Almost immediately following the launch of Apple TV+ in 2019, the doubters started to question whether the iPhone maker had what it took to compete with the heavyweights of the streaming game. A little over five years later, the doubters are still pointing to predicting the demise of Apple’s streamer any day now as a result of its relatively small library of originals, lack of a third-party back catalog, and the tiny fraction of the streaming market that it’s managed to capture.
That’s certainly one way to look at it. However, I suspect that it’s not the way most regular people regard the streamer — which has methodically built up a library of star-studded, critically acclaimed content. Unlike Netflix, where mind-blowing series like Squid Game sit alongside lowbrow fare like Love is Blind, Apple at least has a reputation for delivering quality. In fact, let’s stick with a Netflix comparison for a moment.
I’ve been an Apple TV+ subscriber from Day 1, and I’ve found plenty of enjoyment in a wide range of its content. Here are 14 of its TV shows that I’d argue stack up against anything you’ll find on Netflix — shows that are as good, or even better, than the best of what the biggest streamer in the world has to offer.
Acapulco (Genre: Comedy). Bright, colorful, and supremely heartwarming, Acapulco tells a How I Met Your Mother-style story of a young man, Maximo Gallardo, who gets his dream job working at a luxurious Mexican resort in the 1980s. That job, however, is full of more twists than he could have predicted, and those surprises, along with likable characters, ensure that this bilingual comedy oozes charm and heartwarming appeal.
Drops of God (Genre: Drama). This French-Japanese series presents a cross-cultural story about wine and self-discovery, anchored by stunning cinematography that will take your breath away and a riveting story. In it, a daughter and a prized student compete to inherit a late wine expert’s multimillion-dollar estate.
For All Mankind (Genre: Sci-fi/drama). This binge-worthy epic from creator Ronald D. Moore imagines an alternate history of the space race between the US and Russia. It’s a fantastic premise around which to build a show, which envelops humanity’s unrelenting pursuit of innovation with a gripping storyline and richly developed characters.
Foundation (Genre: Sci-fi). This sprawling tale of rebellion, survival, and the future of humanity is based on Isaac Asimov’s beloved series of novels. The series explores the collapse and potential rebirth of a galactic empire through the lens of complex characters played by actors including Lee Pace and Jared Harris.
La Maison (Genre: Drama). From my review of this fantastic Succession-style drama about a family-owned French fashion house: “For all the Parisian glamor and elegance that pervades a show like the new La Maison on Apple TV+, at the crux of it is a corporate power struggle — one in which the progeny of the super-rich are constantly knifing each other in the back. The battle in La Maison is for control of a fictional haute couture house, and it’s a prospect that sends a lot of bitchy, glamorous people scrambling for an angle.”
Pachinko (Genre: Historical drama). Based on the bestselling 2017 novel from Min Jin Lee, this is another cross-cultural masterpiece from Apple TV+ chronicling the story of a Korean family over four generations. This show features some of the most moving TV I’ve ever seen in my life. 10/10, unequivocally a masterpiece.
Presumed Innocent (Genre: Legal thriller). This adaptation of Scott Turow’s bestselling novel stars Jake Gyllenhaal and brings a modern twist to the story’s riveting courtroom drama full of intrigue and moral ambiguity.
Severance (Genre: Sci-fi/thriller). This is the dystopian dystopian workplace drama/psychological thriller that you didn’t know you needed in your life. Taking an eerie premise — what if your work and personal memories were separated? — Severance spins it into some of the best TV in years.
Shrinking (Comedy/drama). Who knew you could actually create a funny, emotional, and deeply heartfelt TV comedy out of the act of grief? The creative team behind Ted Lasso knocks it out of the park once again, with Jason Segel starring as a grieving therapist who starts telling his clients exactly what he thinks.
Silo (Sci-fi/drama). One of the patterns that will perhaps stand out to you from this list is just how stacked Apple TV+ is when it comes to top-tier sci-fi content. Based on the book series by author Hugh Howey, Silo tells the story of a dystopian future when humanity lives in a massive underground silo. It stars Rebecca Ferguson, and features a gripping mystery wherein secrets and lies threaten survival.
Slow Horses (Genre: Spy thriller). Based on novelist Mick Herron’s series of acclaimed spy novels, Apple’s Slow Horses turns the conventions of the genre inside-out — focusing, here, on MI5 misfits and washed-up spooks rather than elite James Bond types. Gary Oldman stars as a disgruntled spymaster in a drama that brings humor and tension in equal measure.
Sugar (Genre: Mystery/drama): This surprisingly addictive series stars Colin Farrell as a hard-bitten yet impeccably dressed private investigator in Los Angeles who solves missing persons cases. On the surface, the show is a cut-and-dried detective drama, the protagonist of which is a classic Hollywood gumshoe type a la Sam Spade. But appearances can be deceiving, and believe me when I say — this Apple original has one of the most insane plot twists of all time.
Ted Lasso (Genre: Comedy). Arguably the Apple TV+ original that put the streamer on the map, this Jason Sudeikis-led feel-good masterpiece became nothing short of a cultural phenomenon. Sudeikis plays an optimistic soccer coach navigating the peculiarities of the game in Britain.
Tehran (Genre: spy thriller). I love a well-crafted espionage thriller, and Apple’s Tehran is almost as good as it gets. Tense, gripping, and packed with jaw-dropping twists, the show follows a Mossad hacker-agent as she infiltrates Tehran on a dangerous undercover mission to disable Iran’s air defenses. The mission spirals out of control, forcing her to navigate a web of lies, alliances, and peril.
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