The ultimate Apple TV+ watching guide

For when someone asks "I just got Apple TV+, what should I watch?"

There are more shows on Apple TV+ than just this one, though.

Nearly six months before Apple TV+ even launched 4.5 years ago, they had spent over $6 billion on original programming. If they have that much money, why not pay their writers and actors a living wage, right?

Their goal at the time was to build up a library of original content without relying on showcasing programming from other networks. This was met with some skepticism—it was a huge flaunt of wealth and a new era for streaming television where companies (like Facebook, at the time) saw producing original programming as a bonus leg of their business as opposed to their main source of income (re: Netflix). For Apple, why bother trying to poach The Office for viewers when they have all the money in the world to try and make their own flagship content?

The streamer also gained a reputation for offering free trials every time you purchase a new Apple device. I got used to saying, “you probably actually have a free trial but don’t even realize it,” when convincing a friend to watch one of their shows.

Apple started out strong with Ted Lasso and some more underrated gems like For All Mankind, and each of their shows have a certain glossy, highly produced sheen to them. They’ve also thrown huge amounts of money to get big stars to the streamer, to mixed results. Remember that big-budget Stephen King show starring Julianne Moore? Yeah, me neither.

That said, they’ve produced — and continue to produce — some of my favourite shows of the last few years. I’ll be honest: part of my motivation in putting together this guide is to send the link over for the next time a friend inevitable messages me with, “what should I watch on Apple?” So here it is.

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The top fifteen…

15. Five Days at Memorial (2022)

Genre: Dramatic miniseries.

The tea: Based on a true story about a hospital during Hurricane Katrina. Underrated performances by some favs (Cherry Jones!).

Gaydar: 10%

14. Shining Girls (2022)