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Swagger takes on bad cops, COVID-19 and other horrors [Apple TV+ recap]

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Swagger recap Apple TV+: Team Swagger faces new challenges this week.
Team Swagger faces new challenges this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ teen basketball drama Swagger faces its first COVID-19-era game — and its second brush with police brutality — in a tense and shocking episode this week. Crystal finally confesses, while team Swagger faces a couple of real and metaphorical foes. A key figure in this turmoil is coach Warrick Swagger, whose influence on the team continues to shape the unfolding drama.

This week’s episode of the stellar new show, which was created by NBA star Kevin Durant and director Reggie Rock Bythewood, is the crowning achievement of the season. It must be seen.

Dickinson gets crazy-good when it heads to the loony bin [Apple TV+ recap]

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Dickinson recap: Emily Dickinson (played by Hailee Steinfeld) endures a trip to the asylum this week.
Emily Dickinson (played by Hailee Steinfeld) endures a mad trip to the asylum this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

This week on Dickinson, the girls are off to the lunatic asylum and Henry needs to find his inner housewife to help his recruits pass an inspection.

This week’s episode of the Apple TV+ feminist alt-history fable is one of the strongest yet — and it makes the looming finale all the more bittersweet. Just when the creative team seems to be hitting its stride and enjoying themselves, the end must come.

Get up to $200 back when you shop at Apple this Black Friday

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Apple Black Friday 2021
But you won't get real cash.
Photo: Apple

Apple is offering customers up to $200 back in Apple Store gift cards when they buy eligible products this Black Friday. Its four-day shopping event runs from November 26, and you can enjoy in in-store, online, and over the phone.

Find out what you’ll get back on certain products right here.

Navy SEALS doc The Line ducks the big questions about war [Apple TV+ review]

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The Line review: Retired Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher confesses in The Line, and it's chilling.
Retired Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher confesses in The Line, and it's chilling.
Photo: Apple TV+

When Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher was slapped with war crimes charges in 2018, the allegations made a public spectacle of the inexcusable, overzealous violence that had been a staple of U.S. military intervention in Iraq since the first years of the invasion post-9/11.

What followed brought the wrong kind of attention to military operations at a time when the United States needed to sell its continuing involvement in Iraq. In new Apple TV+ series The Line, directors Jeff Zimbalist and Doug Shultz adapt the podcast of the same name as a four-part documentary.

In it, we hear testimony from everyone who felt comfortable stepping forward to talk about really happened in Mosul, where Gallagher led a sniper team and committed acts that shocked his fellow war fighters. And yet the filmmakers ultimately fail to ask the questions that really matter.

After a brutal beatdown, Swagger shows its sensitive side [Apple TV+ recap]

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Swagger review: COVID-19 and a beatdown make for a heavy week.
COVID-19 and a beatdown make for a heavy week in the basketball drama.
Photo: Apple TV+

COVID-19 makes its debut in this week’s Swagger, the Baltimore-based Apple TV+ basketball drama inspired by the experiences of Kevin Durant in the junior leagues.

In the episode, titled “All on the Line,” Jace and his teammates cover up a crime. Crystal exhales and figures out how she feels. And Jackie and Jenna have it out. Everyone’s at the top of their game in one of the best episodes of the season so far.

Invasion deals with the reality of an alien incursion [Apple TV+ review]

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Invasion review: At least now everybody knows we're dealing with nasty extraterrestrials.
At least now everybody knows we're dealing with nasty extraterrestrials.
Photo: Apple TV+

We’ve seen our aliens and we’ve got our heroes. Now what dreadful things await for Invasion’s terrified humans?

Apple TV+’s newest sci-fi show is having a pretty terrific season, all things considered. So now, with everyone on the same page, can the series sustain its relentless pace? Can the show’s creators continue this balancing act for the rest of the season?

Foundation Season 1 ends with scads of space drama [Apple TV+ recap]

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Foundation recap: The Leap
Lies, treachery and surprises -- in space!
Photo: Apple TV+

The first season of Apple TV+’s epic space opera Foundation winds down this week with a drama-packed final episode.

Terminus has a big shiny weapon to use against the Empire, which is renewed in its conviction that all rebellion must be dealt with. Between a rock and a hard place is a human coffin that spouts wisdom like Yoda. Read on to find out what I mean by that.

Dr. Brain just keeps getting weirder and wilder! [Apple TV+ review]

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Dr. Brain review: Things just keep getting wilder in this action/sci-fi stunner.
This action/sci-fi stunner looks unstoppable!
Photo: Apple TV+

In this week’s episode of Dr. Brain, neuroscientist Sewon Koh discovers a powerful ally as he chases new leads while searching for his son and his wife’s killer. Reality and the imaginary begin to blend in a way that suggest he soon may not be able to tell them apart.

Oh, and Sewon’s new ally? It’s in his brain! Apple TV+’s trippy new South Korean sci-fi/mystery series just keeps getting wilder.

Dickinson queues up a consequential sing-along [Apple TV+ review]

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Dickinson review: Young poet Emily Dickinson (played by Hailee Steinfeld) gets some good news this week.
Young poet Emily Dickinson (played by Hailee Steinfeld) gets some good news this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

It’s an old-fashioned family sing-along on this week’s Dickinson, Apple TV+’s show about the Belle of Amherst and the tempestuous times in which she lived.

Lots of talk about legacy and darkness cloud an evening’s celebration during the episode, titled “Sang from the Heart, Sire.” Can Mr. Dickinson’s birthday party (or his reputation) survive?

The Shrink Next Door takes an ugly turn toward cringe comedy [Apple TV+ review]

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The Shrink Next Door review: Ike (played by Paul Rudd, left) can't stop taking advantage of his patient, Marty (Will Ferrell).
Ike (played by Paul Rudd, left) can't stop taking advantage of his patient, Marty (Will Ferrell).

Apple TV+ comedy The Shrink Next Door takes a step toward chaos and a step away from reconciliation this week. Marty and his psychiatrist, Ike, start a business together, which means they’re financially tied to each other. Marty has finally stopped giving in to everyone’s demands, but Ike is there to step in and replace every demanding person in Marty’s life.

This is not going to end well.

The Morning Show comes down with a terminal case of COVID-19 [Apple TV+ review]

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Everybody's anxious for a reminder of the early days of COVID-19, right?
Everybody's anxious for a reminder of the early days of COVID-19, right?
Photo: Apple TV+

In The Morning Show season two finale, COVID-19 finally arrives, in case you missed that news cycle so much you needed to see it covered again on Apple TV+’s show about a news show.

If you were secretly hankering for such a thing, you’re in luck. Alex comes down with COVID-19, and Cory doesn’t want to cancel the launch of the network’s streaming app. Our interest has waned, so whatever, right? Let them do whatever they want. Just put down this sick dog of a show already.

New animated show Harriet the Spy takes one for the tweens [Apple TV+ review]

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Harriet the Spy review: The new kids show serves up some important life lessons.
This one's for the tweens!
Photo: Apple TV+

The Jim Henson Company and Apple TV+ teamed up to resurrect Harriet the Spy, Louise Fitzhugh’s teen sleuth who’s out to help her friends and neighbors.

Can new animated series Harriet the Spy, which premieres today, secure itself the fanbase other Apple TV+ kids shows have yet to accrue? And is there any way this show could be as big as the books that spawned the series?

Warm up the sleigh: Mariah’s Christmas: The Magic Continues debuts on Apple TV+ Dec. 3

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‘Mariah’s Christmas: The Magic Continues’ debuts on Apple TV+ Dec. 3
The singer plans another star-studded musical Christmas special.
Photo: Apple TV+

Mariah Carey’s second Christmas special for Apple TV+ will sing and dance its way onto screens around the world on Friday, December 3. Mariah’s Christmas: The Magic Continues will include the only performance of her new single, “Fall in Love at Christmas.”

The entertainer gave a sneak peek at the fun on Thursday. Watch the trailer now:

Murder-mystery comedy The Afterparty premieres on Apple TV+ on Jan. 28

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Apple’s murder-mystery comedy ‘The Afterparty’ premieres on Jan. 28
Tiffany Haddish leads an ensemble cast in The Afterparty, coming to Apple TV+ in January.
Photo: Chris Miller

A premiere date for a hotly anticipated Apple TV+ series has finally been revealed. The Afterparty starring Tiffany Haddish and a collection of other comedians will make its debut on Apple’s streaming service on Friday, January 28.

The very unusual murder mystery was created by film virtuosos Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

Apple Home Services chief leaves after less than 3 years on the job

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Apple Home Services chief Sam Jadallah left his post after less than three years.
Apple Home Services chief Sam Jadallah left his post after less than three years.
Photo: Apple

Apple hired Sam Jadallah in February 2019 to lead its smart home initiatives as head of the Home Services department. Last week, he posted word of his departure on LinkedIn.

Neither Jadallah nor Apple has given a reason for the departure. After two years and nine months on the job, Jadallah wrote:

That’s a wrap with Apple. I’m so grateful for the friendships that will endure and the opportunity to shape and create new capabilities for people and homes around the world. As a corporate exec, investor and entrepreneur, it was a treat to be an entrepreneur within Apple and to create products at scale.

Play this surprisingly smooth Super Mario 64 port for iOS and Apple TV

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Super Mario 64 on Apple TV
One of the best Mario games, not on Apple TV ... but for how long?
Photo: Nintendo

Nintendo classic Super Mario 64 is now playable on iOS and Apple TV thanks to a very unofficial port. A video shows the game — which is packed with a bunch of cheats — running pretty flawlessly at a smooth 60 frames per second.

You can download the game and try it out for yourself. However, getting it up and running requires Xcode and some trickery. If interested, you might want to jump on it soon before Nintendo wipes it off the planet.

Dr. Brain’s bizarre dreamscapes will get inside your head [Apple TV+ review]

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Dr. Brain review: Director Kim Jee-woon takes us on a wild ride in the Apple TV+ series.
Director Kim Jee-woon takes us on a wild ride in the hot new Apple TV+ series.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+’s exciting new sci-fi series Dr. Brain continues to unfurl its mysteries this week. Brilliant neuroscientist Sewon draws closer to ascertaining the full shape of the crimes that claimed the lives of his family, thanks to “brain syncs” with both his wife and an unexpected source.

Meanwhile a number of questions hang in the air. Just who is this private detective helping Sewon find answers? Who is the man in Jaeyi’s memories? And who’s still alive — and who’s really dead?

Dickinson delves into poetry’s power during terrible times [Apple TV+ review]

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Dickinson review: Humanist poet Walt Whitman (played by Billy Eichner) witnesses the Civil War's toll.
Humanist poet Walt Whitman (played by Billy Eichner) witnesses the Civil War's toll.
Photo: Apple TV+

Emily wonders about her place in the world during the Civil War, and the poet gets a little help from some colleagues — while the Dickinsons get fleas and Henry gets a new job.

It’s an eventful week on Dickinson, Apple TV+’s feminist fantasia. And, as usual, the simplest answer is often the right one.

Foundation doubles down on deception [Apple TV+ review]

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Foundation review: The sci-fi show seethes with big reveals and epic betrayals.
The sci-fi show seethes with big reveals and epic betrayals.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+’s ambitious space opera is getting ready for its final reveal. Foundation‘s epic first season flew by in the blink of an eye, all breathless action and rug pulls. Can all that excitement work its magic and attract a hungry audience for its richly deserved second season?

The sci-fi series based on Isaac Asimov’s fiction had a lot of groundwork to do this season, and somehow found time for several shows’ worth of action and world-building. As the first season winds down, plenty of unanswered questions remain. However, the writers have done a more than adequate job getting viewers excited about what’s to come.

Invasion’s monstrous aliens are ready for their close-up [Apple TV+ review]

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Invasion review: Aneesha (played by Golshifteh Farahani) and her family face multiple monsters this week.
Aneesha (played by Golshifteh Farahani) and her family face multiple monsters this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

Invasion, the sprawling alien-invasion show on Apple TV+, thrusts all of its characters into a brand-new reality this week. There is no denying now that there are aliens on Earth … but what does that mean for everyone? What do the creatures want? And is all hope lost?

This week’s episode puts the focus on the Malik family — and gets us up close and personal with the dreadful threats the Maliks face.

Swagger scores with unflinching look at personal problems [Apple TV+ review]

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Swagger review: Crystal (played by Quvenzhané Wallis) and Jace (Isaiah Hill) deal with some rough stuff this week.
Crystal (played by Quvenzhané Wallis) and Jace (Isaiah Hill) deal with some rough stuff this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

This week on Swagger, Jace and Crystal come clean — but now what? She’s rent with guilt and pain. He wants to do something, but answers won’t come to him. Meanwhile, family troubles abound for Meg and Phil. And violence seems to be unavoidable in the game and on the streets.

Can Ike save this team and the community around it from itself? Money tends to speak louder than loyalty but Ike’s playing the long game and it might not pay off. The Apple TV+ drama about a Baltimore junior basketball league’s misfit team scores high this week.

The Morning Show busts out the eulogies [Apple TV+ review]

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The Morning Show review: Alex Levy drops a bombshell this week.
Alex Levy drops another bombshell this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+’s show about a news network is experiencing the calm before the storm as its second season nears its conclusion.

The whole staff of The Morning Show is still reeling from Mitch Kessler’s death and everyone’s putting up a brave front. But with a tell-all book about the show’s sleazy inner workings on the way, the mood is panicked and stricken.

Awesome, affordable Apple TV alternatives on sale right now

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Awesome, affordable Apple TV alternatives
Get yours from just $19.99.
Photos: Amazon, Roku

You don’t have to splash out on an Apple TV to enjoy Apple TV+ and Apple Music alongside all your other favorite streaming services. They’re now available on a whole host of brilliant third-party devices — many of which are on sale now.

Unlike Apple, the likes of Amazon and Roku are offering big Black Friday discounts that are already live. Here are our picks of the best Apple TV alternatives that you can buy today from just $19.99.

Does The Shrink Next Door suffer from a split personality? [Apple TV+ review]

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Paul Rudd is The Shrink Next Door with Will Ferrell
Paul Rudd is The Shrink Next Door and Will Ferrell is his patient
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+’s newest (true crime) comedy The Shrink Next Door is here to deliver laughter with a side of psychoanalysis. Georgia Pritchett, a writer for Veep and Succession, created this show about the trials and tribulations of a panic attack-stricken New Yorker and the psychiatrist (based on a real guy) who tries to help him out of his troubles.

With Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell leading the cast, the eight-episode series tracks the two Jewish men’s relationship as they weave in and out, sometimes overzealously, of each other’s lives. It’s a period piece set in the 1980s — and the show itself is a little bit of a head case.

Apple TV+ draws tiny but growing share of US streaming market

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Apple TV+ draws tiny but growing share of US streaming market
Apple TV+ isn’t a big part of the streaming video market, but at least it’s growing.
Chart: JustWatch

Apple TV+ is a small player in the streaming video service competition with only 4% of the U.S. market. Still, it’s beating out some rivals even if it’s well behind the front runners.

The service has reportedly been growing throughout 2021 … not a claim all its competitors can make.