Slowly but surely, Apple TV+ has found its feet. The streaming service, which at launch we called âodd, angsty, and horny as hell,â has evolved into a diverse library of dramas, documentaries, and comedies. Now, its library is so packed, weâve declared it âthe new HBO.â
Curious but donât know where to get started? Below are our picks for the best shows on the service. (Also, here are our picks for the best movies on Apple TV+.) When youâre done, head over to our guides to the best shows on Netflix, best movies on Hulu, and best movies on Amazon Prime, because you can never have too much television.
Disclaimer
When filmmaking legend Alfonso CuarĂłn (Gravity) decides to do a limited series starring Cate Blanchett, you kind of owe it to yourself to watch. Especially when, as CuarĂłn told WIRED, the RenĂ©e Knight novel the series is based on was so intriguing it made him want to bring his cinematic skills to a TV miniseries. In the seven-part series, Blanchett plays an esteemed journalist named Catherine who is sent a mysterious novel that threatens to expose parts of her past she’d hidden for years. As she tries to investigate who wrote the book, she also must keep her own life from collapsing around her. CuarĂłn adapted the novel himself and directed each episode of the series, bringing his big-screen style to the small-screen world.
Shrinking
Do you enjoy In Treatment but wish it was, you know, fun? Then Shrinking may be right for you. Created by Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldsteinâof Ted Lasso fameâand Jason Segel, the show is about Jimmy (Segel), a therapist struggling to get over the death of his wife and reconnect with his daughter and patients. That may sound like a downer, and the show isnât without its harder moments, but itâs buoyed by the fact that itâs also a workplace comedy focusing on the therapy practice where Jimmy works alongside Harrison Fordâs Paul and Jessica Williamsâ Gaby. Shrinking, ultimately, is about the things people do to cope, but it also features a dream team of a cast and one very memorable party scene featuring an (unrelated) vomit-soaked piano and a super-stoned Ford. With one season under its belt and a second rolling out now, it’s the perfect show to spend some time on the couch with.
Slow Horses
As WIRED wrote not too long ago, Slow Horses is the ideal show for people who want a Pizza Hut-Taco Bell-esque combination of John Le CarrĂ©âstyle espionage thrillers and The Office. Based around the misfits of Slough House, where MI5 agents are sent when they biff it as spies, the show effortlessly jumps from shoot-outs and car chases to a quirky drama about finding camaraderie around shared flaws. The showâs fourth season, which launched at the end of the summer, is a little more subdued than the ones before, but if you’ve been sleeping on Slow Horses, there’s never been a better time to catch up.
Bad Monkey
Created by Bill Lawrence, one of the creative forces behind two other Apple TV+ zingers, Ted Lasso and Shrinking, Bad Monkey is about a one-time detective (played by Vince Vaughn) whoâs hit a bit of a rough patch and is trying to get to the bottom of why someone found a severed arm. Yes, there’s a monkey, but there’s also a lot of dark humor and heartâand a look at the complex lives of more than a few Florida Men.
Sunny
Need some dark comedy/drama/sci-fi while you wait for the next season of Severance? Then Apple TV+âs latest âSâ-titled show may be right for you. Sunny is the story of a woman named Suzie (Rashida Jones) whose husband and son are lost in a mysterious plane crash. To work through her grief, Suzie is given Sunny, a domestic robot with whom she forms a unique bond as she begins to uncover what happened to her family. As artificial intelligence gets more and more ingrained in everyoneâs lives, Sunny promises to hit differently now than it would at any other time.
Presumed Innocent
Just to be clear, this whodunit has been done before. Thirty-four years ago, Harrison Ford starred in the film adaptation of Scott Turowâs novel. This time around, the lead is played by Jake Gyllenhaal, and the adaptation is an eight-part limited series, not a film. Gyllenhaal stars as Rusty Sabich, a Chicago prosecutor accused of killing a colleague. A colleague with whom he was having an affair. Presumed Innocent is produced by David E. Kelley, so it has the intrigue and glossiness of his recent offerings like Big Little Lies and The Undoing, as well as the darkness and drama.
STEVE! (martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces
Putting this on the âbest shows on Apple TV+â list is a bit of a cheat. Rather than a series, this two-part documentary is more like a pair of movies looking at the life and career of Steve Martin. The first part chronicles his rise in, and reimagining of, the standup comedy world. The second looks at how he went from that to the neurotic and lovable neighbor he currently plays on Only Murders in the Building, which would be his careerâs triumphant second act if he hadnât had something like 30 acts in between. Directed by Morgan Neville, who made the backup singer documentary 20 Feet From Stardom and the Fred Rogers doc Wonât You Be My Neighbor?, itâs funny, intimate, and a little surprisingâjust like Martin himself.
Loot
OK, so Loot isn’t exactly about MacKenzie Scott’s divorce from Jeff Bezos, but it is about a woman named Molly (Maya Rudolph) who separates from her tech billionaire husband and devotes herself to philanthropic work. Also, creators Alan Yang (Master of None) and Matt Hubbard (Superstore) were kind of inspired by Bezos and Scott’s split. With an incredible supporting cast that includes Joel Kim Booster, Michaela JaĂ© Rodriguez, and Adam Scott, it’s a quirky comedy with a lot of heartâand the kind of thing you (probably) won’t see on Amazon Prime Video.
The Big Door Prize
With The Big Door Prize Chris O’Dowd finally got the âguy leading a showâ role he was always meant for. In the series, he plays a 40-year-old high school teacher named Dusty who’s pretty content with his life until a magic machine shows up in his small town. The machine, you see, tells people their life’s potential, and as soon as folks around him start using it, everything changes. Marriages end, paths divert, and eventually Dusty must confront whether he’s happy in his own life.
The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin
Dick Turpin was a real highwayman in 18th-century England who was ultimately executed for horse theft. But the myths surrounding him are far more interesting than the facts. The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin, true to its name, opts to stick with the fun stuff. Starring Noel Fielding (The Great British Bake Off) in the title role, this six-episode series presents Turpin as someone who stumbled into leading a group of outlaws and made the best of it. Enjoy the ride.
Constellation
Around here we have a theory that Apple TV+ is the new HBO. At the same time, we also wonder among ourselves whether itâs the new Syfy. After opening with a bang in 2019 with For All Mankind, it has released a steady drumbeat of trippy, spacey, timey-wimey prestige shows, from Foundation to Severance. In early 2024, it released Constellation, an eight-part thriller about an astronaut (Noomi Rapace) who returns to Earth after a disaster in space to find things are very off. Brain-bending and tense, itâs the kind of sci-fi that sucks you in.
Masters of the Air
Generally speaking, âWorld War II dramaâ and Steven Spielberg are probably enough to get anyone to click Play on this series, but itâs got a lot more than just a good elevator pitch. Based on Donald L. Millerâs Masters of the Air, this series dives deep into the lives of the 100th Bomb Groupâaka the âBloody Hundredthââa squad of pilots tasked with risking their lives to fight Nazi Germany from the air. Spielberg and Tom Hanks serve as executive producers, and the cast features Elvis himself, Austin Butler, as well as Saltburnâs Barry Keoghan and Doctor Whoâs latest Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa.
The New Look
Keeping with the World War II theme, The New Look follows Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Pierre Balmain, and CristĂłbal Balenciaga as they lay the path for modern fashion in Nazi-occupied Paris. The cast features Ben Mendelsohn as Christian Dior, Juliette Binoche as Coco Chanel, and Maisie Williams as Catherine Dior, and also has a soundtrack courtesy of Jack Antonoff thatâs chock full of early 20th-century music covered by the likes of Perfume Genius and Florence Welch.
Criminal Record
Starring former Doctor Who Doctor Peter Capaldi, Criminal Record follows two copsâCapaldiâs Daniel Hegarty and Cush Jumboâs June Lenkerâas they try to get to the bottom of a long-settled case. Daniel worked the case originally and got a confession; June got a fresh tip and wants him to reopen it and find out whether the man who went away for murder is actually innocent. Might sound a bit overdone, but the series also works in elements of law enforcement shortcomings and race in a rapidly-changing Britain for a series thatâs about more than just one case.
Hijack
Thereâs this face Idris Elba does. Heâs been perfecting it since he was Stringer Bell on The Wire. Itâs the look of total calm even when heâs talking about the most harrowing thing you can imagine. That face gets a full workout in Hijack, in which Elba plays a corporate negotiator who finds himself trying to settle things with a group of, yes, hijackers who have taken over the flight heâs boarded to get home to his family. This series is seven episodes, roughly seven hoursâthe same length of the flight, and it follows the drama in the air and the political maneuvering below before attempting to stick the landing. Do stay around until the end.
For All Mankind
Long before Foundation, there was For All Mankind. The show not only set the tone for the kind of glossy prestige sci-fi Apple TV+ had ambitions to make, but it was also the streaming service’s attempt to plant its flag in the realm of streaming giants. A solid slice of alternate history, the show starts with a very smart premise: What if the US had been edged out in putting a man on the moon? How would the space-race rivalry between the Americans and the Soviets have played out? It’s mostly a slick, stylish, NASA-heavy period drama, but as this is from the brain of Ronald D. Moore, there are a few standout moments and episodes with attention shared around the large ensemble cast. It might be the best sci-fi show you’re not watching, and if that’s true you now have multiple seasons to catch up on.
Messi Meets America
If your home screen hasn’t made it obvious, Apple TV+ is super stoked about soccer. Messi Meets America is a six-part docuseries about all-star player Lionel Messi’s move to Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami club. The first three episodes aired on October 11, 2023, and subsequent episodes aired in conjunction with last year’s MLS season. Messi Mania, indeed.
Lessons in Chemistry
Based on the debut novel from science writer Bonnie Garmus, Lessons in Chemistry is the story of Elizabeth Zott (Brie Larson), who gets hired to host a cooking show after she’s fired from the lab she was working in for doing science while female. Obviously, the show Elizabeth puts on ends up being about a lot more than just having dinner on the table at 6 pm, but we suggest you watch to find out just how revolutionary it is.
The Morning Show
Every streaming service needs a flashy mainstream drama with Hollywood heavyweights to pull in viewers. Apple TV+ has The Morning Show. When Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) loses her morning news program cohost Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell) following sexual misconduct accusations, she gets paired up with Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon). What unfolds is a #MeToo-era drama full of TV network intrigue and Sorkin-lite dialog. In its second season, it went deep on Covid-19, and in the third season the series’ fictional network, UBA, finds itself dealing with the aftermath of a cyberattack. There’s likely a new season coming in 2025, so now’s a good time to catch up, or go back and refresh your memory.
Shining Girls
This Elisabeth Moss psychological thriller/murder mystery came out in 2022 and never really got the buzz it likely deserved. All of that to say, you should probably watch it if you haven’t already. Moss plays Kirby, a woman who believes a recent Chicago murder may be linked to an attack on her many years prior. She teams with a Sun-Times reporter to investigate, but the deeper she digs the more her own reality starts to shift. Based on the book The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes, this series may seem like just another murder mystery, but its sci-fi twists put it one step ahead.
Foundation
WIRED called Foundation a âflawed masterpieceâ in our review of the first season. Considering the complexities of adapting a sprawling Isaac Asimov book series, it was high praise. Starring Jared Harris as Hari Seldon, a math professor who, along with his loyal followers, is exiled for predicting the oncoming end of the galactic empire that rules over them, the show often suffers under the weight of its own massive scope. But it also features wonderful performances from Lee Pace and beautiful images inspired by the James Webb Space Telescope. If you have a soft spot for big sci-fi dramas, this Game-of-Thrones-in-space wannabe is a must-watch.
The Crowded Room
Set in the late 1970s, The Crowded Room stars Tom Holland as Danny Sullivan, a young man arrested after a grisly shooting in New York City. Following his arrest, this 10-episode limited series unfolds into a twisty whodunit as interrogator Rya Goodwin (Amanda Seyfried) tries to suss out what happened with the shooting and the peculiar events in Sullivanâs past that may have shaped how he ended up involved. Holland told Extra that the shoot for The Crowded Room, which he also produced, âbrokeâ him, leading to him taking a yearlong hiatus from acting. Want to see why? Watch now.
Silo
As WIRED’s Kate Knibbs noted in the wake of Silo‘s release, this show is prestige sci-fi gold. Based on a dystopian book trilogy by Hugh Howey, the series focuses on a subterranean bunkerâthe silo of the titleâwhere humanity has sequestered itself after the apocalypse. Some are hoping to win the chance to reproduce, some are trying to solve mysterious murders. Everyone watching is enjoying figuring out what’s going on in this underground cityâand what’s happening outside of it.
Ted Lasso
On paper, Ted Lasso sounds terrible. The inconceivable story of an American football coach who has never watched a game of soccer somehow landing himself a job as coach of a (fictional) Premier League club and trying to make up for his total lack of qualifications by being a nice guy. Sounds unwatchable, doesnât it? And yet Ted Lasso has captured the hearts and minds of viewers on both sides of the pond with its large-as-life cast and irresistibly wholesome messaging, hoovering up awards in the process. The third and final season his the streamer last year, so now is the perfect time to binge it all.
High Desert
The Patricia Arquetteâaissance doesnât get as much ink as Matthew McConaughey or Keanu Reeves did during their second comings, but itâs hereâin part thanks to the rise of streaming. Between The Act and Severance, Arquette has received some of the highest accolades of her long career recently, and High Desert is no exception. While coming to terms with the death of her mother, Peggy (Arquette)âan addictâdecides she wants to pick up the pieces of her life and become a private investigator. She finds an unwitting employer/sometime mentor in Bruce Harvey (Brad Garrett), but not everyone is onboard with Peggyâs career decisionsânamely, her straitlaced sister (Christine Taylor). Itâs an odd duck of a show, which is perfectly suited to Arquetteâs ethereal acting style, allowing her to seamlessly flit between moments of tragedy and laugh-out-loud comedy, with the audiences doing their best to keep up. The all-star cast is made even more impressive by recurring appearances from Bernadette Peters as Peggyâs late mom.
Big Beasts
Look, Discovery doesn’t get to corner the market on animal documentariesâand this 10-part docuseries proves it. Featuring elephant seals, brown bears, orangutans, giant otters, and all kinds of massive mammals in between, it’s the perfect thing if you just want to escape and learn a few tidbits about nature. But the best part? It’s narrated by Tom Hiddleston, and there’s just something charming about hearing the voice of Loki talk about a bunch of different animals he could turn himself into in the blink of an eye.
Servant
Cinematically, M. Night Shyamalan can be a little hit-or-miss, but Servant, which the filmmaker executive produces and occasionally directs, is stellar. It’s about a Philadelphia coupleâa chef and a news anchorâwho lose a child only to have it mysteriously come back to life (maybe) with the arrival of their new nanny. (You really just need to watch the show for any of this to make sense.) Moody, freaky, and occasionally even funny, it’ll suck you in. With four seasons on the streamer, thereâs plenty to enjoy.
The Essex Serpent
Claire Danes doing her best trembling-chin acting in period garb, Tom Hiddleston as a town vicar, rumors about a mysterious mythological serpentâis there anything not to love about this show? No, thereâs not. The Essex Serpent, based on the novel by Sarah Perry, follows a recent widow (Danes) as she heads to the countryside in Essex to investigate a âsea dragon.â There, she meets a vicar, Will (Hiddleston), who is far more skeptical of the serpentâs existence. Lush and inviting, itâs the ideal period mystery.
Severance
Out of all the shows on this list, Severance may be the one that firmly established Apple TV+ as a streaming player with edgy prestige content. Adam Scott plays Mark, a man distraught by the death of his wife who opts to undergo Severance, a procedure that divides his memories of work from those of his life at home. Heâs quite happy with the setup until a former Lumon Industries coworker tracks him down when heâs out-of-office, setting off a series of events that makes him question not only Severance but the work his company does. From there, it only gets more weird and bleak with each passing minute. Tense and heartbreaking, this show, the bulk of which was directed by Ben Stiller, will keep you guessing and questioning the whole way through.
Little America
Originally released when Donald Trump was still president of the United States, Little America was and remains a timely reminder of what actually makes America great. Each episode of this anthology series focuses on a different story of immigrants living in America. From an undocumented high school student who discovers a talent for squash to a âbra whispererâ in Brooklyn, every one of these 30-minute vignettesâall of them based on real peopleâis inspiring and important viewing.
Mythic Quest
An all-too-rare example of a video game TV show that really works, Mythic Quest is one of the best new workplace comedies of the past few years. Presented in perfectly bingeable half-hour episodes, the show follows a fictional game studio known for its World of Warcraftâlike MMO, Mythic Quest, as the people who make it slalom through their many quirky relationships. The writing is excellent, consistently funny and emotionally impactful when you least expect it, and the show manages to confront real issues in the industry without sacrificing laughs.
Dickinson
Hailee Steinfeld is a riotous young Emily Dickinson in this half-hour show from creator Alena Smith. It was part of the original Apple TV+ lineup and quickly distinguished itself thanks to its off-kilter vision of 19th-century Amherst, Massachusetts. The first season is a set of sharp, surreal vignettes, inspired by Dickinson’s work and tracing the imagined life of the young poet, who is rebelling against her father, the town’s societal rules, and just about everything else. The second and third seasons go deeper, examining not only the poet’s life, but also the roles that race, gender, sexuality, and class played in the early days of America. If you’re a Dickinson stan, love a bit of smart queer dramedy, or just have a penchant for a modern soundtrack in a Civil Warâera show, youâll dig this.
