Apple TV+ launched in November 2019 amid a sea of other also-emerging streaming services. Three years later, the tech giant’s foray into original content has carved out some solid niches that should help it maintain a foothold. That’s right, whereas Netflix is dominating the stand-up comedy realm, and Peacock delivers a classic TV library like no one else, Apple TV+ is crushing the comedies series realm.
Yet there’s also a surprising amount of variety (including sci-fi, thriller, and darker-comedy series) on this service. To help you wrap your arms around it all, we rounded up the 25 best shows on Apple TV+.
Last updated on February 27, 2024.
1. Ted Lasso
Year(s): 2020 –
Starring: Jason Sudeikis, Brett Goldstein, Juno Temple, Brendan Hunt
Genre: Dramedy
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 2 (33 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
This show’s viral ubiquity kicked off this streaming service’s wave successful comedy series, which now includes Mythic Quest and The Afterparty. Back before Apple TV+ even existed, though, the eponymous (and eternally charming) soccer coach’s origin story went back to NBC Olympic coverage promos from nearly a decade ago. Someone brilliant decided to greenlight the idea of giving Jason Sudeikis’ alter ego his own show, and from there, the show turned into a phenomenal success before backlash set in — because the the Internet simply cannot let happiness exist. (And that’s only further evidence that Ted Lasso has made an impact.) One can expect Season 3 to address this in some way, but don’t worry about Ted Lasso. He won’t let a few naysayers get him down, unless we’re talking about tea, which he believes tastes “like hot brown water.” I agree wholeheartedly. This show really does have something for everyone!
2. Mythic Quest
Year(s): 2020 –
Starring: Rob McElhenney, Ashley Burch, F. Murray Abraham, David Hornsby, Charlotte Nicdao
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 3 (31 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Always Sunny pals Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day did it again, even if only one of them stars in this series that made workplace comedy fresh. Our own Brian Grubb can’t stop raving about this show because it somehow pulls of “the highest level execution of a genre that has worked forever,” and perhaps that’s partially because these characters are doing what they love for a living as video game developers. That adds some flavor of its own, especially when conflict strikes. Also, Snoop Dogg showed up and got Rob high during an early call time. A+ idea.
3. Silo
Year(s): 2023 –
Starring: Rebecca Ferguson, Common, David Oyelowo, Harriet Walter, Rashida Jones
Genre: Drama/Sci-Fi
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (10 episodes)
Creator: Graham Yost
Trailer: Watch here
Rebecca Ferguson is riveting as the hard-as-nails engineer in this first season based upon Hugh Howey’s initial book of the Wool omnibus. As Juliette, she rises from the lower stories of the massive underground structure — which houses the last ten-thousand-or-so members of humanity after a vague apocalyptic event — to the position of sheriff. There, she begins to dig into a murder mystery while uncovering perhaps too much information about the silo’s true origins as Common’s leather jacket acts as the most sinister figure in the entire show. Justified showrunner Graham Yost has helming duties again here, and I dare say that Juliette has more than a few things in common with Raylan Givens. Rashida Jones, David Oyelowo, Tim Robbins, and Harriet Walter co-star.
4. Physical
Year(s): 2021 –
Starring: Rose Byrne, Murray Bartlett, Rory Scoval
Genre: Dramedy
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 2 (20 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
It’s worth mentioning that Rose Byrne previously portrayed Gloria Steinem (Mrs. America), and this role feels like a continuation of that feminist arc. At times pitch black, this show is much more than aerobics, as it turns out. Byrne glides right into the spandex-covered layers of an endlessly frustrated housewife who struggles mightily against an eating disorder and finds refuge in channelling her body image issues into a different kind of obsession. Rather, make that a brand of obsession. She’s soon at the top of the 1980s fitness video craze with a rival played by Murray Bartlett of White Lotus notoriety. As they both know, they’d better work it.
5. Slow Horses
Year(s): 2022 –
Starring: Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas, Olivia Cooke
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 2 (12 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
A whole lot of Gary Oldman farts will be had in this series, which is now in the thick of season 2. Yet don’t let that frequent display distract you from the failed spymastering of his group full of British intelligence f*ck-ups. Olivia Cooke and Jack Lowden co-star, and maybe, just maybe, they’ll move past their collective “slow horse” reputation through a series of crises. Yet mainly, it’s nice to see an espionage-focused dark comedy show that puts a fresh, and bumbling, spin on the Slough House series of novels by Mick Herronthe as well as the genre as a whole with all those super Krasinski-spies running rampant on streaming.
6. Servant
Year(s): 2019 –
Starring: Lauren Ambrose, Toby Kebbell, Rupert Grint, Nell Tiger Free
Genre: Horror/Mystery
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 4 (40 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
M. Night Shyamalan’s movies might be hit-and-miss, but this series has stayed consistent in delivering upon well-laid arcs full of suspense and mysteries that don’t (at least not yet) carry too much in the “gotcha” realm. Those punches are why a lot of people gave up on Shyamalan’s films sometime around The Village and haven’t looked back, but show’s an altogether different creature. Perhaps he should have been showrunning all along? The painstakingly crafted storytelling of this series (which began with a Philly couple attempting to overcome the loss of their infant) takes us miles away from the quick wrap-ups of his usual fare, and the fourth season will soon show if the writing can truly overcome the Shyamalan-ending curveball curse. Fingers crossed.
7. Fraggle Rock: Back To The Rock
Year(s): 2022 –
Starring: Them Puppets
Genre: Family
Rating: TV-G
Seasons: 1 (13 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Miss you, Jim Henson. The best news here is that, if everyone on Earth would only watch this series, perhaps humanity could heal itself. Wars could end, and I’m not even exaggerating. Get this show in front of Putin. Perhaps this could make him see through the eyes of these zany puppets, who impart life lessons and ruminate upon the importance of getting down to coexisting, despite the difficulties inherent in getting the Fraggles, Doozers and Gorgs to all do their part in making that magic happen. There’s also, tellingly, a literal Echo Chamber in this season. Oh boy.
8. Severance
Year(s): 2022 –
Starring: Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Patricia Arquette
Genre: Sci-Fi/Mystery
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (9 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
The idea of work-life balance got skewered in this Ben Stiller-directed series that takes huge swings in the satire department. This unsettling show presents a world where “severed” employees have completely distinct personalities at work and at home. Naturally, too much self-awareness and crossover is eventually bound to happen, and let’s just say that Adam Scott’s prior experience in the workplace comedy realm makes him even more effective in this thriller series. As the cliché goes, not everything is what it seems, and the workplace of this show is even more cult-like than one could have imagined.
9. For All Mankind
Year(s): 2019 –
Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Shantel VanSanten, Michael Dorman, Wrenn Schmidt
Genre: Sci-Fi-Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 3 (30 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
This phenomenal series, created by Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi, ironically enough given the subject matter, suffered from a slow liftoff when it surfaced amid a lunar sea of other first-generation Apple TV+ shows. (Aniston, Reese, and Momoa do tend to attract attention, so yep, that checks out.) Fortunately, word of mouth eventually drove enough interest to spark renewal after renewal, and Season 4 will be forthcoming. This alternate-history take on the space race shows exactly how much one tiny tweak to the timeline can change matters. That is to say, the U.S. loses the space race to the Soviet Union in 1969, and that changes everything. Joel Kinnaman plays Ed Baldwin, a frontrunner U.S. astronaut, and the show almost effortlessly blends these characters’ personal and professional worlds.
10. Shining Girls
Year(s): 2022
Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Wagner Moura, Phillipa Soo, Chris Chalk
Genre: Horror/Sci-Fi
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (8 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Elisabeth Moss might be the Queen of Streaming after having harnessed the trailblazing energy of her Mad Men character into stunning career turns. The Handmaid’s Tale star took some detours into horror, including The Invisible Man and also this Apple TV+ show, in which is based upon the Lauren Beukes novel and earned the coveted Stephen King endorsement: “This is exactly what streaming was made for.” The story follows Moss as a newspaper archivist attempting to overcome her own trauma when she becomes involved with a case that bears a startling resemblance to what she endured. Wagner Moura (Narcos) plays a reporter who attempts to help her unravel what happened, and the lines between genres blur, along with the minds of all who get wrapped into the mystery.
11. Hijack
Year(s): 2023 –
Starring: Idris Elba, Neil Maskell, Max Beesley
Genre: Thriller/Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (7 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Idris Elba, enough said? Alright then, we must do more. This series is a panic attack come to life with more room to come for a second season. Idris Elba portrays an everyday negotiator who won’t get to relax on this 7-hour flight from Dubai to London, which unfolds over the same number of episodes. It’s absurd and stressful and kick-ass and everything in between, and this story doesn’t skimp on genre flourishes or take too many predictable routes on the many turns to reach its destination.
12. Dickinson
Year(s): 2019 – 2021
Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Jane Krakowski
Genre: Dramedy
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 3 (30 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Literary history inspired into one of the most ultramodern series of recent years, as odd as it sounds, in this show that pleased legions while still managing to be underrated. Hailee Steinfeld gave a commanding performance as the iconic American poet Emily Dickinson with a flair for the unconventional, both on the page and in her personal life. Of course, this is not a standard retelling of the life of this poet, who was thought to be a recluse but transforms into a rebel on the small screen. Still, even tweaks of the truth didn’t stop the show from being faithful to what Dickinson wrote in her letters, and somehow, the layering of fantasy atop the truth made the show even more reliable in communicating the spirit of the poet. As a bonus, Season 2 includes both writing and an onscreen emergence from Ayo Edebiri (who broke out in 2022 with The Bear).
13. Shrinking
Year: 2023 –
Cast: Jason Segel, Harrison Ford, Jessica Williams
Genre: Dramedy
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (10 episodes)
Created By: Brett Goldstein, Bill Lawrence, Jason Segel
Trailer: Watch here
Between this and his Yellowstone prequel, Harrison Ford appears to becoming a regular TV actor these days. In Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein’s Shrinking, he portrays an aging therapist whose glasses somehow stay on his forehead despite all circumstances to the contrary. Jason Segel is his mentee, who is pushing through his grieving process while also continuing to counsel his own patients. Things get a little unorthodox, both for his own case as well as those of his patients.
14. Masters Of The Air
Year(s): 2024 –
Starring: Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Barry Keoghan, Nate Mann, Ncuti Gatwa, Anthony Boyle
Genre: Drama/Action
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (9 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Here’s a stellar Band Of Brothers followup from Steven Spielberg (Amblin Television) in conjunction with Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman (Playtone). This new series is based upon Donald L. Miller’s book of the same name about the “Bloody Hundredth,” i.e. the 100th Bomb Group, who risked everything they had to conduct bombing raids upon Nazi Germany. Austin Butler dropped his Elvis voice to portray a U.S. major alongside Callum Turner. There’s a “Buck” and a “Bucky” in the character list, and there’s also the ever-present Barry Keoghan joining in the camaraderie while the U.S. carries out perilous missions to take down Hitler’s Third Reich. It’s an adventure-filled yet harrowing viewing experience but fully worth the ride.
15. Foundation
Year(s): 2021 –
Starring: Lee Pace, Jared Harris
Genre: Sci-Fi/Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (10 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Lee Pace fans rejoiced (and Jared Harris followers weren’t mad, either) at the gorgeous first season of the Isaac Asimov adaptation, which spared no detail while bringing the classic work to life. Actually, I need to back up and re-stress the thirst factor from Pace fans, but then I’ll say that, yes, the substance of this show delivers, too. Sci-fi addicts finally got to see Asimov’s battle to rebuild civilization after Harris’ prophet got his butt declared heretical when he dared to predict that humanity was on its last legs, and dire action was needed in the form of The Foundation. This is a good followup to watching Dune on HBO while waiting for the second installment of both properties.
16. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
Year(s): 2023 –
Starring: Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell
Genre:
Rating: TV-MA
Creator
Seasons:
Trailer: Watch here
Godzilla devotes (and I know you are out there) will somehow be able to enjoy three different raging-lizard projects within the next few months, but this show has something that the other two takes do not: Kurt Russell joins forces with freaking Godzilla. Wyatt Russell also stars with both Russells portraying Army officer Lee Shaw, and these two kick so much ass that you’ll forget all about the nepo baby thing while watching.
17. Platonic
Year(s): 2023 –
Starring: Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Tre Hale
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: TV-MA
Creator Francesca Delbanco, Nicholas Stoller
Seasons: 1 (10 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Jennifer Lawrence’s attempt to resurrect raunchy comedy isn’t raking in the big bucks, which brings to mind Paul Feig’s theory about why romcoms fare better on streaming than in theaters. This absolutely charming, yet still full of debauchery, series starring Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen helps to illustrate that point. The pair star as former college BFFs who connect again after one of them undergoes a life-transforming personal development. Soon enough, they’re attempting to party as hard as their former selves, and I’m not sure what is more chaotic: the horse tranquilizer madness or Rogen’s chaotic wardrobe here that feels like a spiritual brother to whatever Portia was wearing on The White Lotus.
18. Black Bird
Year(s): 2022
Starring: Taron Egerton, Paul Walter Hauser, Ray Liotta
Genre: True crime dramatization
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (6 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
This limited series brings us one of Ray Liotta’s final onscreen appearances, and yes, you’ll soon see him in the flat-out crazy Cocaine Bear, but first, prepare yourself for six hours of flat-out intensity. Liotta portrays Big Jim Keene, a veteran cop and dad to Taron Egerton’s Jimmy in this Dennis Lehane-executive produced adaptation of Jimmy’s In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption memoir. The drug-dealing Jimmy does end up in hell, meaning that he takes an FBI deal to go undercover at a max-security prison, where he ends up tangling with Larry Hall, a serial killer played by Paul Walter Hauser. Surely, you’ve seen his work before, and he’s at his unsettling best in this unyieldingly tense series that never takes its foot off the gas.
19. Little America
Year(s): 2020 –
Starring: Suraj Sharma, Peggy Lu, Mélanie Laurent
Genre: Dramedy
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 2 (20 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Kumail Nanjiani’s name might get you in the door, but he’s only one of the creators, which also includes his wife, Emily V. Gordon, and Lee Eisenberg. Together, they guide viewers through the anthology series about immigrant stories in America. Although anthologies can be accused of not going deep enough (given the vast amount of territory that they cover), that’s not the case here. Each episode brings something entirely different to the table, frequently with humor as well as heartwarming touches.
20. The Morning Show
Year(s): 2019 –
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Billy Crudup, Steve Carell
Genre: Dramedy-ish
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 2 (20 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
You gotta hand it to Billy Crudup, who manages to be the greatest part (and some might say the Kermit the Frog) of this series that began as the “Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon as rivals with a side of Steve Carell” intended juggernaut of Apple TV. The series turned into a headliner, for sure, but it evolved into a product that moves past its original subject matter: fallout from sexual conduct scandal at a high-profile lite-news show. The show’s taken intense dives (also into systemic racism) despite the sunshine product within its fold, and Crudup has had so much fun playing a chief instigator while also attempting to keep the whole joint together. Later this year, we should see round three of this series, but rest assured that no one will be more fun to watch than Crudup.
21. Lessons In Chemistry
Year(s): 2023
Starring: Brie Larson, Stephanie Koenig, Alice Halsey
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Creator Lee Eisenberg
Seasons: 1 (8 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Brie Larson gets back to her dramatic roots, long after her Oscar-winning performance in ROOM and amid her ongoing participation with in the MCU. Fortunately, this project isn’t as shattering as the other one, since Lessons In Chemistry caters to the book-club crowd who devoured the debut novel by Bonnie Garmus. This project capitalizes upon Larson’s own deadpan form of humor with feminist leanings, of course, given that she portrays a brilliant female chemist who finds 1960s zeitgeist-straddling success in the most unexpected place.
22. Swagger
Year(s): 2023 –
Starring: O’Shea Jackson Jr., Isaiah R. Hill, Shinelle Azoroh
Genre: Drama, Sport
Rating: TV-MA
Creator Reggie Rock Bythewood
Seasons: 2 (12 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
NBA great Kevin Durant’s early life inspired this story about an up-and-coming basketball superstar who rose with the help of an atypical coach. Sure, there are familiar emotional beats here for anyone who knows what makes a good sports drama tick, but somehow, the story manages to surprise, especially given the depths of the background characters, who all help the protagonist launch his eventual journey to the top.
23. The Crowded Room
Year(s): 2023 –
Starring: Tom Holland, Will Chase, Amanda Seyfried
Genre: Crime/Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Creator Akiva Goldsman, Todd Graff
Seasons: 1 (10 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Once upon a time, this story almost took a more straight-nosed turn and starred Leonardo DiCaprio. The end product here feels drawn out and takes a lot of additional spins upon its subject matter, which revolved around the first real-life felon to use a certain legal defense. Tom Holland portrays the fictionalized “Danny Sullivan,” who unfortunately spends too much of the series reliving some red herrings at the behest of an investigator portrayed by Amanda Seyfried. The final episodes, however, are impressive for Holland’s ability to do some inner shapeshifting in what is truly a haunting performance.
24. Manhunt
Year(s): 2024
Starring: Anthony Boyle, Tobias Menzies, Hamish Linklater, Patton Oswalt
Genre: Historical drama
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (7 episodes)
Creator: Monica Beletsky
Trailer: Watch here
Hamish Linklater might be the most underappreciated actor on TV these days, especially following his ungodly turn in Mike Flanagan and Netflix’s Midnight Mass. He stars as Abraham Lincoln in an adaptation of James L. Swanson’ non-fiction book, which is adapted into a true crime thriller about the infamous assassination of Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth. The story follows the aftermath of that devastating deed, and Anthony Boyle (Masters of the Air) portrays the fugitive murderer. The limited series also co-stars Tobias Menzies and Patton Oswalt with muttonchops and a full-on beard. How can you resist?
TIE: 25. Essex Serpent
Year(s): 2022
Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Claire Danes
Genre: Drama/Mystery
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (6 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Sadly, this series doesn’t quite live up to the book, even with the charisma of Tom Hiddleston and a nuanced performance by Claire Danes. The source material, Sarah Perry’s 2017 novel of the same name, follows a widow who is grieving and celebrating at the same time after the death of her abusive spouse. She relocates to a village where a mythical beast is said to have emerged to punish humanity for his sins, and she is captivated by the so-called creature and by the reactions of residents. Tom Hiddleston plays a local religious leader who is far too fetching for his own good.
TIE: 25. Invasion
Year(s): 2021 –
Starring: Shamier Anderson, Golshifteh Farahani, India Brown, Billy Barratt, Firas Nassar, Shioli Kutsuna
Genre: Sci-Fi/Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 2 (20 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
This underrated series, set over several continents, brings us crop circles galore and civilization’s collapse while humanity struggles to pull it together during (as the title suggests) an alien invasion. Naturally, there is a sheriff who gets pulled back from the verge of retirement because that’s how these stories tend to go. Elsewhere, soldiers, mission controllers, and civilians everywhere lend their perspectives in this series from Simon Kinberg (several X-Men movies) and David Weil (Citadel, Hunters). The show is back for a second season while the world struggles to figure what is happening in real time.
