Best Apple TV Plus shows
If you've heard talking about all the best Apple TV Plus shows out there, then you'll be happy to know that the hype isn't unfounded — Apple's streaming service has plenty of fantastic TV programs to watch.
While Apple TV Plus doesn't have the same number of originals as, say, Netflix, it's still home to a great (and growing!) range of shows that are definitely worth your time. On the platform, you'll find everything from comedies, animated musicals, science-fiction stories, historical dramas, creepy horror series, and family favorites.
Whatever you're in the mood for, there's something for everyone on Apple TV, and it's easy to check out with all the Apple TV Plus free trials being offered. And there are new stories being added all the time, so check back to see what we recommend next!
By Lucy Buglass, Martin Shore
(Apple TV+)
In this intense American prison thriller, we follow the real-life story of convicted drug dealer Jimmy Keene who is forced to get a confession out of suspected serial murderer Larry Hall while in a maximum-security prison.
When this catches the FBI’s attention, Agent Lauren McCauley offers Jimmy an unusual deal: she wants him to befriend Larry Hall, who has already been convicted of killing one young woman and is believed to be responsible for the deaths of around 13 others.
If Jimmy can elicit further confessions out of Larry before the latter’s appeal goes through, Jimmy gets to walk free, so there's everything at stake.
The series stars a number of great actors such as Rocketman star Taron Egerton and Richard Jewell's Paul Walter Hauser as the two leads, with other stars including the late Ray Liotta, Sepideh Moafi, Greg Kinnear and Joe Williamson.
(Apple TV+)
Ted Lasso is the comedy series no one can seem to get enough of and arguably the best Apple Plus TV show original available right now.
It centers, unsurprisingly, on Ted Lasso, a high-spirited American football coach (played by Jason Sudeikis). Ted is hired by Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), the new owner of the struggling Premier League soccer team, AFC Wimbledon.
Alongside Ted are an ensemble cast including Ted's bizarre second-in-command, Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt), sweary star footballer Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), and egotistical Manchester City striker Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster).
Full of laughs and emotional moments in equal measure, Ted Lasso has earned its reputation as one of the best Apple TV plus shows available on the platform right now.
(Apple TV+)
Shrinking follows a grieving therapist who starts to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge, tumultuous changes to people's lives … including his own.
With a great cast featuring Jason Segel, Harrison Ford, Christa Miller, and Jessica Williams this is set to be a great offering from Apple TV!
(Apple TV+)
Slow Horses follows a dysfunctional team of MI5 agents alongside their obnoxious boss, the notorious Jackson Lamb. Throughout the series, they navigate the espionage world's smoke and mirrors to defend England from sinister forces.
The series stars Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Olivia Cooke, Kristen Scott Thomas, and Jonathan Pryce and is based on the novel of the same name by Mick Herron, which was released in 2010. The novel is the first in the Slough House series, a long-running collection of books.
(Apple TV+)
In Severance, Mark (Adam Scott) leads a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives, and work for a mysterious company named Lumon.
Gradually, Mark begins to uncover some dark truths about Lumon and alongside coworkers Dylan (Zach Cherry), Irving (John Turturro), and newcomer Helly (Britt Lower) they work to learn more about the company and who they really are on the outside world.
The series was created by Ben Stiller and was influenced by video game The Stanley Parable and popular film The Truman Show.
(Apple TV +)
Narrated by David Attenborough, Prehistoric Planet gives us insight into the dinosaurs that roamed the Earth during Late Cretaceous period, 66 million years ago.
The series uses up-to-date palaeontological research to depict the creatures, who have been brought to life using CGI and the series features a Hans Zimmer score to really elevate the documentary.
Dinosaurs featured in the series include Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptor and Dromaeosaurs with some focus on feathered dinosaurs too!
(Apple TV)
The Morning Show sees Jennifer Anniston taking center stage as popular breakfast TV anchor Alex Levy. After working with her co-anchor Mitch Kessler (Steve Carrell) for fifteen years, Mitch is fired amidst a sexual misconduct scandal.
After this revelation, the Emmy award-winning series follows Alex as she fights to stay the top news anchor for The Morning Show. Sneering network executive Cory Ellison (played by Billy Crudup) tries to seize this opportunity to try and revitalize the show by replacing Alex with Senior Reporter Bradley Jackson (Reece Witherspoon).
With Mitch continuing to fight his corner on the outside, The Morning Show charts Alex's struggle to keep her job as the top anchor as she develops a fierce rivalry with Bradley on and off-set.
(Apple TV+)
Based on the bestselling novel, Pachinko begins with a forbidden love and crescendos into a sweeping saga that journeys between Korea, Japan, and America to tell an unforgettable story of war and peace, love and loss, triumph and reckoning.
It follows a Korean family who immigrate to Japan and features an ensemble of characters who encounter discrimination, stereotyping, and other aspects of the 20th-century Korean experience of Japan.
The series stars Minari's Youn Yuh-jung as Kim Sunja, whose Japanese name is Bando Nobuko, as she fights for a better life in Korea dominated by the Japanese. The character is also played by Kim Min-ha as teenage Sunja and Yu-na as childhood Sunja.
(Apple TV)
Stillwater is an animated series with a difference. In this beautifully crafted series, three young siblings learn an awful lot about life from their next-door neighbour...who just happens to be a giant panda named Stillwater.
The series is based on illustrator and writer Jon J. Muth's best-selling 2005 picture book called Zen Shorts. Through telling stories and taking part in the kids' everyday adventures, Stillwater offers them fresh perspectives on their lives and their friendship.
Overall, Stillwater is a wholesome series that belongs on the list of best Apple TV+ shows. It's a chilled-out, wonderfully-animated series that might be a great way to unwind even if you're not a child yourself.
(Apple TV+)
This coming-of-age story sees Hailee Steinfeld playing famed American poet Emily Dickinson. Steinfeld's Dickinson is a poet with a rebellious soul, one who resists her parent's attempts to find her a suitor in order to follow her dream of becoming a poet.
With modern dialogue and period-accurate costumes, the Peabody Award-winning show plays fast and loose with its period conventions and is an entertaining drama that sees Hailee Steinfeld performing at her very best.
The third and final season is now on Apple TV+. It covers Emily Dickinson's most productive period, what the future holds, and the American Civil War, all while another battle starts to divide her own family.
(Apple TV+)
Tehran is a tense spy thriller originally produced for Israeli public TV but broadcast internationally as an Apple TV+ exclusive.
It stars Niv Sultan as Tamar Rabinyan, a young woman who was born in Iran but raised in Israel. Tamar is a member of Mossad, Israel's national intelligence agency who is dispatched on her very first deep-cover mission to Tehran. She is tasked with disabling an Iranian nuclear reactor, with the ultimate aim of preventing Iran from developing atomic weaponry.
This expertly-plotted political drama balances the potentially global consequences of its main plot with small-scale personal drama as Tamar tries to achieve her goal.
Featuring dialogue in English, Hebrew and Persian, Tehran is a slick, shadowy drama that is definitely among the best Apple TV+ originals.
(Apple TV+)
Mythic Quest is a comedy series created by Charlie Day, Megan Ganz and Rob McElhenney. It follows a team of video game developers who make the massively popular online role-playing game, Mythic Quest. In the series, we join the development teams as it prepares to release their biggest update to their game to date, titled Raven's Banquet.
Mythic Quest features great comedic talent both in its cast and crew and is simply a very funny workplace comedy with plenty of heart to boot.
(Apple TV+)
If you're in the mood for some silly, light-hearted entertainment, Central Park belongs on your watch list.
In this animated musical sitcom, park manager Owen Tillerman (Hamilton's Leslie Odom Jr.) and his family live in Edendale Castle right in New York City's Central Park.
Their unconventional way of life is suddenly threatened by the arrival of wealthy entrepreneur Bitsy Brandenham (Stanley Tucci), who wants to replace the park with condos and retail space.
The show features a pitch-perfect cast and musical numbers written by the likes of Sara Bareilles, Darren Criss, Cyndi Lauper, Meghan Trainor, Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson (the songwriters for Olaf's Frozen Adventure).
(Apple TV+)
For All Mankind is a science-fiction thriller that poses one giant question: what if the space race between the USA and USSR never actually ended?
In this alternative history drama, a Russian cosmonaut was the first person to set foot on the moon. This triumph puts NASA on the back foot, and the series follows a team of US astronauts, engineers and real historical figures such as Presidents Nixon and Reagan as they scramble to catch up to the Soviet space program.
As the show progresses, relationships are tested, rivalries intensify and the risks grow ever greater to people on either side. For All Mankind is a suspense-filled, sci-fi story that definitely deserves your attention.
(Apple TV+)
Trying is Apple TV+'s first European original series (co-produced with the BBC). This comedy-drama follows Nikki and Jason, a couple who decide to start exploring adoption after learning that further IVF treatment is unlikely to succeed.
Charming performances from Rafe Spall and Esther Smith carry the series as the loving couple going through the highs and lows of trying to start a family.
Despite the whole new set of challenges Nikki and Jason must face as they prepare to face the adoption panel, Trying manages to find the funny side to the couple's personal problems.
(Apple TV+)
Servant is a psychological horror series that sees Dorothy and Sean Turner hiring Leanne as a new nanny for their son, Jericho.
The first (of many!) twists is that Jericho is actually a "reborn" doll which a therapist suggested the couple use to help cope with the death of their real 13-week-old son. When Leanne arrives, their marriage starts to suffer as things take a creepy turn as it appears they've invited a mysterious force into their home...
With M Night Shyamalan attached to the show, you know you're in for a rollercoaster ride and the show definitely delivers. If you're looking for a new mystery to get your teeth into, give Servant a shot.
(Apple TV+)
Tiny World is a fascinating nature series that shifts the focus over to the smaller creatures in our lives. It transports us to all corners of the world and spotlights the amazing things that some of the smallest animals can do.
Narrated by Ant-Man star Paul Rudd, this documentary shares the stories of creatures from the world's coral reefs, deserts, rainforests, the Australian outback and even the average back garden get by every single day in stunning detail.
If you're after even more nature programming, you should also check out Earth at Night: In Colour.
(Apple TV+)
The Snoopy Show follows the iconic beagle with big dreams. This new animated series sees Snoopy, Woodstock, Charlie Brown, and the rest of the Peanuts gang embarking on a whole new set of adventures.
WildBrain's Snoopy show is a faithful continuation of the classic series, with similar jazzy music and small-town adventures ensuring that Snoopy fans young and old will feel right at home watching the new show.
Fans of The Snoopy Show will also want to check out WildBrain and Apple's previous collaboration, Snoopy in Space, as well as the classic Charlie Brown animated specials also available on Apple TV+.
(Apple TV+)All the best Apple TV Plus shows you can stream