The 20 Best Shows to Watch on Apple TV+ in 2022
From Black Bird to Pachinko, the platform is absolutely loaded with digital content.
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Apple TV+'s original content may seem daunting to comb through—compared to Disney+'s name-recognition or HBO's long-running programming, especially—but that's where we, your friends at Esquire, come in. The relatively new streaming platform offers up a wide slate of drama, comedy, sci-fi, and documentary series, meaning: your interest will be covered, no problem.
Whether you're looking for fan favorite comedies like Ted Lasso, period pieces like Pachinko, kid-friendly content like Snoopy in Space, or celebrity documentaries like They Call Me Magic, this is a library with plenty options. Below we've handpicked the 20 best shows Apple TV+ has to offer this year. Time to get watching.
Black Bird
Black Bird is a maximum-security prison thriller about a narcotics dealer (Taron Egerton) who is given the chance to walk free if he can elicit a confession from a supposed serial killer (Paul Walter Houser) who is also behind bars. The six-episode miniseries was written by Shutter Island author Dennis Lehane and is based on real-life events. Also, Paul Walter Houser gets an A+ for whatever creepy voice class he attended.
Slow Horses
Starring Gary Oldman, Slow Horses follows a group of discharged MI5 spies in England who have failed in their duties. Now operating in a kind of purgatory for rejects, they sort paperwork until the group uncovers a dangerous kidnapping.
Loot
Maya Rudolph stars as a divorced wife of a billionaire (Adam Scott), who learns after he cheats on her that she's going to get an $87 billion settlement. Reconnecting with the charitable foundation that she forgot she even had, she sets out to try and do some good, rediscovering herself along the way. Loot also stars Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Pose), comedian Ron Funches, and Joel Kim Booster (Fire Island).
The Afterparty
No, not the Netflix KYLE movie. This is Apple's The Afterparty—a whodunnit murder mystery that takes place at a high school reunion. The hilarious series also features an ensemble cast of Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson, Zoë Chao, Ben Schwartz, Ilana Glazer, and Dave Franco.
Surface
After (allegedly) attempting to take her own life, Sophie (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) suffers from amnesia but can't shake the feeling that something is wrong with the story everyone is telling her. As she tries to piece together her suicide attempt, it's revealed that things are not exactly as they seem.
For All Mankind
What if America didn't win the space race and Russia got to the moon first? In this alternate-history story by Battlestar Galactica creator Ronald D. Moore, America ramps up NASA and explores a world where competition in the outer cosmos never ended.
Severance
Patricia Arquette and Adam Scott star in this workplace comedy/drama in which employees undergo surgery known as "severance" to physically separate the parts of their brain that focus on work and their personal lives. The work-life balance is still not so easily achieved, however, as the employees learn about unknown nefarious activities affecting their lives outside of the office.
The Essex Serpent
A London widow (Claire Danes) moves to Essex in search of the mystical serpent said to inhabit its local waters. In this period drama, she meets the town's pastor and known skeptic (Tom Hiddleston), as well as locals that believe she attracted the recent tragedies with her inquiries.
Shining Girls
Serial killer content may be all the rage, but Shining Girls ups the ante by adding a supernatural element: the murderer can travel through time. One of his escaped victims, Kirby Mazrachi (Elisabeth Moss) makes it her mission to hunt him down.
Read our interview with the book's author ahead of the adaptation.
Foundation
Foundation, the celebrated series of sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, is finally brought to television more than 70 years after it published. Updating world building and certain outdated aspects of the plot, the series follows a group of rebels aiming to take down the corrupt Galactic Empire.
Pachinko
Pachinko, based on the bestselling novel of the same name, is a multigenerational story about a Korean family struggling to survive during Japanese occupation. This tear-jerker of a tale sends the main protagonist—a Korean woman named Sunja—through heartbreak, discrimination, and perseverance.
They Call Me Magic
Magic Johnson, a five-time NBA champion for the Los Angeles Lakers in the '80s and one of the best basketball players of all time, receives a special four-part documentary series on Apple.
Tehran
Adding Glen Close for the explosive Season Two drama, Tehran follows an ex-Mossad agent (Niv Sultan) on a mission to dismantle an Iranian nuclear plant.
Mythic Quest
The best (and only) series about video game developers, Mythic Quest follows the sitcom hijinks and personal relationships behind the world's largest multiplayer video game. Starring Rob McElhenney (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), the series also features celebrity cameos from Jake Johnson, Anthony Hopkins, and Snoop Dogg.
Prehistoric Planet
Narrated by David Attenborough, Prehistoric Planet is a nature documentary about the surmised lives of various ancient creatures that used to walk the Earth. With amazing CGI dinosaur rendering and dramatic stories, Prehistoric Planet is a fun time for any dino lovers wanting to watch these massive animals move about.
Dr. Brain
Using a unique machine that he invented, Dr. Brain can experience another person's memories in this Korean sci-fi series about an unsolved (for now?) murder.
Dear…
In this documentary series, celebrities read letters from fans expressing how their work affected them and changed their lives. Some notable guests include Spike Lee, Stevie Wonder, Jane Fonda, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and many more.
Ted Lasso
One of the most talked about comedies of the moment, Ted Lasso is the farfetched, feel-good series about an American football coach who is sent overseas to become the manager of an English soccer team. Silly yet heartwarming, Ted Lasso seeks to keep the ball rolling in Season Three later this year.
The Morning Show
The flagship series for Apple TV+, helmed by star actresses Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, heads into Season Three strong later this year. Tackling the #MeToo movement and the 2017 Las Vegas shooting in the first season, Season Two then bravely dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic just a year and a half after its real-life global spread.
Snoopy in Space
Looking for something family friendly? Apple's The Snoopy Show and its spinoff series, Snoopy in Space, are both entertaining and imaginative adventures for kids and Peanuts fans alike. With his bird friend Woodstock in tow, the lovable pup Snoopy becomes a NASA astronaut and travels to the moon.
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