Apple TV

Apple’s tvOS 27 brings a few new features, but it also will leave two Apple TV models behind. According to Apple’s developer website, the tvOS 27 beta is compatible with “Apple TV 4K (2nd generation or later).”

That would mean the Apple TV HD and the Apple TV 4K (1st generation) won’t get the update. If you own either of those set-top boxes, you’re probably stuck on tvOS 26, with no new features coming.

There’s a moment in the second episode of Widow’s Bay on Apple TV when Mayor Tom Loftis, played by Emmy winner Matthew Rhys, sits in the lobby of a deeply haunted New England island inn and shares drinks and a board game with a stranger. They chat about his upbringing, his dreams for the town, his failures as a father. It sounds cozy. But it isn’t.

Something is very, very wrong with his companion — and with the room itself — and the horror creeps in so gradually and so quietly that by the time it fully lands, you realize you’ve been holding your breath. That scene, in miniature, is what Widow’s Bay is: a show that disarms you with warmth and wit before the floor drops out.

As a born-and-bred New Englander who inexplicably returned to this accursed place after 30 years away, I found the show got me pretty good. 

This Saturday, Apple TV will make broadcast history when it streams a live Major League Soccer match captured entirely on iPhone 17 Pro. It marks the first use of just a smartphone to shoot a whole major professional live sporting event, the iPhone giant said Thursday.

Apple TV’s Hollywood satire The Studio cemented its place in television history, claiming the International category at Sunday’s 2026 BAFTA Television Awards in London — the final major prize needed to complete the most dominant awards run ever achieved by a debut comedy series.

“The historic journey of ‘The Studio’ has been nothing short of astounding,” said Matt Cherniss, Apple TV’s head of programming. “The show’s sweeping success is a testament to the extraordinary talent, creativity and innovation of Seth, Evan and the entire creative team and cast.”

“The series has resonated deeply with audiences worldwide, bringing laughter to millions,” he added. “We couldn’t be prouder of the team’s monumental achievement and the way ‘The Studio’ has redefined what’s possible for comedy on a global scale.”

Netflix is testing a powerful new AI voice search that shows just how badly the Apple TV 4K needs an upgrade. Currently limited to a handful of users, Netflix’s new AI-powered tool lets users search for content conversationally. And instead of searching for something simple like a movie genre or specific title, they can ask Netflix for entertainment that fits their current mood.

For example, users can ask for something like “find me something that’s emotional but not too long” or “a romantic comedy with a few episodes.”

It’s a real game changer, according to a beta tester who gained early access. When Apple’s long-delayed Siri upgrade finally arrives, it could provide a similar — or even better — experience on Apple TV 4K.

May 1, 2008: The iTunes Store takes a gigantic step toward cinematic relevancy, selling new movies on the day of their DVD releases for the very first time.

“We’re thrilled to bring iTunes Store customers new films for purchase day-and-date with the DVD release,” says Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes, in a press release. “We think movie fans will love being able to buy their favorites from major and independent studios.”

Movies out that week include Cloverfield, Juno, Alvin and the Chipmunks and American Gangster.

A redesigned Netflix iPhone app brings a cleaner interface, revamped navigation and an entirely new vertical video discovery feature called Clips, the streamer said Thursday.

We’ll see how Apple users receive the update. The recent revamp of Netflix’s app for Apple TV, which switched from a native tvOS player to a custom one that blocked Apple TV features, didn’t go over well. 

Formula 1 racing returns the United States this weekend with the F1 Miami Grand Prix on Apple TV. And Apple decided to pull out all the stops to make sure fans experience it not just on Apple TV, but across multiple platforms, the iPhone giant said Wednesday.

The Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix 2026 streams exclusively on Apple TV beginning Friday. You can see every session — from Practice through Sunday’s race — live and on demand. And there’s a lot more going on, too. 

Apple TV picked up a pair of prestigious Peabody Awards Thursday for hit drama Pluribus and documentary Come See Me in the Good Light. People think of the awards as the Pulitzer Prizes of radio, TV and online media. 

Apple TV scored five nominations for the 86th Annual Peabody Awards, the streamer said Thursday. Nods spanned entertainment, documentary and children’s programming categories.

The nominated titles — Pluribus, Come See Me in the Good Light, Mr. Scorsese, Vietnam: The War That Changed America and Shape Island — are all currently streaming on Apple TV.

Apple TV built a reputation as a quality-first streamer. It gave us Severance, Ted Lasso, Slow Horses, and the first Best Picture Oscar from a streamer, 2022’s CODA. But even Apple can’t promise a universal guarantee of quality. Over the years, a handful of originals have landed with a thud, panned by critics, dismissed by audiences or both. See the eight worst-reviewed Apple TV shows and movies below.

March 21, 2007: Apple launches the Apple TV, a gleaming-white set-top box with a remote control, for bringing iTunes media to the living room.

Unfortunately, the device lacks key features needed to make it a killer entertainment system. It’s something of a missed opportunity for Apple.

Coach Lasso’s right-hand man Coach Beard returns in upcoming season four of fan-favorite soccer comedy Ted Lasso, and Apple TV dropped a quick clip Friday seemingly confirming a main plot line. They will coach a Richmond women’s soccer team this season. 

“Same Beard. New book,” said the short video’s caption. The book’s title? Soccer Women.

This weekend Apple TV’s Formula 1 racing content gets into gear, as practice, qualifying and Sprint sessions for the season’s first major Grand Prix race get underway starting Saturday (March 7), Apple said Thursday. Multiview programming, with a handful of live feeds onscreen at the same time, looks like a notable feature for fans in the United States.

“This weekend marks the start of a new era for Formula 1 fans in the U.S.,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services. “We’re excited to bring every moment of the season to Apple TV, delivering an immersive experience designed entirely around fans.”

The giant monster action of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters returned on Friday with season two stomping onto Apple TV. The series is set in the MonsterVerse that includes Godzilla and other kaiju, with Kong taking a giant-size role in the season that just premiered. Plus there’s a new Titan X to battle with.

Watch the new season two now on Apple TV, or get caught up with season one.

Star City is an ambitious new Apple TV drama set in the Soviet space program. It expands the alternate-history universe established by the streamer’s acclaimed series For All Mankind. And the new show got the “first-look” treatment Thursday, when Apple sent out a new photo to get fans excited about the premiere of Star City season one.

 The eight-episode series debuts May 29 with two episodes, followed by one new episode each Friday through July 10.

Earth almost seems to have a “make Earth great again” moment in the new For All Mankind season five trailer Apple TV released Tuesday. Happy Valley, the burgeoning Mars colony that the alternative-history drama depicts, needs so much funding and resources it’s starting to piss people off — on both planets. 

The new trailer, full of new characters and aging favorites, ratchets up the tension for the upcoming 10 episodes. Season 5 debuts on Friday, March 27 on Apple TV. 

Major League Soccer’s 31st season gets underway Saturday, with all 30 clubs taking the pitch for MLS is Back weekend. And Apple TV subscribers will have a front-row seat to all of it, with all 13 matches available and no blackouts across more than 100 countries and regions, Apple said.

“All eyes are on North America this year as the MLS season kicks off this week and the World Cup approaches,” said Thomas Müller, Vancouver Whitecaps FC attacking midfielder and 2014 FIFA World Cup champion. I’m excited to begin my first full season in MLS, help the team build on what we started, and give fans everywhere the chance to follow our journey on Apple TV.”

Apple has taken full ownership of its hit workplace drama series Severance, acquiring all intellectual property and rights from production studio Fifth Season in a deal valued at just under $70 million, according to a new report. That makes additional seasons of the fan-favorite show — and spinoff series — more likely. 

Apple TV showcased its ambitious 2026 slate Wednesday at an exclusive press event, revealing a packed calendar of new and returning series, original films and expanded live sports coverage including Formula 1 racing, Major League Soccer and Friday Night Baseball.

The streamer plans to release new originals every week in 2026, headlined by the highly anticipated fourth season of Ted Lasso this summer. Watch trailers below.

You can set up your Apple TV’s Siri Remote to control the volume levels of a separate sound system. It might not work out of the box. But with a little poking around in Settings, you can set it up so you can use the convenient volume buttons built into the Siri Remote to control sound bars, etc.

That means you won’t need to keep two or three remotes lying around — you can make it all work from just one. It just takes a little setup.

In the crowded landscape of spy shows and movies, Apple TV’s Tehran cuts through the noise with a visceral intensity few titles can match. This Israeli thriller, which started airing season three on January 9, doesn’t just tell a spy story. It grabs you by the throat from the first frame and doesn’t let go until the credits roll.
For anyone who’s ever found themselves disappointed by the too-fast or too-slow pacing or predictable plotting of typical spy dramas, Tehran, now streaming season three (with a fourth on the way), offers a masterclass in sustained tension and genuine surprise. That makes it easy to forgive the subtitles, which most people will need for the Farsi (Persian) and Hebrew spoken on the show. 

In a bit of a shocker, Apple Original Film F1: The Movie earned a Best Picture nomination plus three other nods when the 98th Academy Awards nominations came out Thursday. Four out of Apple TV’s six nominations went to the racing drama, while the documentary film Come See Me in the Good Light and the wildfire drama The Lost Bus drew two others.

“With F1, Joe, Jerry, Brad, Lewis and the entire creative team delivered something only they could — the most authentic, visceral and entertaining racing film ever made,” said Jamie Erlicht, Apple’s head of Worldwide Video. “They pushed technical boundaries at every turn, and it’s been a privilege to partner on a project of this ambition. Seeing F1 nominated for Best Picture is a testament to their remarkable artistry, vision and unwavering passion.” 

Not every Apple TV show gets merchandise like T-shirts and hats, but Vince Gilligan’s oddly original sci-fi head-scratcher Pluribus — the most-watched Apple TV show ever — just did. Too bad the merch is on the lame side.

One of the most weirdly refreshing sci-fi dramas in recent history deserves better than what Sony Pictures is peddling.

Apple Music and Apple TV just had their biggest month ever. That strong streaming performance added to a banner year for the collection of products that go under the heading of Apple services.

“2025 was a record-breaking year for Apple Services, marked by remarkable growth, global expansion, and continuous innovation,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, in a press release Monday.