through the strength of its programming, and a good number of its productions have gone on to critical and public acclaim, with streamer Emmys, BAFTAs and Golden Globes in the bag.
What are the big hitters on the streamer?
Ted Lasso is by far and away the biggest success, with three seasons of the gentle, nice-guy football comedy clearly striking a chord with viewers, especially during the pandemic.
That's closely followed by The Morning Show, a glossy drama that looked at a TV show rocked by sexual abuse allegations of one of its presenters. The fourth series is due out later this year.
Other big hits include the dystopian workplace thriller Severance, MI5-outcast spy show Slow Horses, the epic Korean period drama Pachinko, and the brilliant Irish sibling dramedy, Bad Sisters.
Also worth a watch are Trying, Shrinking, The After Party, For All Mankind and for a brain-bending documentary about what dinosaurs really looked like, Prehistoric Planet, narrated by David Attenborough.
What’s coming up soon that I can’t miss?
There’s Killers Of The Flower Moon, based on the grim true story of the the Osage oil rush, directed by Martin Scorsese, and due out in October 2023. Then Ridley Scott’s Napoleon will arrive on the platform, featuring Joaquin Phoenix as the diminutive French leader.
Argylle is a sort of Apple TV+ take on Bond, with Henry Cavill playing the eponymous super-spy, appearing alongside Bruce Dallas Howard and Bryan Cranston. Sci-fi heads will be pleased to hear Invasion is returning for a second series, too.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt will pair with Eve Hewson for the “power of music” drama Flora and Son, and a sports documentary about a legendary basketball player, Stephen Curry: Underrated, will also be worth tuning in for.
How to get a free trial to Apple TV+
While a month's subscription to Apple TV+ costs from £6.99, the company are still running their seven-day free trial of the service. They also have a selection of series where you can watch the very first episode for free to see if you’d like to commit to the service to watch the rest of the series.
If you’re due for an upgrade on an iPhone or any other Apple device – or have bought one in the last 90 days – you’ll get free Apple TV+ for three months.
