Mapping the Apple TV+ Universe

As someone who’s been following the world of streaming services, I must say that Apple TV+ is really stepping up its game when it comes to animated shows! Central Park, The Snoopy Show, Frog and Toad, and Strange Planet are all worth checking out if you enjoy a good cartoon.

At its inception, Apple TV+ presented a clean slate with high-profile talent attached but left viewers uncertain about where its content fit within the already congested streaming market. Zack Van Amburg, one of the executives recruited to develop the service, explained ahead of its 2019 launch that all shows would tackle themes related to human relationships and the world. This approach resulted in a variety of shows that didn’t resonate with audiences (such as Spielberg’s Amazing Stories and Oprah’s Book Club), but one became an iconic success: The Morning Show, starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, which garnered Emmy nominations despite its soap-operatic nature. Since then, Apple TV+ has created numerous polished, expensive-looking series that can be categorized as generic. However, it has also produced a string of critical hits and unquestionable cultural sensations — including Ted Lasso, Severance, Slow Horses, and Presumed Innocent — that have solidified its reputation as a creative powerhouse whose new releases always pique interest, even when they ultimately fall short. In the era of streaming oversaturation, this consistency is invaluable.

Despite initial skepticism due to a smaller viewership compared to giants like Netflix, Apple TV+’s standing in Hollywood is improving. This can be seen in the streamer’s highest number of Emmy nominations to date during the recent awards season. After being active long enough to showcase its content, we can now understand Apple TV+’s preferences and identity better. While it does offer quality shows that cater to a traditional ‘Dad’ audience, this is not its only focus. Apple TV+ has evolved into a well-rounded programming platform that appeals to the tastes and comforts of affluent American viewers. However, this categorization doesn’t encompass everything; not every series on the streamer is included here, and there are many untouched thematic aspects. But the various programs on Apple TV+ provide insights into the service’s perspective on the television industry, the world, and its consumers.

BIG BEEFY BOYS

In a different time, these could have been ideal for a cable movie night. Apple has created a unique space, excelling in thrillers starring strong male protagonists (and one colossal Kaiju) with enough refinement to surpass Amazon Prime Video in terms of prestige. These series are usually divided into two categories: high-octane thrillers like “Hijack” and deeply somber dramas often revolving around men facing legal troubles under the shadow of a Grisham-style courtroom, such as “Presumed Innocent”.

Here are the titles of several captivating novels you might enjoy: “Defending Jacob” translates to “Protecting Jacob”, “Black Bird” becomes “Black Sparrow”, “Shantaram” can be rephrased as “Exile in Shantaram”, “Echo 3” could be “Resonance Three”, “The Crowded Room” might be “Overcrowded Sanctuary”, “Hijack” can be “Aircraft Capture”, and “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” could be “Monarch: Inheritance of the Beastly Kings”.

AMERICA!

From a movie enthusiast’s perspective, Apple TV+ seems to have a strong connection with history, subtly reflecting patriotic themes. It’s not hard to see why, considering how many fathers across the nation keep historical books (like those that inspired shows such as “Masters of the Air”) within arm’s reach on their nightstands.

Masters of the Air
Manhunt
Franklin

… AMERICA?

Maintaining a commitment to quality programming involves tackling the ethical aspects of our nation, or at least hinting at such issues. This is exemplified through shows like The Problem with Jon Stewart.

The Problem With Jon Stewart
For All Mankind
Hello! Tomorrow
Five Days at Memorial

MEN AND THEIR DISCONTENTS

As a follower of Apple TV+, I find that many of its original shows delve into the complexities of men grappling with existential questions or testing their moral boundaries. Among the creators who best embody this distinctive aesthetic is Bill Lawrence, whose hit series “Ted Lasso” has become synonymous with a heartwarming tone characteristic of the platform.

Ted Lasso
Mr. Corman
The Shrink Next Door
Shrinking
The Big Door Prize
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey

COLD AND SAD IN EUROPE

Is “Slow Horses” ever set in a place where summer is constant? This series forms a significant part of Apple’s collection for family television, but it also embodies a type of European programming that Apple has been promoting since its beginning: dark, gloomy, cities constantly teetering on the edge of crisis. It seems like London is perpetually overcast.

Slow Horses
Bad Sisters
Liaison
Criminal Record
The New Look

SHINY SCI-FI

It’s quite logical that a forward-thinking tech titan like Apple would have a strong attraction towards science fiction, given its focus on the future. The sci-fi it generally prefers, as suggested by ‘Foundation’, tends to be intellectual or elite in nature and is designed to mirror the elegance and minimalism of the devices they manufacture.

Foundation
Invasion
Dr. Brain
Silo
Constellation
Sugar
Dark Matter
Sunny

PRESTIGE FEMINISM

“Apple TV+ may have its most convincing argument against traditional ‘Dad TV’ with its collection of lead roles played by strong women. Generally, these shows are a carefully crafted representation of themselves (and feminism), as demonstrated in the Emmy-nominated series Lessons in Chemistry.

Little Voice
Physical
Roar
Shining Girls
Lessons in Chemistry
Land of Women
Lady in the Lake

REESE’S BOOK CLUB

Hello Sunshine coded.
The Morning Show is one of Apple TV+’s signature programs, and Reese Witherspoon is one of its defining tastemakers. Not all of these shows are directly produced by Witherspoon’s production shingle, Hello Sunshine, but they are contiguous with her melodramtic, women-investigating-mysteries aesthetic.

The Morning Show
Truth Be Told
Surface
Dear Edward
The Last Thing He Told Me

TOTALLY LUSH PERIOD PIECES

The costuming of a small nation’s economy is magnificently showcased in the lavish and grandiose period pieces produced by Apple TV+. With substantial production budgets at their disposal, they offer a wide range of genres but all share the visually stunning detail that characterizes ‘Pachinko’.

Schmigadoon! (instead of Dickinson)

FRICTIONLESS WEALTH PORN

Exploring the struggles and hardships faced by individuals belonging to the affluent one percent, these comedies are set either in the lofty strata of wealth (such as Loot’s philanthropic billionaire protagonist) or environments where characters possess such wealth that their basic needs seldom pose a problem.

The Afterparty
Loot
Drops of God
Platonic
Palm Royale

SILICON VALLEY CONCERNS

Wouldn’t it be accurate to say we’re one of the major players in technology?

Mythic Quest
Severance
WeCrashed

TIDY HORROR

As a fan, I find that this particular Apple TV+ show falls within an intriguing niche of their offerings, almost like their interpretation of the A24-inspired “elevated horror.” Similar to the series ‘Servant,’ run by M. Night Shyamalan, it exudes a refined elegance but seems slightly devoid of the raw intensity typically associated with horror.

Servant
The Changeling
Lisey’s Story

BIG-BRAINED ANTHOLOGIES

Earlier in its initial phase, the streaming platform often favored producing thought-provoking content using the anthology style. However, these shows seldom came together to form a coherent and engaging whole.

Amazing Stories
Calls
Extrapolations

SWEATY-WEATHER NOIR

As a dedicated film enthusiast, I’d describe Blue Sky TV 2.0 as a platform that continues to build upon the engaging and relatable style of television that USA Network once defined – think along the lines of Bad Monkey, another brilliant creation by Bill Lawrence. This category represents a streaming service striving to fill the gap left behind by USA Network, aiming to resonate with the everyday American viewer.

High Desert
Bad Monkey

APPLE TV+ HAS ANIMATED SHOWS?

And they’re good?
They really are!

Central Park
The Snoopy Show
Frog and Toad
Strange Planet

Jason Momoa is a postapocalyptic dad defending his twins from evil forces.
Chris Evans is a lawyer dad defending his son, who may be a killer.
Tom Holland is not a dad but an amnesiac who may be a killer.
Jake Gyllenhaal is a lawyer dad defending himself because he may be a killer.
Tobias Menzies hunts for Lincoln’s assassin.
Michael Douglas hunts for courtesans in France while trying to convince the country to ally with a newborn United States.
Jon Stewart’s post–Daily Show attempt at a Last Week Tonight–style weekly news show. This is the lone unscripted series in this taxonomy, which we’re including because of its prominence: The show was turning heads before it was cut short by Apple’s long editorial arm and political incentives.
An adaptation of Sheri Fink’s nonfiction book on one hospital’s experience during and after Hurricane Katrina, starring Vera Farmiga and Cherry Jones.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a normal guy who questions his life choices.
A creepy psychiatrist played by Paul Rudd manipulates his way into the life of a patient played by Will Ferrell. A black comedy based on a true story that was also a podcast.
A grieving psychologist played by Jason Segel inadvertently manipulates his way into the lives of his patients. A comedy not based on a true story that was also a podcast.
Chris O’Dowd is a normal guy who questions his life choices after a strange machine that seemingly indicates everybody’s life potential shows up in town.
The other Samuel L. Jackson show.
Vincent Cassel and Eva Green play sexy spies and exes fighting cyberterrorists and their own intimate history. In French.
Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo play hot detectives fighting over an old case and their own professional history. In English with Scottish and South London inflections, respectively.
Feud: Christian Dior vs. Coco Chanel circa the Nazi occupation of Paris.
Astronaut Noomi Rapace is alive in one timeline and dead in another.
Surprise!
Two Joel Edgertons face off in a multiverse with infinite Joel Edgertons, including one who’s superrich and one who’s a good dad.
Rashida Jones tries to figure out why her husband and son vanished in neo-futurist Kyoto.
Amnesiac journalist Elisabeth Moss tries to find a serial killer who moves through time.
Journalist Natalie Portman tries to figure out who killed two young women in Baltimore.
Amnesiac Gugu Mbatha-Raw tries to figure out why she attempted suicide.
Jennifer Garner tries to figure out why her husband vanished and left her a bag of money.
Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong in an assortment of show-tunes costumes.
Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston in an assortment of excellent coats.
French and Japanese opulence face off in this beautiful and absurd succession battle over a wine empire.(Complimentary.)
Kristen Wiig and Leslie Bibb face off in this beautiful and absurd battle over a beach-club membership. (Derogatory.)
Dramatization of the rise and fall of WeWork in the vein of The Dropout and Super Pumped starring Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway. Based on a podcast.
Julianne Moore tries to figure out what her dead husband is telling her. (A Stephen King adaptation.)
Revival of Steven Spielberg’s Emmy-winning anthology series from the mid-’80s.
A mystery told through a series of phone calls. Perfect viewing for your smartphone.

2024-09-27 16:54