When you ask someone what their favourite streaming service is, chances are they choose services like Netflix or Disney+. But one service you rarely hear anyone talk about is Apple TV+. Apple TV+ is a subscription service available for anyone who owns an Apple product (iPhone, iPad, laptop, TV, etc.). As of November 2021, Apple TV+ was ranked 8th in terms of highest subscriber rates, at around 19 million even though there are around 1 billion people who have iPhones (as of Sept. 2021)! So why do people not take advantage of this service? To be quite honest, I’m not sure because every single show I have watched on Apple TV+ has been phenomenal! Here are a few of my faves:
- Defending Jacob
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Defending Jacob stars Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, and Jaden Martell in a mystery-drama. The series follows a lawyer named Andy dealing with his 14-year-old son, Jacob, being accused of murder, which has a major effect on their overall family life. As we go through the eight-episode series, we witness Andy and his wife Laurie try to figure out how much they really know about their son. This show had me on the edge of my seat. There was some sort of twist in every single episode, which eventually got me wondering how much I really knew about Jacob, too, as well as the other characters. This show also had amazing character development with family which got me to really feel empathy for everything they were going through. Since this show is based on a book of the same name written by William Landy, the show only received one season due to the book’s conclusion, but after watching I immediately wanted more, and I honestly still think about the show quite often. I also must note that the title sequence is also very well edited to correlate with the story, which is something I will likely be talking about numerous times in this article because Apple TV+ has some amazing title sequences.
- Ted Lasso
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Ted Lasso was one of the underdogs within the launch of Apple TV+, but the show has since garnered a massive fanbase and has become one of the cult classics of the service. Ted Lasso stars Jason Sudeikis, an American pee-wee football coach who moves to England to coach a famous soccer team, which he has absolutely no clue how to do. The writing in this show is incredible, especially in terms of the character development of a few characters within season 2. Not only does the show contain some hilarious jokes and amazing moments, but the script lays the entire show out to the smallest intricate detail, allowing for some of the plotlines revealed at the end of each season to be right in front of your face the whole time, to the point where you barely even catch some of the foreshadowing at what’s to come until you think back of what happened leading up to the moment. While the show is a comedy, it also tackles some heavier topics as well, including bullying and anxiety.
- The Morning Show
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On the opposite end of the Apple TV+ spectrum, The Morning Show is one of the biggest shows on their service and rightfully so. The Morning Show showcases the aftermath of a sexual assault case of co-host Mitch Kessler at a morning news station, focusing on the two hosts, Alex Levy, a veteran co-host having to deal with the drama surrounding the case, and Bradley Jackson, a hot-tempered reporter who is trying to break into the journalism industry by replacing Mitch Kessler. This series includes many well-known stars, including Jennifer Anniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carrell. We also get to see a candid look at what the aftermath looks like of newsworthy headlines such as this. There is a lot of conflict that unfolds in the show, both between characters at the station, and the station against its upper TV company, which I always find leaves me at the edge of my seat, especially at the end of season 1. The opening of this show is also phenomenally done by portraying a colourfully abstract look at the competitive workplace such as this.
- The After Party
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I just finished watching this show and I have to say it was probably one of the most unique series that I watched in a long time! The After Party takes place at the afterparty of a high school reunion where their now-celebrity friend Xavier is murdered. In each episode, viewers get to watch each party attendee recap the evening, but the twist is that the detective on the case, known as Detective Danner (played by Tiffany Haddish) believes that “everyone is the main character of their own life movie.” Therefore, each recap incorporates a different variety of stereotypes from a different movie genre relating to each character. Some of my favourite genres they highlighted included romance, action, musical, and animation, but I loved how they used each genre to really help build the characters’ personas. I found watching the show that I was constantly trying to decide who I thought was the killer as the show did a great job of building different character motives and incorporating very subtle hints of their personalities throughout the show. I also found that this show was one that I had a terrible time watching week to week as I always wanted to know what would happen next! Finally (because you can clearly see I’m obsessed with this) I also really liked the opening to this show as well! It was very similar to the opening of Defending Jacob but managed to highlight all the genres the show represented, which you are able to identify after finishing each episode!
So, from this list, you can clearly see that while being a smaller service, Apple TV+ does have some awesome shows! I hope you enjoy them!