Apple Originals

In 1920, Italian immigrant Charles Ponzi defrauded investors in the Boston area and across the nation of what would today be a quarter of a billion dollars, going from penniless to the high life in no time and giving the classic “Ponzi scheme” its name, Apple TV+ said Thursday. It plans to tell the story of Ponzi’s mercurial rise and devastating fall in Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story, an eight-episode docudrama set to premiere on Apple Podcasts June 23.

And to listen, you can hook up your Apple TV+ account to Apple Podcasts to gain full access to the series. I’m betting it’s worth the investment of your time (but keep your money safe).

A day ahead of Vision Pro’s release, Apple put a spotlight on more than 600 new “spatial” apps and games made specifically for the headset. They join more than a million Vision Pro-compatible apps Friday in the App Store.

“Apple Vision Pro is unlocking the imaginations of our worldwide developer community, and we’re inspired by the range of spatial experiences they’ve created for this exciting new platform,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of worldwide developer relations.

Apple hopes to grab a bigger slice of the streaming pie through a redesign of its TV app late this year that will help consolidate the company’s video offerings, a new report said Tuesday.

The new Apple Originals podcast Magnificent Jerk tells the unbelievable story of an eccentric uncle who plays at acting and screenwriting but turns out to be a Chinese gang leader whose life ends up on screen in a low-budget action flick starring Rob Lowe in a fake mustache, according to a new trailer dropped Wednesday.

Former Washington Post journalist Maya Lin Sugarman — the guy’s niece — hosts the podcast. It debuts September 18.

“Korea’s mermaids,” also affectionally known as “rowdy grandmas,” are elderly free divers who for generations have caught seafood off South Korea’s Jeju Island to feed their community.

They’re known in Korean as the haenyeo. Apple TV+ said Tuesday an upcoming documentary film will tell their story, including how younger generations are filling their ranks to keep the time-honored — and environmentally sustainable — tradition from dying out.

Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet, Apple’s gamer comedy series from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiastars Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day, has debuted on Apple TV+.

In a break from Apple’s approach with some previous shows like The Morning Show and Servant, all nine episodes of the show are available to binge-watch now. The show, which is Apple TV+’s first true comedy series, follows the makers of a fictitious MMORPG game setting out to create their first-ever game expansion.

It’s the last Friday before the holidays, and appropriately enough, two of Apple’s most popular Apple TV+ Originals are wrapping up. On Friday, Apple debuted the season finale for both The Morning Show and For All Mankind.

There are new episodes of both Servant and Truth Be Told as well. That’s plenty to keep you entertained between frantic bits of last-minute shopping!

Some Apple TV 4K owners are reporting that they can no longer enjoy Apple TV+ content in Dolby Vision.

Titles like The Morning Show and See are still available in standard HDR. But even earlier episodes, which were available with Dolby Vision initially, can no longer be watched in the enhanced format.

The first three episodes of Apple Original crime drama Truth Be Told debuted on Apple TV+ on Friday.

The series stars Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer (The Shape of Water, The Help) and Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad). The shows is about a true crime podcaster, called to investigate the case of convicted killer who claims he was framed for murder.

M. Night Shyamalan’s Apple Original series Servant will debut with three episodes on November 28. As with other Apple TV+ shows such as The Morning Show, Apple will then roll out new episodes every Friday.

That answers one question I’d had about Apple TV’s future launch plans.