Apple TV+ launched all the way back in 2019, and it has since produced a plethora of original films and TV shows. But unlike Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime, it struggles to enter the zeitgeist. Its most popular show, Ted Lasso, is probably the closest something from Apple TV+ has come to reaching the heights of some shows from the services competition. It has 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and has been nominated for over 100 awards and won 30. More or less everything else however flies woefully under the radar. And considering the quality of some of these projects it is such a shame. The price point compared to the level of TV and films on the service could be a reason why people tend to skip out on AppleTV+, but this weekend, there is no excuse as the service is going completely free on the 4th and 5th of January. As an avid watcher of Apple TV+’s catalogue I’m here to suggest what you should watch whilst you can for free.
TV Shows to Watch on Apple TV+
Slow Horses (4 Seasons)
Based on the series of books by Mick Herron, Slow Horses tells the story of a dysfunctional department of spies in MI5 headed by the curmudgeonly Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman). In the first season River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) fails a routine training exercise and is booted off to Slough House. When an innocent boy is kidnapped by an unknown terror group Jackson, River and the rest of the Slough House team are whipped up into the high octane spy world filled with action and conspiracy to boot.
The subsequent seasons delve further into the seedy underworld of British spies and take twists and turns aplenty, you’ll never not be on the edge of your seat. Not only is it wonderfully written but it has an incredible cast led by Gary Oldman, who is genuinely the best he has ever been as Jackson Lamb. If you like your shows easy to binge – 6 episodes per season – and seek a healthy dose of excitement then Slow Horses is definitely for you. And with more to come on the horizon, it is the perfect time to get into it.
Read Our Review: ‘Slow Horses’ on Apple TV+ is fast paced and extraordinary with a sharp wit
Silo (2 seasons)
Silo is based on a series of books by Hugh Howey. Set in an undetermined post-apocalyptic future the last remnants of humanity have been enclosed in a 150 floor silo where it beats on despite the surface being uninhabitable. The members of this society must adhere to a rigid set of rules, and people who break them are forced to travel to the surface to clean the camera that displays the barren wasteland that surrounds the Silo’s entrance. When Juliette Nichols’ friend dies and she suddenly gets thrust into a new role in the Silo she begins to uncover a conspiracy over 140 years in the making.
Silo is an incredibly tense chamber pot drama that is bursting at the seams with incredible storylines and top-notch performances. The silo is a mystery trapped within an enigma and slowly finding out information about why things are the way they are, and why humanity has been forced into this situation is exciting. Most of all Silo interestingly explores the human condition, how we react under certain situations of control and what happens when we find out everything we know might be a lie. The second season is currently nearing its end and then season 3 and 4 have already been commissioned to tell the whole story from the books.
Bad Sisters (2 Seasons)
Bad Sisters follows five women, the Garvey family in the wake of the death of one of their spouses. In the present the Claflin brothers, who own and run an insurance firm, investigate the death of John Paul (Claes Bang) to try and stop the payout to his wife Grace Garvey (Anne-Marie Duff). In the past the other four sisters Eva (Sharon Horgan), Becka (Eve Hewson), Ursula (Eva Birthistle), and Bibi (Sarah Greene) all plot together to get rid of John Paul as they have reason to believe he is being abusive to Grace, and want her to be free of him.
Bad Sisters is a perfect comedy-drama that gives you a convincing villain to root against and some central protagonists you’ll quickly fall in love with. Every time the sisters take a shot at John Paul you’ll be hoping that it’s finally the one, but when everything eventually comes to fruition you’ll be shocked to the core. With a second season that is just as good and another villainous crook to channel your hatred into – in Fiona Shaw we trust – Bad Sisters is an absolute winner.
Severance (1 Season)
What if you could completely separate your work and home life? Severance dares to answer that question in this sci-fi drama thriller. Severance tells the story of the Lumon corporation and the employees on their ‘severed’ floor; a process which includes having a chip inserted into your brain that separates you into two separate consciousnesses. One that is sentient during work and your usual self which is sentient outside of work. Mark (Adam Scott) is the head of the Macrodata refinement department on the severed floor. When new employee Helly R joins the team the status quo is knocked on its head and the group of workers become interested in the world beyond the one they inhabit.
If you like your TV shows with answers then Severance isn’t for you. The show spends its time doling out question after question without a thought for offering any kind of answers for most of the first season. You’ll actually get answers to questions you didn’t even have before you get answers to your initial questions, which will then spawn even more questions. Are you confused yet? Well Severance is confusing, but it is so addictive, and when things do fall into place you’ll have to scoop your jaw off the floor and get ready for season 2 which releases on the 17th of January.
Trying (4 Seasons)
Trying tells the story of Nikki and Jason, who find out they can’t naturally have children, as they embark on a journey to adopt children for the first time. In season 1 they have to prove to an adoption panel that they are prepared to adopt, and Nikki and Jason are tested to breaking point alongside their dysfunctional families and imperfect life.
All the shows mentioned previously are in some way heavy and often require a high level of attention. With Trying you don’t, and that is the highest compliment that could be bestowed upon it. The show is like a marshmallow, soft, fluffy, and satisfying. Just the perfect amount of niceness and family drama to act as a perfect show to watch when you need something to just forget about the troubles of life. There’s maybe even a lack of lengthy conflict but that is to Trying’s strength as a piece of feel good telly.
Films to watch on Apple TV+
Wolfwalkers
Wolfwalkers is a film made by Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon (The Breadwinner, Song of the Sea, My Father’s Dragon). It tells the story of Robyn, the daughter of a wolfhunter who comes to Ireland to seek out and destroy a final group of wolves. But when she bumps into a native girl she is thrust into the world of Wolfwalkers.
Wolfwalkers is a beautifully animated film and all done by hand. One of the sequences in the film took 12 months to animate, and you can really tell that love and care has been put into every frame of this film. The film also acts as a way to explore how we engage with cultures beyond our own. And that just because we don’t understand something doesn’t mean we should seek to destroy it. The friendship that blossoms between Robyn and Mebh is an exemplary representation of love prevailing over all.
Blitz
The most recent film by British titan filmmaker Steve McQueen is Blitz. It follows George, an evacuated boy in WWII who seeks to travel back to London to reunite with his mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) who he said goodbye to on bad terms.
Blitz is another powerhouse piece of filmmaking by Steve McQueen. Blitz is a story about how togetherness amongst society is an important tool to pull us through hard times. He uses the backdrop of the blitz and the hardships the central characters go through to display this message of kindness and anti-prejudice.
Read our review: ‘Blitz’ Movie Review: The War Through The Eyes of A Child (LFF)
CODA
CODA is a coming-of-age film directed by Sian Heder and starring Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, and Troy Kotsur. Ruby is the child of deaf parents and she must choose between looking after them or pursuing her dream of singing.
CODA saw Apple take home the first-ever Best Picture win for a streaming service at the 2022 Oscars. It is worth watching if not just for the fact that it made history, but also that it is a decent film that includes some representation that has been sorely lacking in Hollywood for decades.
Apple TV+ is free from January 3 to January 5th.
For more information about how to watch, visit the official website.