35 Best Apple TV Shows Right Now

If you’ve seen the original film by Monty Python member Terry Gilliam, then you might be disappointed by Taika Waititi’s 10-episode adaptation of the time-traveling romp. It’s less out there, catered as it is to young kids, and less tight too. A camera lingers for two seconds longer here, a reaction isn’t given 100% there—they’re small missteps, but they do add up to a mediocre whole. Other than that, the series is undeniably charming. It’s educational and entertaining in equal measure, and the hilarious banter between Lisa Kudrow’s Penelope and Tuck’s Kevin gives the show its edge. It’s naturally, almost unintentionally sweet—the more Penelope and the bandits push Kevin away, the more apparent their care for him is. The show’s quirky sense of humor recalls Waititi’s other shows, specifically Our Flag Means Death and What We Do in the Shadows, while also employing a more kid-friendly approach, a la Doctor Who. It has its faults, but it’s all good fun that might even inspire young kids to review their history lessons this summer.

Given its explicitly female-centered premise, you’d think Women in Blue would do a better job at exploring gender dynamics in the workforce and bucking societal expectations in general. But it bafflingly doesn’t. The lead characters are underwritten and their problems are draped with a telenovela flair that distracts, at times, from the gravity of the situation. The core mystery that drives the entire series feels similarly underbaked, even though it is based on true events. But that said, Women in Blue has its moments. The show shines the most when it gives its female leads enough space and time to actually grapple with their reality and the realizations they’ve made since joining the force. I also wished it had them work on different cases, not just the one, but maybe that’s something another season could address.

With the successful release of Manhunt and Masters of the Air in the last couple of months, it looks like Franklin is set to be Apple TV+’s first miss in the historical drama department. Though the lead is based on a Founding Father and played by a revered actor, the series lacks the spark that elevates mere history lessons into riveting stories. Douglas seems bored, the script feels lackluster, and the pace is way too slow to compete with other more compelling period dramas. It’s a baffling miss, considering Douglas has in the past dazzled as Liberace, and director Tim Van Patten has similarly won acclaim for a string of HBO shows. But maybe it’s a sign of a burgeoning glut. Given Franklin’s rushed feel, perhaps Apple TV+ should take it slow and go back to its quality over quantity philosophy.

With such a long career in film, it’s surprising that Natalie Portman has never starred in a television show, except, of course, the occasional voice over and guest appearances. The story that got her to television is Lady in the Lake, the 2019 bestselling crime noir thriller that weaves classic 60s noir with intersectional feminism all through a whodunit plot. Of course, it’s no surprise that Portman performs well, and her and co-star Moses Ingram are excellent as mothers seeking change in their respective lives. The comparison between their lives drives home the tragedy of how unfair the odds were stacked against Ingram’s Cleo Johnson. However, the way director Alma Har’el alternates between lives is clunky and sometimes even confusing, even if it’s in hopes to bring the original novel’s POV shifts onto the screen. The source material is ambitious, daring, and a worthy vehicle for both Portman and Ingram, so it’s disappointing to see Lady in the Lake already sputtering at the start.

For a show about luxury brands (featuring A-list actors no less), The New Look is surprisingly tacky. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought I was watching a History Channel reenactment, instead of a supposedly prestige Apple TV+ show about the murky histories of Coco Chanel (Juliette Binoche) and Christian Dior (Ben Mendelsohn). The lines are clunky, the delivery is stiff, and doing all this in English with forced French and German accents is certainly…a choice. It’s not that they’re poor accents, but the inconsistency is distracting; it often sounds like I’m listening to a dub, which I’ve never been a fan of. To his credit, director Todd A. Kessler knows how to make a fashionable show. The gowns are gorgeous, and the designs Chanel and Dior come up with look just as chic as the day they first came out. But that’s just one thread of multi-layered show. It may look good, but it crumbles under the weight of its ambitious goal to be a biopic, a period piece, and a war drama all at once. What a waste of a good cast, an interesting story, and a gorgeous collection of gowns!