Selecting the best shows on Apple TV Plus is no mean feat. Despite being a relatively recent streaming platform, it hosts a whole chunk of great, quality television. Our list of the 15 best covers some of the big hitters, including Severance and Ted Lasso. But, if you're in the mood for something different, we've got loads of hidden gems too like Calls, Trying, and Little America.
Then there are more genre-driven pieces, including dark comedies like Bad Sisters, spy thrillers like Slow Horses, and twisty dramas like Defending Jacob. So if you're sitting staring at your remote and wondering what is best to stream next, then look no further. We've done the hard work and have narrowed your watchlist to Apple TV Plus's 15 best shows.
Severance
Ever wondered what a mix between The Office and The Twilight Zone would look like? Chances are, probably not, but Severance clues us in on what a creation that would be anyway – and turns out, it's rather extraordinary.
Starring the likes of Christopher Walken, Patricia Arquette and Adam Scott, the show – created by Dan Erickson, and directed in part by Ben Stiller – is set in a world where people can undergo 'severance', a procedure that splits your consciousness between work and your home life. Across the wickedly funny and daringly dark first season, we meet Mark (Scott), who elected to be severed when he joined the data management team at the mysterious Lumon Industries after the death of his wife. Outside of the office, Mark is still lost in his grief. Innie Mark is just as untethered, though; he just doesn't know it yet.
When a figure he can't remember from his past shows up and begs him to help him expose Lumon's questionable methods, Mark embarks on a tense quest to figure out what's really going on with his sinister employer.
Of all the shows on Apple TV Plus, we'd argue that this is the biggest must watch, and we even named it our best show of 2022. Roll on season 2.
Bad Sisters
The five Garvey sisters are inseparable – or at least they were, until the odious John Paul got in the way. He's married to Grace Garvey, and the rest of the sisters can see that he's draining the life out of her. It doesn't help that he's done something awful to each of the women, or that he moves through the world like a wrecking ball, destroying the lives of everyone he comes across. So what's to be done about John Paul? The answer is simple: the Garvey girls decide to kill him. Whether JP lives or dies isn't the central mystery of this show, though (we find out immediately that he's dead as a doornail). It's who pulled it off, how they did it, and will those pesky insurance investigators figure out the truth? It all makes for one dark, deliciously twisty show, which will also have you laughing out loud.
Ted Lasso
Chances are you've already heard of Ted Lasso, the sweet sports comedy that took the world by storm. Jason Sudeikis stars as the titular coach, who takes on the task of coaching UK football team Richmond AFC. What follows is three seasons of pure, wholesome good vibes – with regular emotional curveballs – as underdog Richmond battles the stacked odds. Come for the jokes, stay for the unexpected life advice. Believe!
Slow Horses
Not quite James Bond, this show follows MI5 agent River Cartwright, played by Jack Lowden, who ends up banished to Slough House after completely failing a training exercise. Slough House is where the rejects go, overseen by Gary Oldman's Jackson Lamb. Far from a future of paperwork and drudgery, though, River instead comes across a crucial piece of evidence that connects to a terrorist kidnapping plot. House of the Dragon's Olivia Cooke co-stars, and a total of four seasons have been confirmed.
For All Mankind
Taking slight inspiration from The Man in the High Castle, which imagined a world where Nazi Germany won World War 2, critically acclaimed For All Mankind explores how NASA and the rest of the United States would have responded had Russia landed on the moon first, and the space race never really ended. Their reaction? To catch up, which prompts the organization to get experimental with training, add more women to the programme, and more.
Each season takes place ten years after its predecessor, with the same actors – all of which offer up outstanding, nuanced performances – continuing to play the same characters. As much as it focuses on the technological advancements of each era, it’s more concerned with how each of the individuals are affected by the people and pressures around them, which makes for an engaging, emotional, and sometimes educational, watch.
Black Bird
Taron Egerton stars as a drug runner who ends up facing hefty jail time, when an offer for a shorter sentence is presented to him by the FBI: if he transfers to another prison and convinces a serial killer (played by Paul Walter Hauser) to reveal the location of the body of a woman he is accused of killing, his sentence will be commuted. The series is based on a true story and co-stars the late Ray Liotta.
Servant
M. Night Shyamalan's creepy slow-burn mystery Servant is well worth investing your time in. Be warned, though, it's a bit of a head-scratcher. In season 1, Leanne, a modest young woman, signs up for a nanny job at the Turner residence in Philadelphia. There's just one problem, the baby she's been tasked with looking after is a doll…
Seasons 2, 3 and 4 build on the bonkers, as the show leans hard into its black comedy and starts confusing viewers as to who the bad guys are. (Turns out, Leanne has a dark history of her own). All of the cast are great but a special shout-out deserves to go to Lauren Ambrose, who steals every scene as the uptight, unhinged Dorothy, who's fully convinced herself little Jericho is a real boy.
Trying
This comedy series follows a couple who, upon discovering further IVF treatment is unlikely to work and is too expensive for them, decide to adopt children of their own. But, the process does not run smoothly. The series, which handles its weighty themes with graceful, charming humor, has run for three seasons and has already been renewed for a fourth. Rafe Spall and Esther Smith star, with a supporting cast that includes Imelda Staunton and Sian Brooke.
The Morning Show
Drawing on the #MeToo movement, The Morning Show follows the titular flagship breakfast news program when a male leading co-anchor is sacked for sexual misconduct. In the aftermath, his co-host Alex Levy struggles to keep her job, while another reporter, Bradley Jackson, emerges as a rival. Season 2 also deals with the COVID-19 pandemic. The all-star cast features Jennifer Anniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell, and Billy Crudup, with Jon Hamm joining the line-up for the upcoming season 3.
The Essex Serpent
Claire Danes stars as a widow who relocates from London to Essex, investigating mysterious sightings of a serpent – known as (what else) the Essex Serpent. But, questions linger over whether the mythical beast is real or a product of mass hysteria from the village's faithful. Tom Hiddleston co-stars as the local vicar, who believes the beast to be more metaphorical – while Danes' character thinks the creature is very much real. What follows is a moody, atmospheric examination of science and faith.
Mythic Quest
Mythic Quest focuses on a fictional game studio, which produces the titular online role-playing game... which just so happens to be the biggest of its kind. Naturally, such a massive undertaking isn't all smooth sailing, and the central cast of characters find themselves clashing. But, since this is a workplace comedy, you can guarantee you'll enjoy watching the bickering. The show stars Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney, and Megan Ganz, and has run for three seasons with two special episodes. A fourth season is on the way.
Little America
This anthology series comes from Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon, and Lee Eisenberg, telling the stories of immigrants in the US. Little America so far consists of two, eight episode seasons, with each installment based on the true stories that have appeared in Epic Magazine. The show has been nominated for awards including NAACP Image Awards and Independent Spirit Awards, and has won multiple trophies, including a GLAAD Media Award.
Dickinson
Dickinson isn't your standard period drama. While it may be set in the 19th Century, the three-season series has a thoroughly modern sensibility, with Hailee Steinfeld starring as a young version of the titular poet. Ella Hunt plays Emily's best friend and love interest Sue Gilbert and 30 Rock's Jane Krakowski is her mother, while the more eccentric supporting casting choices include Wiz Khalifa as Death, Nick Kroll as Edgar Allan Poe, and Ziwe as Sojourner Truth. The Bear showrunner Christopher Storer and the late Lynn Shelton directed episodes of the series, while The Affair writer and producer Alena Smith created the series.
Calls
A particularly inventive show told mostly in audio with few visuals, Calls follows a group of strangers as an apocalyptic event approaches. Each episode is an enigma that involves mysterious activity over the phone – including a 911 call about an intruder who might not be human, and even the possibility of time travel. The star-studded cast includes Aubrey Plaza, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jennifer Tilly, Nick Jonas, Pedro Pascal, Paul Walter Hauser, Karen Gillan, and many, many more.
Defending Jacob
This murder mystery show stars It's Jaeden Martell as the titular Jacob, who is accused of killing a classmate. Chris Evans and Michelle Dockery play his parents, whose lives are thrown into turmoil as the case begins. Dark secrets are soon revealed while each twist and turn only makes the mystery more and more complicated. It's a disquieting watch that leaves you with much to think about long after the final episode has ended.
You can also fill out your watchlist with our guide to the best Netflix shows streaming now.
