Whether you want a gripping crime thriller, a hilarious sports comedy or an exciting sci-fi adventure, Apple's streaming service has what you want, but finding the best Apple TV Plus show can be hard given its rapidly-growing library.
Apple TV Plus focuses on prestige TV shows, the kind you'd want to watch once per week instead of binging in one block, and after launching in 2019 it's slowly grown into one of the best streaming services for fans of must-watch series.
From water-cooler shows that everyone talks about to hidden gems that you need to catch, Apple TV Plus has a great range of TV shows. And to help you find what's worth watching, the TV experts at What to Watch have put their heads together to find you the best shows on Apple TV Plus.
We update this article frequently to reflect all the new shows added to the streamer, so keep checking back once you finish your last binge to find something new!
Best Apple TV Plus shows — drama
The New Look
- Number of seasons: 1
- Number of episodes: 10
- Average episode length: 36-61 minutes
A historical fashion biopic, The New Look fills us in on the origins of such fashion brands as Christian Dior, Coco Chanel and Balenciaga.
Set in and after World War II, the series follows Dior as he tries to create a brand-new fashion line to make a name for himself. To do so, he'll have to face up against the well-established Coco Chanel, who's not just a business rival but idealogically opposed to him too.
The cast includes Ben Mendelsohn in the lead role as well as Juliette Binoche, John Malkovich, Maisie Williams, Emily Mortimer and Glenn Close, and it makes for some fantastic drama.
The Morning Show
- Number of seasons: 3
- Number of episodes: 30
- Average episode length: 50-69 minutes
The Morning Show sees Jennifer Anniston taking center stage as popular breakfast TV anchor Alex Levy. After working with her co-anchor Mitch Kessler (Steve Carrell) for fifteen years, Mitch is fired amidst a sexual misconduct scandal.
After this revelation, the Emmy award-winning series follows Alex as she fights to stay the top news anchor for The Morning Show. Sneering network executive Cory Ellison (played by Billy Crudup) tries to seize this opportunity to try and revitalize the show by replacing Alex with Senior Reporter Bradley Jackson (Reece Witherspoon).
With Mitch continuing to fight his corner on the outside, The Morning Show charts Alex's struggle to keep her job as the top anchor as she develops a fierce rivalry with Bradley on and off-set.
Masters of the Air
- Number of seasons: 1
- Number of episodes: 9
- Average episode length: 48-62 minutes
One of Apple TV Plus' biggest-budget shows is Masters of the Air, which many have considered a spiritual sequel to Band of Brothers.
The show, set in World War II, is about the 100th Bomb Group which frequently undertook perilous tasks in German territory. The members of the crew find life outside of the planes just as fraught with danger and drama as their missions though.
An all-star cast here includes Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Barry Keoghan and Stephen Campbell Moore.
Dickinson
- Number of seasons: 3
- Number of episodes: 30
- Average episode length: 26-34 minutes
This coming-of-age story sees Hailee Steinfeld playing famed American poet Emily Dickinson. Steinfeld's Dickinson is a poet with a rebellious soul, one who resists her parent's attempts to find her a suitor in order to follow her dream of becoming a poet.
With modern dialogue and period-accurate costumes, the Peabody Award-winning show plays fast and loose with its period conventions and is an entertaining drama that sees Hailee Steinfeld performing at her very best.
The third and final season is now on Apple TV+. It covers Emily Dickinson's most productive period, what the future holds, and the American Civil War, all while another battle starts to divide her own family.
Shrinking
- Number of seasons: 1
- Number of episodes: 10
- Average episode length: 45 minutes
Shrinking follows a grieving therapist who starts to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge, tumultuous changes to people's lives … including his own.
With a great cast featuring Jason Segel, Harrison Ford, Christa Miller, and Jessica Williams this is a great Apple drama that's worth a watch.
Best Apple TV Plus shows — Thriller
Hijack
- Number of seasons: 1
- Number of episodes: 7
- Average episode length: 44-50 minutes
One of Apple's most talked-about shows of 2023 was Hijack, starring Idris Elba, which has a second season on its way.
The show follows Elba's Sam Nelson, a business negotiator who's aboard a flight as it's hijacked. He has to use all his skills to placate the kidnappers as law enforcement on the gruond try to work out what's going on.
Slow Horses
- Number of seasons: 3
- Number of episodes: 18
- Average episode length: 59 minutes
Slow Horses follows a dysfunctional team of MI5 agents alongside their obnoxious boss, the notorious Jackson Lamb. Throughout the series, they navigate the espionage world's smoke and mirrors to defend England from sinister forces.
The series stars Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Olivia Cooke, Kristen Scott Thomas, and Jonathan Pryce and is based on the novel of the same name by Mick Herron, which was released in 2010. The novel is the first in the Slough House series, a long-running collection of books.
With three seasons now complete, this is one of the most popular and enduring shows that Apple has.
Black Bird
- Number of seasons: 1
- Number of episodes: 6
- Average episode length: 59 minutes
In this intense American prison thriller, we follow the real-life story of convicted drug dealer Jimmy Keene who is forced to get a confession out of suspected serial murderer Larry Hall while in a maximum-security prison.
When this catches the FBI’s attention, Agent Lauren McCauley offers Jimmy an unusual deal: she wants him to befriend Larry Hall, who has already been convicted of killing one young woman and is believed to be responsible for the deaths of around 13 others.
If Jimmy can elicit further confessions out of Larry before the latter’s appeal goes through, Jimmy gets to walk free, so there's everything at stake.
The series stars a number of great actors such as Rocketman star Taron Egerton and Richard Jewell's Paul Walter Hauser as the two leads, with other stars including the late Ray Liotta, Sepideh Moafi, Greg Kinnear and Joe Williamson.
Best Apple TV Plus shows — comedy
Ted Lasso
- Number of seasons: 3
- Number of episodes: 34
- Average episode length: 29-45 minutes
Ted Lasso is the comedy series no one can seem to get enough of and arguably the best Apple Plus TV show original available right now.
It centers, unsurprisingly, on Ted Lasso, a high-spirited American football coach (played by Jason Sudeikis). Ted is hired by Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), the new owner of the struggling Premier League soccer team, AFC Wimbledon.
Alongside Ted are an ensemble cast including Ted's bizarre second-in-command, Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt), sweary star footballer Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), and egotistical Manchester City striker Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster).
Full of laughs and emotional moments in equal measure, Ted Lasso has earned its reputation as one of the best Apple TV plus shows available on the platform right now.
Mythic Quest
- Number of seasons: 3
- Number of episodes: 30
- Average episode length: 24-37 minutes
Mythic Quest is a comedy series created by Charlie Day, Megan Ganz and Rob McElhenney. It follows a team of video game developers who make the massively popular online role-playing game, Mythic Quest. In the series, we join the development teams as it prepares to release their biggest update to their game to date, titled Raven's Banquet.
Mythic Quest features great comedic talent both in its cast and crew and is simply a very funny workplace comedy with plenty of heart to boot.
Central Park
- Number of seasons: 2
- Number of episodes: 18
- Average episode length: 22-27 minutes
If you're in the mood for some silly, light-hearted entertainment, Central Park belongs on your watch list.
In this animated musical sitcom, park manager Owen Tillerman (Hamilton's Leslie Odom Jr.) and his family live in Edendale Castle right in New York City's Central Park.
Their unconventional way of life is suddenly threatened by the arrival of wealthy entrepreneur Bitsy Brandenham (Stanley Tucci), who wants to replace the park with condos and retail space.
The show features a pitch-perfect cast and musical numbers written by the likes of Sara Bareilles, Darren Criss, Cyndi Lauper, Meghan Trainor, Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson (the songwriters for Olaf's Frozen Adventure).
Trying
- Number of seasons: 3
- Number of episodes: 24
- Average episode length: 26-30 minutes
Trying is Apple TV Plus's first European original series (co-produced with the BBC). This comedy-drama follows Nikki and Jason, a couple who decide to start exploring adoption after learning that further IVF treatment is unlikely to succeed.
Charming performances from Rafe Spall and Esther Smith carry the series as the loving couple going through the highs and lows of trying to start a family.
Despite the whole new set of challenges Nikki and Jason must face as they prepare to face the adoption panel, Trying manages to find the funny side to the couple's personal problems.
Best Apple TV Plus shows — sci-fi & fantasy
Foundation
- Number of seasons: 2
- Number of episodes: 20
- Average episode length: 45-69 minutes
Based on Isaac Asimov's seminal sci-fi series, Foundation is a big-budget political thriller meets space fantasy meets sci-fi action meets... well, we'll stop listing because you should probably already be watching it.
The show follows a band of exiles from a Galactic Empire who set up Foundation, a colony at the edge of space to weather a predicted dark age. Different plot threads over centuries follow important figures in the show as we see the Galactic Empire flounder, Foundation go through changes and its founder, Hari Seldon, attempt to set up a second back-up Foundation.
Of all Apple's shows, this is the biggest and most epic in scale, like Game of Thrones in space. For hardcore sci-fi buffs it's absolutely worth a watch!
Severance
- Number of seasons: 1
- Number of episodes: 9
- Average episode length: 45 minutes
In Severance, Mark (Adam Scott) leads a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives, and work for a mysterious company named Lumon.
Gradually, Mark begins to uncover some dark truths about Lumon and alongside coworkers Dylan (Zach Cherry), Irving (John Turturro), and newcomer Helly (Britt Lower) they work to learn more about the company and who they really are on the outside world.
The series was created by Ben Stiller and was influenced by video game The Stanley Parable and popular film The Truman Show.
Servant
- Number of seasons: 4
- Number of episodes: 32
- Average episode length: 26-36 minutes
Servant is a psychological horror series that sees Dorothy and Sean Turner hiring Leanne as a new nanny for their son, Jericho.
The first (of many!) twists is that Jericho is actually a "reborn" doll which a therapist suggested the couple use to help cope with the death of their real 13-week-old son. When Leanne arrives, their marriage starts to suffer as things take a creepy turn as it appears they've invited a mysterious force into their home...
With M Night Shyamalan attached to the show, you know you're in for a rollercoaster ride and the show definitely delivers. If you're looking for a new mystery to get your teeth into, give Servant a shot.
For All Mankind
- Number of seasons: 3
- Number of episodes: 20
- Average episode length: 48-76 minutes
For All Mankind is a science-fiction thriller that poses one giant question: what if the space race between the USA and USSR never actually ended?
In this alternative history drama, a Russian cosmonaut was the first person to set foot on the moon. This triumph puts NASA on the back foot, and the series follows a team of US astronauts, engineers and real historical figures such as Presidents Nixon and Reagan as they scramble to catch up to the Soviet space program.
As the show progresses, relationships are tested, rivalries intensify and the risks grow ever greater to people on either side. For All Mankind is a suspense-filled, sci-fi story that definitely deserves your attention.
Constellation
- Number of seasons: 1
- Number of episodes: 8
- Average episode length: 50-58 minutes
Constellation is a twisting and turning mystery thriller that our review compared to Lost but in space.
The show stars Noomi Rapace as Jo, an astronaut above the International Space Station. After a quantum physics experiment goes wrong, her and the crew flee the station... but upon returning to Earth, she starts to notice that elements of her life are mysteriously and inexplicably changed.
Best Apple TV Plus shows — documentary
The Reluctant Traveler
- Number of seasons: 1
- Number of episodes: 8
- Average episode length: 35 minutes
Actor Eugene Levy travels the world in The Reluctant Traveler, but he's not happy about it.
In each episode of the show Levy travels to a new country or region, in order to see what it's like. The difference between this and your standard travel show is that the comedian really doesn't want to be there.
Prehistoric Planet
- Number of seasons: 2
- Number of episodes: 10
- Average episode length: 45 minutes
Narrated by David Attenborough, Prehistoric Planet gives us insight into the dinosaurs that roamed the Earth during Late Cretaceous period, 66 million years ago.
The series uses up-to-date palaeontological research to depict the creatures, who have been brought to life using CGI and the series features a Hans Zimmer score to really elevate the documentary.
Dinosaurs featured in the series include Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptor and Dromaeosaurs with some focus on feathered dinosaurs too!
Tiny World
- Number of seasons: 3
- Number of episodes: 39
- Average episode length: 27-34 minutes
Tiny World is a fascinating nature series that shifts the focus over to the smaller creatures in our lives. It transports us to all corners of the world and spotlights the amazing things that some of the smallest animals can do.
Narrated by Ant-Man star Paul Rudd, this documentary shares the stories of creatures from the world's coral reefs, deserts, rainforests, the Australian outback and even the average back garden get by every single day in stunning detail.
If you're after even more nature programming, you should also check out Earth at Night: In Colour.
