The Apple TV+ comedy Palm Royale holds on near the top of the streaming ratings charts for the second week in a row. It’s drawn in a large audience since it’s debut March 20.
And the new detective series Sugar on Apple’s streaming service might do just as well.
Apple TV+ for the win
Apple TV+ is one of the smaller streaming services, but keeps producing shows with outsize popularity. That includes Severance and Ted Lasso that pull in enough viewers to become cultural phenomena.
Plus there are plenty more that score near the top of the ratings charts, like Slow Horses, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and Shrinking. And there’s a current comedy doing just as well.
Palm Royale popularity starts off strong
Emmy and Oscar nominee Kristen Wiig created plenty of funny characters on Saturday Night Live and in movies like Bridesmaids. Now she stars in Palm Royale, streaming now on Apple TV+.
The series ranks No. 7 on Reelgood’s list of Top 10 TV shows on streaming during the week ending April3. And it’s at No. 9 on JustWatch‘s list of top streaming shows for the week ending March 31.
Photo: ReelGood/JustWatch
Estimates from companies like JustWatch and Reelgood are necessary because streaming services rarely reveal how many people watch their offerings.
Apple says of its new comedy:
“Palm Royale is a true underdog story that follows Maxine Simmons (Wiig) as she endeavors to break into Palm Beach high society. As Maxine attempts to cross that impermeable line between the haves and the have-nots, Palm Royale asks the same question that still baffles us today: “How much of yourself are you willing to sacrifice to get what someone else has?” Set during the powder keg year of 1969, Palm Royale is a testament to every outsider fighting for their chance to truly belong.”
It has some amazing acting talent, with the cast including Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Ricky Martin, Mindy Cohn, Bruce Dern and the iconic Carol Burnett.
The first five episodes are available to watch now on Apple TV+. The sixth — the season finale — will premiere next week.
Watch now on Apple TV+
Watching Palm Royale or many other series or films comes with a subscription to Apple TV+. The service is $9.99 per month with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle.
And Apple’s streaming video service also includes much more, of course. There are comedies, musicals, children’s shows, nature documentaries, etc.
Want more tips on what to watch on Apple TV+? Read our guide to the 15 best shows on Apple TV+.
And try a little Sugar
A new series with real potential to be a ratings hit next week is Sugar, which premiered on April 5. Colin Farrell takes the lead as a private detective searching for the missing granddaughter of a Hollywood magnate.
The official description says
“Academy Award-nominee Farrell stars as John Sugar, an American private investigator on the heels of the mysterious disappearance of Olivia Siegel, the beloved granddaughter of legendary Hollywood producer Jonathan Siegel. As Sugar tries to determine what happened to Olivia, he will also unearth Siegel family secrets; some very recent, others long-buried.”
The review-aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes gives the series an 81% critics approval score.
The premiere of Sugar included its first two episodes. A new episodes follows on successive Fridays.
