★★★★☆
This week on Swagger, Jace and Ike’s latest victory is a short-lived affair. When Crystal comes to Jace with worrying possibilities for his future, he shuts down — leaving Phil, Drew and Musa to panic.
Meanwhile, Jenna and Tonya start making plans. And Ike and Emery decide to hash out their differences the old-fashioned way. The episode, entitled “Rise + Fall,” is good and tense. And it points the way toward much darker events to come on the Apple TV+ basketball drama.
The Galactic Empire and the Foundation prepare for massive conflict in a new trailer for Apple TV+ show Foundation, with the sci-fi series’ gorgeous special effects and cinematography very much on display.
Foundation season two premieres July 14. So now’s the time to watch the epic trailer Apple released Thursday — or get caught up on season one.
Nathan Pyle’s humorous Strange Planet graphic novels are being made into an Apple TV+ animated series that’s now set to launch in late summer.
The show uses brightly colored aliens to poke fun at all of us.
★★★★☆
Platonic heads into the home stretch this week as the Apple TV+ comedy about two friends who interrupt each other’s lives and relationships digs into jealousy.
Charlie takes his anger out on a co-worker in the strangest way imaginable. Sylvia takes out her anger directly on Charlie. And Will takes out his anger on his co-workers, who in turn take out their frustration on him. It’s less of a listening and learning week than a wit’s end week on this very easily consumed show.
Apple TV+ dropped the official trailer Wednesday for its upcoming historical drama Killers of the Flower Moon. The sprawling period piece is filled with the rage and bloodshed of one of America’s most-enduring murder mysteries.
Based on a nonfiction account of a deadly conspiracy by white men to capture oil wealth held by the Osage Indian nation members in early-1900s Oklahoma, the Marin Scorsese film counts Leonardo Di Caprio and Robert De Niro among its sprawling cast.
★★★☆☆
Apple TV+ terrorist thriller Hijack finally takes off this week, introducing real challenges and intense, investigative set pieces as the people on the ground try to figure out if the plane has been taken over, and if so, why — and what can be done about it.
The calm, cool and collected interloper played by Idris Elba takes action as the plane he’s on descends further and further into chaos. The episode, entitled “Draw a Blank,” is the best this show has yet been.
The number of Apple TV+ subscribers has more than tripled in the past two years, according to data from a market-analysis firm.
Apple’s streaming service now sits in the middle of the pack in the battle against competitors like Netflix, Hulu and Disney+.
The dark comedy High Desert will not be returning to Apple TV+. The series starring Patricia Arquette earned generally positive comments from critics and viewers, but perhaps didn’t find a big audience.
Arquette herself made the announcement Sunday.
★★★★☆
Apple TV+ sports drama Swagger finds Jace preparing for a big birthday this week. He’s dealing with obstacles he sees — and bracing to be blindsided by some he can’t.
An estranged dad, an old adversary, a new teammate and coach Ike (who’s looking to Jace to secure his future) all conspire to keep the young basketball star from his A game. But for Jace, there’s always a way through. And this week’s excellent episode, entitled “18,” is a potent reminder of that.
★★★☆☆
Criminologist Rya Goodwin takes center stage in this week’s episode of Apple TV+ drama The Crowded Room. She discovers that the way around the many dead-ends in her life is to crack the case of Danny Sullivan, the man who opened fire in a crowded Manhattan street, and the many personalities living in his head who drove him to murder and mayhem.
Entitled “Rya,” it’s an above-average outing of this oft-frustrating show.
Providing a first-look image (above), Apple TV+ said Friday its expansive sci-fi series Invasion will return for season 2 before the end of the summer.
Aliens resume battling humans on August 23. Are you ready?
★★★★☆
In the Silo season finale, Juliette has been found out and has only minutes to prove her innocence — and the government’s guilt — before she’s caught and punished. Of course, nothing is ever that easy in the hit Apple TV+ sci-fi series.
Bernard and Sims panic at the idea of losing their grip on the seat of power. And the people Juliette knows and loves worry for her safety. The episode, entitled “Outside,” asks the question: Can you fight city hall miles underground?
The wait for a new season of The Morning Show is nearly over. On Thursday, Apple TV+ promised that season 3 of the popular and award-winning drama starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon will premiere in September.
The highlight of the new season will be the arrival of Jon Hamm in the cast.
★★★★☆
Apple TV+ comedy Platonic takes a trip to San Diego this week, as Sylvia’s husband Charlie gets paranoid and Will gets a lesson in corporate culture that he didn’t ask for.
In this very good episode of the show — about married Sylvia and divorced Will, who return to the best-friend slot in each other’s lives after an awkward absence — Charlie looks into every little thing, wondering if the pair are more than just friends. Will comes to Sylvia’s rescue at the expense of his friends and business partners, and Sylvia must be honest about the next phase of her life.
★★★☆☆
New Apple TV+ limited series Hijack stars Idris Elba as a man caught in an explosive hostage situation in the sky. Elba plays a corporate negotiator on one of the worst days of his life, as armed terrorists seize the airplane he’s flying on from Dubai to London.
He has six hours to foil their plan — and possibly save his marriage. Can he pull off one or the other, or both? And more importantly, will it be thrilling? Time will tell…
Normally, you need an Apple TV+ subscription to watch the first episode of the hit sci-fi drama Silo. But it is now posted on Twitter for all to see, in its entirety.
This isn’t piracy — Apple itself shared the video Tuesday.
In this installment of 3 Reasons to Watch, we’re touting stellar Apple TV+ basketball drama Swagger, produced by Kevin Durant and creatively shepherded by Reggie Rock Bythewood.
The show, about a high school phenom assailed by personal and professional pressures, just returned for its second season. And like its heroes, Swagger shows no signs of slacking now that the game is getting tougher. Here’s why you should give it a shot.
The Crowded Room, a psychological thriller starring Tom Holland, is bringing in plenty of viewers. For two weeks now, the Apple TV+ series has been among the most popular shows on any streaming service.
And it’s not the only Apple series doing well — Silo continues to draw a large audience, too.
★★★★☆
Apple TV+ sports drama Swagger returns for a second season in fine form this week. Reggie Rock Bythewood’s account of a high school basketball star and his supportive coach continues with fresh challenges for Jace and his team to face.
With Jace gearing up for college, he needs Ike back in his corner after a brief separation. But will Ike make a good fit at Jace’s new school? This week’s episode, entitled “The World Ain’t Ready,” is thrillingly alive in its depiction of life in Baltimore and the pressures of being very good at what you do.
★★☆☆☆
Apple TV+ psychodrama The Crowded Room takes a look back at Danny’s childhood this week to examine the start of his troubles and trauma.
Danny’s issues began when he was young, in the presence of a mysterious twin brother, an absent father, a new stepdad and a mom tired of being defeated by life. Add to that a sexual abuse case and Danny’s mental illness, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster — and a show that keeps running right up to the line of greatness before retreating.
The first trailer for upcoming Apple TV+ movie The Beanie Bubble has a lot of fun with the Beanie Babies fad of the 1990s.
“Witness the crazy … behind the craze,” shout title screens in all caps between scenes. And Zach Galifianakis and Elizabeth Banks, as the partners behind the bean-filled-stuffed-animal business, do a good job of showing it.
★★★★☆
Apple TV+ comedy Platonic, about two once-former-now-current best friends navigating their relationship, finds Sylvia back at work and Will out of step this week.
A lot has changed since Sylvia was last in the workplace, and the new workload is too much for her, without factoring in everything else that can go wrong in an office. Will tries to help but makes things worse as he himself learns a few lessons about the modern workplace. Entitled “Let the River Run,” it’s a very funny episode of the very funny series.
Turns out Apple TV+ is not going to turn Fritz Lang’s sci-fi classic Metropolis into a series. The ongoing writers’ strike reportedly caused the project to be shut down.
And it’s not the only Apple TV+ project to run afoul of the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.
Ted Lasso, the comedy that became the first surprise Apple TV+ hit, earned rave reviews with its recent series finale — and now Apple CEO Tim cook wants more!
That’s according to Brendan Hunt, one of the creators and stars of Ted Lasso. Whether Cook will get it or not remains an open question, however.
In this installment of 3 Reasons to Watch, we rewind back to Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson, a 2021 miniseries about the ins and outs of modern music production and recording.
With superproducer Mark Ronson (who’s worked with stars like Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga) as our host, we see the ways in which sound can be manipulated — and the ways in which it is already miraculous. Here’s why you should give this must-see Apple TV+ music miniseries a spin.