Apple’s Netflix-like streaming service Apple TV Plus has arguably taken its biggest leap forward this year, in terms of recognition and appreciation of what it’s trying to achieve — in a way that has largely eluded this most boutique of streamers since its 2019 launch.
Apple TV Plus was the first streaming service to win a Best Picture Oscar earlier this year (for CodaNetflix was beaten to the punch by this service. You can access the service here. Sign up hereThe 74th Primetime Emmy Awards also saw a good showing by, Nine Emmy Awards winsTotal for shows like Ted Lasso Severance. Not too bad at all for a service that’s only three years as old as of today (November 1), and launched in 2019 with just nine titles for $4.99/month.
Apple TV Plus shows 2022
The Apple TV Plus library may be limited compared to Netflix’s vast array of content. But at $7/month, with 146 titles across the service to enjoy, price shouldn’t really be an issue here. It’s simply a matter of whether you’ll be able to find enough quality shows to watch to make an Apple TV Plus subscription worth your while.
And with that in mind, you’ll find some recommendations in this post which should definitely help in that regard.
We should also note that the film side of the streamer is less content-rich than its rapidly growing library of original TV programs. Nevertheless, there are certainly some gems to be found among Apple’s films, like Tom Hanks’ WWII drama Greyhound. Charmer for Central Recorderdance Cha Cha Real SmoothIt is one thing.
That said, let’s take a closer look at four Apple TV Plus shows that are absolute must-watches, all of which also have wowed both critics and fans.
Pachinko
As the third quarter of 2022 winds down, I’m already certain that this multigenerational, multi-language drama from Apple based on the 2017 novel of the same name from Min Jin Lee will be on my year-end best TV of 2022 list. It will likely be at the top.
“Epic in scope and intimate in tone,”This Apple TV Plus standout is explained by the iPhone maker. “the story 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.”
These production values are cinematic and stunning. And the characters’ stories hooked me in much the same way as those on a show like Lost did. Also, keep your eyes open, in Episode 4, for what’s been one of my favorite streaming TV moments of the year so far. It’s when the character of Solomon, a Korean businessman raised in Japan and educated in America, dances in the rain to a gorgeous cover of In Between Days.
Slow horses
If you’re like me and love espionage films, spy novels, and the like, meanwhile, Apple’s Slow horsesIt is an entertaining show that will keep your attention from beginning to finish. It’s based on a 2010 novel of the same name from the fantastic spy novelist Mick Herron — and the title, you come to find out, is a bit of a disparaging pun. Basically, the show is about a kind of outpost for washed-up spies (Slough House) who couldn’t cut it in the main MI5 office. So they’re put out to pasture. They’re the slow horses, as it were.
“I know it’s not easy being banished from MI5 to my department,” Gary Oldman’s character Jackson Lamb says at one point in the show. “But that’s on you. Only screw-ups get sent to Slough House. And I’ve got to be honest. Working with you has been the lowest point in a disappointing career.”
This movie is among the few that portrays the people of the secret world as real people. They are not super-attractive, but they are smart enough to save lives and be lucky.
You can also check out three additional Apple TV shows
For the other two titles on this admittedly subjective list, we’ve got one more spy series worth watching. As well as Apple TV Plus’ first indisputable home run hit.
Tehran
When you are done watching, Slow horsesThis title should be next on your Apple TV Plus watchlist. As a matter of fact, I’d actually recommend watching TehranFirst, sign up as soon as possible and start looking for what to watch. It’s that good.
This series has everything I need in a spy thriller. Realism, in the form of a seemingly ripped-from-the-headlines plot. Murky allegiances. An untrustworthy protagonist. A chief antagonist who’s more of a flesh-and-blood human than a two-dimensional villain. Action, twists and surprises that will keep you guessing until the end.
Here’s how Apple summarizes Tehran. “An espionage thriller from Fauda writer Moshe Zonder that tells the thrilling story of a Mossad agent who goes deep undercover on a dangerous mission in Tehran that places her and everyone around her in dire jeopardy.”
In the show, Mossad hacker/spy Tamar Rabinyan is dropped deep inside Iran — into its capital city, in fact, as the show’s title suggests. She’s there to hack into and disarm the defenses of an Iranian nuclear reactor that the Israelis want to bomb. Needless to say, it goes wrong — and it keeps going wrong. While the show manages to do all right, it fails to deliver.
Separation
The dystopian workplace drama is another series that has been praised by critics on Apple TV Plus. SeveranceThe series received 14 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series. It also took home the Outstanding Music Composition Award for a Series award and Outstanding Main Title Design award.
“In Severance,” Apple says about the show, “Mark Scout (Adam Scott) leads a team at Lumon Industries, whose employees have undergone a severance procedure, which surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. This daring experiment in ‘work-life balance’ is called into question as Mark finds himself at the center of an unraveling mystery that will force him to confront the true nature of his work … and of himself.
Dan Erickson wrote and created the show. Ben Stiller served as executive producer and director alongside Erickson. Nicky Weinstock and Jackie Cohn were also involved in the creation of the show.
Ted Lasso
That brings us to what’s arguably the crown jewel in the Apple TV Plus content library at the moment.
Ted Lasso is a sweet, fish-out-of-water comedy about a soccer coach from America who’s brought over to coach in the UK. And the awards it picked up at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards this week certainly attest to the show’s quality and its preeminence in the Apple TV Plus lineup. They were: Outstanding Comedy Series; Outstanding Leading Actor in a Comedy Series – for Jason Sudeikis; Outstanding Supporting Actor a Comedy Series – for Brett Goldstein; Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series –for MJ Delaney.
This Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series is actually the same one that the show won last season. Actually, Ted Lasso is only the eighth comedy series in the Emmys’ 74 years to pull off that repeat. Moreover, the show’s second season this year also became the most Emmy-winning comedy for the second year in a row.
You don’t have to enjoy soccer or, heck, even be much of a sports fan at all to appreciate this winner. This show is about persevering through adversity and finding inspiration in small things. This is the only TV show that will make you want to be a goldfish.
More Apple coverage Take a look at the latest Apple deals.