Apple just revealed Apple TV+, a new subscription telly service that will pit it against Netflix, Amazon Prime and other on-demand titans. And despite showing off very little of the actual shows that will be on it, it did have some huge entertainment heavyweights to help it off the ground.
Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, JJ Abrams, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Momoa and Reese Witherspoon were among the stars to show up at the Steve Jobs Theatre in Cupertino, California on Monday (March 25) to support the new ad-free service with exclusive projects.
The service is set to launch in the UK and across the world this autumn within the updated Apple TV app. But while the price still remains under wraps – the £9.99 of Apple Music and News+ certainly has a consistent ring to it – here are nine shows you should keep your eye on that have been confirmed to be coming.
1. Amazing Stories
Steven Spielberg continues his anti-Netflix campaign by siding with Apple in the TV on-demand wars and resurrecting his Emmy-winning ’80s anthology series Amazing Stories for a new generation.
Rather good timing, really, what with Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone bringing anthology series back into vogue, and Spielberg talked about one episode telling the tale of a Second World War pilot falling through a time hole. Expect some suitably sci-fi thrills and spills.
2. See
Peaky Blinders and Taboo creator Steven Knight’s new series is the latest big-budget slice of TV apocalyptica, with Game of Thrones’ Jason Momoa strapping on a Jon Snow-esque fur jacket to brave a virus-devastated Earth.
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There are thankfully no zombies here, though, and in a clever twist the human survivors have all been blind for so long – centuries, in fact – that it’s now disputed whether they could ever see in the first place. Also starring Star Trek: First Contact’s Alfre Woodard, this promises to be epic in scope as well as style.
3. The Morning Show
Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell all star in this exploration of the power dynamics between news anchors amid the coffee cups and off-air spats.
Coming over like a straight-faced Anchorman – which may be a tad confusing when it comes to Carell – we saw footage of Aniston looking stressed on air, Witherspoon seemingly co-ordinating behind the camera, and Carell looking sad. Colour us intrigued.
4. Little America
Silicon Valley’s Kumail Nanjiani and Parks and Recreation writer Alan Yang are behind another anthology series, this one telling a variety of human stories from around the US through the lens of immigrants in places from Texas to Oklahoma.
With the majority of actors and directors immigrants or the children of immigrants from Iran, Syria, Mexico and Nigeria, it promises to be funny, romantic and sad. One episode tells the tale of a 12-year-old Indian boy who ran a Utah motel secretly for years after his parents were deported.
5. Toxic Labour
Part of the Oprah Winfrey/Apple motherlode – which also includes a live incarnation of her uber-popular Book Club and a multi-part series on mental health – this timely documentary explores sexual harassment in the workplace.
Winfrey has always specialised in serious conversations and Toxic Labour promises to build on this, exploring a very current topic in suitable depth.
6. Little Voice
JJ Abrams, creator of Lost and most recent Star Wars head honcho, has long been touted as an Apple TV partner, but we don’t think this is quite what his fans were expecting – a romantic comedy-drama about a singer finding her voice.
Written and starring Sara Bareilles, who composed the Broadway hit Waitress AND sang the new show’s theme tune live rather impressively, Little Voice is not to be confused with the Jane Horrocks play/film of the same name but looks like it may scratch a similar itch.
7. Helpsters
With so many big-name stars on stage touting their wares, it was funny to see one of the biggest cheers go to Big Bird, who introduced this intriguing Sesame Street spin-off.
Parents will want to prick up their ears for a new pre-school show, certainly, which is set to use coding to solve everyday problems, from making instruments for a band to making a kite to fly.
8. Are You Sleeping
Hidden Figures’ Octavia Spencer stars in this thriller drama from Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine production stable and The Good Wife writer Nichelle Tramble.
Based on the book by Kathleen Barber and featuring Serial’s Sarah Koenig as a consultant, this explores the realities and the fallout of our fascination with true-crime podcasts. Masters of Sex's Lizzy Caplan and Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul also star.
9. Untitled M Night Shyamalan project
The Sixth Sense director’s show wasn’t fully trailed at the Apple event, but he was on the star-packed video eulogising the new service, and a little is known about his series already.
Executive produced by 24: Legacy’s Tony Basgallop, the 10-episode series stars Toby Kebbel and Lauren Ambrose in what is said to both be a “mystery” and a “psychological thriller”, and which, of course, in typical Shyamalan style, is set to feature TWISTS.
Stars also working on Apple exclusive shows: Ron Howard, Chris Evans, Sofia Coppola, Bill Murray, Jon Favreau, Rashida Jones, Spike Lee, Richard Gere, Josh Gad, Joel Kinnaman, Rupert Grint, Jason Sudeikis, David S Goyer, Jennifer Garner and Stanley Tucci
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Matt is a journalist, audience strategist, editorial director and workflow consultant with over 20 years' of experience in the industry.
A former director of audience development and content strategy at Hearst UK, Matt was previously Editor-in-Chief of Digital Spy. There, he contributed features and reviews on TV, movies, consumer technology, video games and Lego sets, won BSME Digital Editor of the Year, and led the team to numerous awards including Campaign Consumer Media Brand of the Year and PPA Digital Content Team of the Year twice.
As Digital Development Director of the Hearst UK portfolio, he oversaw the central digital editorial teams including SEO, video, e-commerce and design, contributing to digital acceleration across all Hearst UK brands from Cosmopolitan to Good Housekeeping.
Before joining Hearst in 2015, Matt edited Future’s consumer technology lifestyle brand T3 and the UK arm of Gawker’s tech culture website Gizmodo, and was deputy editor at ShortList, the then biggest men’s magazine in the UK, interviewing the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Lord Sugar and Sirs Ridley Scott and David Attenborough in the process. LinkedIn
