Although there’s less to choose from, Apple TV+’s quality over quantity strategy is currently wiping the floor with its rivals.
Numbers-wise, Netflix is still the king of streamers but its high-volume approach to programming doesn’t exactly mean it’s awash with quality shows.
Bridgerton and Squid Game are certainly bone fide smash hits – and the upcoming Stranger Things 4 will no doubt bring in a gazillion viewers – but there seem to be fewer and fewer reasons to fire up Netflix and hear that “ta-dum” sound.
Apple TV+, on the other hand, is going from strength to strength with a run of shows that are some of the best on television.
I’m not saying you should ditch your Netflix subscription forever, but how about a temporary suspension until you’ve made it through the following excellent series?
Shining Girls
The Silence of the Lambs meets Back to the Future in this new series, which sees Billy Elliot’s Jamie Bell playing a time-travelling serial killer who preys on women. Elizabeth Moss is the newspaper archivist who tries to track him down. If this is half as good as the book it’s based on I’ll be very pleased.
Severance
I’d go so far as to say this sci-fi-laced workplace thriller is the best series on Apple TV+. Adam Scott plays a worker at a mysterious tech company that has pioneered a procedure that surgically separates workers’ memories of work and personal lives. As he and his colleagues begin to investigate what that means, things take a sinister turn. Creepy and addictive.
Slow Horses
This surprisingly amusing British spy series – based on the novels of Mick Herron – stars Gary Oldman as a disgraced intelligence officer who gets dragged into a high-profile kidnapping case involving white nationalists. If you’re a fan of John Le Carré books and TV series, you’ll adore this.
The Afterparty
All of the above shows cover some pretty weighty themes, but The Afterparty proves Apple TV+ isn’t afraid to be silly. This bright and breezy whodunnit revolves around a murder after a high school reunion and each suspect’s backstory plays out in the style of a different film genre.
For All Mankind
Alternative histories are always fun and this one supposes that Russia won the race to the moon and Neil Armstrong and his crew were the also-rans. It’s an intriguing premise that could be one-note, but For All Mankind expands upon in all manner of interesting ways. There are two seasons and it gets better and better as it goes along.
Even if you only watch one of these series, the £4.99 a month subscription is an absolute steal.