Apple TV - page 4

A superstar shakes up the AFC Richmond clubhouse on Ted Lasso [Apple TV+ recap] ★★☆☆☆

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Jason Sudeikis and Maximilian Osinski in ★★☆☆☆
Superstar player Zava (played by Maximilian Osinski) makes waves at AFC Richmond.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewTed Lasso wrangles with a fresh face — and even bigger ego — this week. There’s a new player stealing the spotlight from everyone else on the pitch in the Apple TV+ hit comedy about the little football club that could. And star striker Jamie Tartt isn’t happy about the new guy’s arrival at all.

Plus, Ted endures his own crisis when he calls home at the wrong moment and finds another man’s voice on the phone. And Rebecca gets an eerie prediction. The episode, entitled “4 5 1,” is a fairly standard edition of the show about how positive thinking can change everything (except maybe my attitude toward Ted Lasso).

In The Big Door Prize, a mystery machine knows your future [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★

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Episode 1. Chris O’Dowd in ★★★
When a mysterious machine appears in a small town, the residents get a disruptive look at their future possibilities.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ Review New Apple TV+ high-concept sci-fi comedy The Big Door Prize stars perennial sad sack Chris O’Dowd as a man whose little world is rocked when a strange machine appears in the general store of his small town. Suddenly, friends and neighbors are changing their lives — and he feels out of step.

Funny, thought-provoking and sad, The Big Door Prize makes an interesting addition to the Apple TV+ lineup.

Liaison’s spy-versus-spy story gets extra-twisty this week [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★

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Eva Green in ★★★
Things get ugly this week on Liaison.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewApple TV+ spy thriller Liaison hits a few snags this week on its way to justice and catharsis. A mostly great episode finds Alison, Gabriel, Dumas and Sophie Saint Roche making deals with unlikely allies on their mad scramble to prevent a private war against the whole of Europe.

Didier is desperate, Sabine is growing hopeless, Alison’s father is in critical condition, and Dumas grows a conscience. There’s blood in the water in this episode, entitled “Family Album.” Who will make it out alive?

Dear Edward gets its predictably boring happy ending at last [Apple TV+ recap] ★☆☆☆☆

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Colin O’Brien and Taylor Schilling in ★☆☆☆☆
Yay, dear little Edward's smiling at last.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewApple TV+ series Dear Edward brings its tedious first season to a close this week. Edward winds up lost in the big city, sending his adoptive mom Lacey into hysterics. Plus, Dee Dee’s feeling very unappreciated, Shay and Edward get a second chance, Steve and Amanda have a choice to make, and there’s a party on the horizon.

The Dear Edward season finale, entitled “Shelter,” is a whiff of an ending to a whiff of a season. This show, supposedly about grief in the wake of a catastrophic plane crash, turns out to be largely about nothing at all.

Everyone wants a rocket ride on Hello Tomorrow! [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★☆

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Billy Crudup in ★★★★☆
Salesman/serial liar Jack Billings (played by Billy Crudup) finally finds a situation he can't talk his way out of, this week on Hello Tomorrow!
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewHello Tomorrow! returns for more Space Age shenanigans — and a brutal comeuppance for one of Earth’s biggest liars. The Apple TV+ show about a guy selling bunk timeshares on the moon finally hits the pause button on momentum to allow a devastating realization to sink in.

Salesman/con artist Jack Billings may be more doomed than he thinks, even as he succeeds beyond his wildest dreams. Shirley and Joey have had enough, Myrtle gets the sign she’s been searching for, Herb makes good, and Jack has to save an old hero in this stellar episode, entitled “The Gargon Mothership.”

Extrapolations takes a go at geoengineering terror [Apple TV+ recap] ★★☆☆☆

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Edward Norton and Mia Maestro in ★★☆☆☆
Can Edward Norton save the world from climate change? Can anyone?!?
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewApple TV+ limited series Extrapolations steeps itself in sci-fi wonkery this week as members of a tech billionaire family find themselves on opposing sides of a terrorist action meant to move the needle on climate change.

Novelist Dave Eggers joins the show’s writing team this week, and Edward Norton, Indira Varma and Michael Gandolfini lead the cast.

While this isn’t a bad version of what Extrapolations set out to do, the show’s sprawling mission statement remains blinkered.

In Shrinking season finale, closure comes all too easy [Apple TV+ recap] ★★☆☆☆

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Devin Kawaoka and Michael Urie in ★★☆☆☆
Charlie (played by Devin Kawaoka) and Brian (Michael Urie) finally tie the knot in the Shrinking season finale.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewIt’s wedding time this week on the season finale of Shrinking, the Apple TV+ comedy where no one has problems — and everyone has to solve them anyway.

Brian’s dad has a short time to make his son’s day by agreeing to be his best man, even if the idea of a gay wedding makes him uncomfortable. Jimmy helps Alice get over her latest round of depression about her deceased mom. Sean and Liz head into business together. And Gaby looks for a second job with a little help from Paul.

It’s truly one half of an hour of TV — you can’t take that away from it.

Truth Be Told season 3 ends with confessions and a judgment call [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★☆

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Octavia Spencer and Mekhi Phifer in a scene from the ★★★★☆
Poppy (played by Octavia Spencer, left) and Markus (Mekhi Phifer) wrap up loose ends in the Truth Be Told season three finale.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewEva’s been shot and might be dying on this week’s season three finale of Truth Be Told, the Apple TV+ show about a true crime podcaster.

After last week’s shooting, podcaster Poppy goes looking for the truth behind the recent grim series of events. Trini blames herself for Eva’s fate, and Markus has only one more chance to redeem himself. Can they catch the person responsible for all this misery before it’s too late?

The episode, entitled “A Kiss Not Mine Alone,” brings a nicely plotted, excellently performed close to a very fine season.

My Kind of Country courts a new breed of country star [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★

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Alisha Pais in ★★★
Ale Aguirre competes with musicians from all over the world in new Apple TV+ show My Kind of Country.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewNew Apple TV+ competition show My Kind of Country gives three celebrity judges a chance to train burgeoning country musicians in an attempt to turn them into superstars.

The talent is unconventional and the stakes are high in the show, which is executive produced by Reese Witherspoon and Kacey Musgraves (and underwritten by Apple Music). Nashville better get ready. (And judge Orville Peck better take that thing off his face.)

Roy Kent scores twice in game of life this week on Ted Lasso [Apple TV+ recap] ★★☆☆

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Brett Goldstein in ★★☆☆
Roy Kent (played by Brett Goldstein, left) gets in touch with his emotions this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewTed Lasso, the Apple TV+ show about an American soccer coach killin’ em with kindness in London, finds a new player in the mix and new hurdles at work this week. AFC Richmond is being watched by an old adversary, Roy’s got big feelings for the first time in a while, and everybody’s buzzing about what happens next.

The episode, entitled “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea,” is an above-average outing for the mawkish football comedy. (It’s anyone’s guess if the upward trend will continue.)

Liaison unleashes some carnage this week [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★☆☆

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Connor Mills, Nikolai Kinski and Eva Green in ★★★☆☆
Ulterior motives abound on Liaison.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ Review Apple TV+ international espionage thriller Liaison recovers from a few body blows this week, in an episode appropriately entitled “Carnage.”

Mark Bolton is dead and Alison might be next, but she won’t roll over for anyone, even with boyfriend and mercenary Gabriel trying to get her to see sense. Sabine wants out, Didier’s in the hot seat, Dumas is getting nervous, and London is still in danger. Liaisons pleasures are major even if it does feel deliberately minor in a lot of important ways.

Truth Be Told whipsaws through another killer episode [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★☆

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Mychala Lee, Merle Dandridge and Mekhi Phifer in ★★★★☆
Truth Be Told positively brims with strong performances this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewThe search for a mayoral hopeful’s killer takes center stage on this week’s Truth Be Told, the Apple TV+ crime series told through the lens of podcaster Poppy.

Eva’s on the hunt for a killer, but is it a smokescreen for her own guilt? Poppy can’t decide. Markus is still acting out, and it’s getting in the way of his parenting. Plus, Poppy has some secrets of her own to spill. And fate has one last curveball to throw this crew before the season’s final inning.

Dear Edward drowns in guilt and funky fan mail [Apple TV+ recap] ★☆☆☆☆

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Colin O’Brien in ★☆☆☆☆
So. Many. Unbelievable. Letters.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewIt’s all about splitting and coming back this week on Dear Edward, the Apple TV+ series about the tangled web of grief in the wake of a plane crash.

In the episode, entitled “Paper Covers Rock,” Edward acts out at school and is rewarded with a crisis or two he wasn’t aware were coming his way. Plus, Linda goes into labor, Lacey is clueless, Dee Dee doesn’t want group to end, Adriana and Kojo don’t want their time together to end, and Steve and Amanda don’t want their affair to end.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, your Apple TV+ reviewer is anxious for this dreadful series to end. (The good news is, the end is nigh.)

Shrinking doesn’t really want to do ‘the work’ this week [Apple TV+ recap] ★★☆☆☆

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Jason Segel in ★★☆☆☆
You probably don't want a shrink like Jimmy (played by Jason Segel).
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewShrinking is all about reconciliation this week. The Apple TV+ show about the social circle of a manic pixie dream therapist sees Jimmy Laird trying to mend the rift between his hero, Paul, and his family.

Meanwhile, as Brian prepares for his wedding, he meets with nothing but disappointments and potential catastrophes. Gaby is caught between her rock and a hard place. And Alice makes a fateful mistake.

Everything comes out in the end in “Moving Forward,” this week’s whatever installment of the hit show that could have been an email.

Everyone’s pushing the panic button on Hello Tomorrow! [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★☆

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Haneefah Wood in ★★★★☆
Shirley (played by Haneefah Wood) isn't the only one demanding answers this week on Hello Tomorrow!
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewHello Tomorrow!, the Apple TV+ show about a salesman running out of ways to talk himself out of damnation, flies into a panic this week. Jack’s celebrity spokesman goes missing, and if he’s found by the wrong people, it could blow his entire operation.

At the same time, Shirley’s starting to wonder about Jack’s lies, and Joey has just stopped believing him entirely. And when Herb gets a brief moment to shine, he blows it immediately. The episode, entitled “Another Day, Another Apocalypse,” delivers another great half-hour of the show with the most verve and wit of anything on the Apple TV+ lineup.

Extrapolations is a sprawling cli-fi disaster [Apple TV+ recap] ★☆☆☆☆

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Episode 1. Sienna Miller in ★☆☆☆☆
The world is ablaze in Extrapolations. Quick, somebody get a fire extinguisher!
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ Review Astonishingly overwritten and mega-ambitious sci-fi parable Extrapolations, which premiered today on Apple TV+, has a cast of thousands and more than a few things on its mind. None of what show creator Scott Z. Burns (who wrote Contagion and The Bourne Ultimatum) is saying in this show about the impact of climate change can be argued with. But the messages aren’t easily swallowed, either.

Rather than leave room for viewers to draw their own conclusions, Extrapolations sits you down and yells at you for 10 hours of dreary cli-fi drama. It’s certainly distinctive — but that’s not always a good thing.

Servant goes out in a blaze of glory [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★☆

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Nell Tiger Free and Lauren Ambrose in ★★★★☆
It's showdown time on Servant.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewServant, the stellar Apple TV+ show about a supernatural nanny and the Philadelphia family that plays unwitting and unwilling host to her journey, comes to its fiery finale this week.

Leanne must decide who she’s going to serve, and Dorothy decides what her family and life will be from now on. The episode, entitled “Fallen,” serves up a mostly perfect ending to a mostly perfect show.

Can Ted Lasso’s optimism sustain it for season 3? [Apple TV+ recap] ★★☆☆☆

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Episode 1. Jason Sudeikis in ★★☆☆☆
Ted's up to his old tricks again.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewThree years after Ted Lasso became a runaway smash for Apple TV+, the show returns Wednesday with a fresh blast of unrelenting optimism.

The fish-out-of-water story of an upbeat U.S. football coach leading a team of U.K. footballers somehow became one of the most-watched things in the streaming sphere, fueled by pandemic viewers looking for something — anything — with a positive message. Now, as Ted Lasso season three arrives, there’s a lot of hype to live up to (and a lot of dross that needs papering over).

Can the show’s likely last season cement Ted’s place in TV history? Maybe … but star Jason Sudeikis’ aw-shucks act seems in danger of wearing thin. After all, the new Ted is an awful lot like the old Ted.

Who’s manipulating who on Liaison? [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★☆

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Lyna Dubarry in ★★★★☆
You know you're in trouble when ...
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewApple TV+ thriller Liaison gets down to the dirty business of statecraft this week as Alison and Gabriel head to Brussels for different reasons. A daring refugee camp breakout leads to almosts and what-ifs that drive Alison mad.

Plus, a couple of unfortunate lackeys get put through the ringer — and Britain is still under attack. The episode, entitled “Manipulations,” delivers another solid hour from a team with enough star power to light up London.

Jimmy steps up this week on Shrinking [Apple TV+ recap] ★★☆☆

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Jason Segel, Harrison Ford and Michael Urie in ★★☆☆
The hunt for a missing Alice is on!
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewAlice goes missing this week on Apple TV+ hit comedy Shrinking, and Jimmy, Paul and Brian are on the case. After exposing Alice to the awkwardness of a social curveball, Jimmy and Gaby alienate her so much that she decides to act out like her dad has been doing for so long.

Meanwhile, Gaby needs to face down a big challenge as she prepares to maybe move on from her divorce. And Brian must confess something to Jimmy that’s going to be painful — and chooses the worst time to do it. All in all, it’s an above-average episode of a very tiresome sitcom.

Truth Be Told reels with revelations this week [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★

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Octavia Spencer and Mekhi Phifer in ★★★★
Poppy (played by Octavia Spencer, left) and Markus (Mekhi Phifer) share an intense moment this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewLots and lots of bad judgment and mistakes come to light on this week’s episode of Truth Be Told, Apple TV+’s true crime podcast drama.

It turns out Emily Mills’ kidnapping was something else altogether. Plus, Poppy is pressing hard into other people’s secrets — and into her own for a change, much to Leander’s chagrin. Markus has hit bottom and can’t seem to pull up. Trini gets a much-needed wake-up call, and Eva can’t stop living in the past.

This week’s very fine episode brings some extremely strong performances, and some equally impactful revelations.

Servant drops a major revelation this week [Apple TV+ recap]

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Lauren Ambrose in
Dorothy (played by Lauren Ambrose) learns the horrifying truth about her baby Jericho this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewM. Night Shyamalan returns to the director’s chair for the penultimate episode of Apple TV+’s Servant, his show about a nanny terrorizing a Philadelphia family in their brownstone.

Leanne has Dorothy all to herself — and Dorothy can’t help but notice. A last-ditch rescue attempt is scuttled after Dorothy insists on hearing some hard truths from Sean and Julian, who may not have the upper hand when they’re done.

Though unnerving and quite upsetting, “Awake” stands tall as one of the greatest episodes yet of this outstanding show.

On Hello Tomorrow!, Jack’s cunning lies crash in on him [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★☆

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Billy Crudup in ★★★★☆
Billy Crudup hits all the right notes in his portrayal of oily lunar grifter Jack Billings.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewHello Tomorrow!, the Apple TV+ show about hucksters selling a place in the sun (on the moon), takes a trip back in time this week as Jack relives some foundational traumas.

Also this week: Shirley thinks she has a way out of the hole that Brightside’s in, while the one that Herb is stuck in gets deeper by the minute. And Joey finds that there is no end to a life of lies once it really gets going.

This week’s offering, entitled “The Numbers Behind the Numbers,” stacks up as a superlative episode of a superlative program.

Our little monster shows his true colors this week on Dear Edward [Apple TV+ recap] ★☆☆☆☆

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Colin O’Brien in ★☆☆☆☆
It's hard to root for a kid who's this selfish, TBH.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewTrauma-focused Apple TV+ series Dear Edward has even more reckoning to do this week.

First, Adriana gets into hot water with the two men in her life, even as her election looms. Then Lacey and Edward both get rejected, right when they need support the most.

Dee Dee is having housing issues. And Steve and Amanda need some space, as do Shay and Mahira. And frankly, so do I. This frustrating show just keeps on going to uninspired, unearned places.

tvOS 16.3.3 fixes pesky remote bug on latest Apple TV 4K

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Apple TV 4K with Siri Remote
The Siri Remote should once again communicate with your 2022 Apple TV 4K.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple released tvOS 16.3.3 on Monday, but it makes only a single change: it fixes a connection bug that’s caused problems with the Siri Remote since the latest Apple TV 4K version debuted in late 2022.

The update is available only for that model. Users of other versions shouldn’t waste time looking for it.