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Apple TV Reviews

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on Apple TV Reviews:

Watch this stunning folk horror show on Apple TV for a thoroughly creepy Halloween

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Nell Tiger Free in “Servant,” now streaming on Apple TV+.
Nell Tiger Free plays creepy nanny Leanne in Apple TV+ thriller Servant.
Photo: Apple TV+

M. Night Shyamalan’s wonderfully dark series Servant is the creepiest horror show on Apple TV. The engrossing show, about a supernatural nanny with designs on an upper-class Philadelphia power couple and their missing baby, shines thanks to an amazing array of directorial talent and some fantastic on-screen presences.

Here’s why you should watch all four seasons of this runaway freight train of a show.

3 reasons to watch Down Cemetery Road on Apple TV

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Down Cemetery Road review
New Apple TV thriller Down Cemetery Road is a compelling whodunnit (and who did what, exactly?).
Photo: Apple TV

New Apple TV crime thriller Down Cemetery Road, based on British author Mick Herron’s debut novel, might not always match the fast-and-dirty fun of Slow Horses, the hit stablemate also derived from Herron’s work.

However, it offers enough intrigue, stellar performances (especially from star Emma Thompson) and dark humor to deserve your attention. 

Here’s why you should stream the eight-episode conspiracy thriller.

3 reasons to watch Stick on Apple TV+ (and not as a Ted Lasso clone)

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Apple TV+ Stick review: 3 reasons to watch
"Stick" is the nickname pro golfers give the greats -- sometimes before they flame out, like Owen Wilson's character.
Photo: Apple TV+

Popular Apple TV+ sports comedy Stick just completed its first season and got its green light for season two. So while comparisons to feel-good soccer phenom Ted Lasso seem inevitable, this Owen Wilson-led golf series carves out its own distinctive identity.

Rather than trying to replicate the wholesome optimism and wildly unbelievable story that made Ted Lasso a cultural phenomenon, Stick takes viewers slightly further into somewhat darker territory and into a slightly more believable story with suburban grift, sardonic humor and complex characters navigating grief and redemption.

Hey, I said somewhat darker, slightly further and slightly more believable, OK?

In a nutshell, Stick, like Lasso, is danged wholesome and all about redemption. And both series are feel-good shows people want to watch right now, given the societal circumstances. But for my Apple TV+ Stick review, here are three compelling reasons why Stick deserves your attention, regardless of how you feel about its more famous predecessor.

‘It’s been a minute’ since we felt that Severance vertigo [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★★

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Severance season 2 episode 1 recap★★★★★
Reunited, the Macrodata Refinement team meets the Severed floor's new deputy manager, Ms. Huang.
Photo: Apple TV+

After a three-year wait that felt longer than a day working at Lumon Industries, Severance is finally back! The season two premiere, entitled “Hello, Ms. Cobel,” picks up right where we left our favorite corporate drones. In our Severance season 2 episode 1 recap, we look at the fascinating twists and turns that prove the show hasn’t lost its edge. As the season goes on, let’s see if it keeps it.

Apple TV+ shows we can’t wait to watch in 2025

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Drawing of two excited people watching a TV screen, with the words
We're psyched for these Apple TV+ shows and movies coming this year.
AI image: Midjourney/Cult of Mac

There are so many Apple TV+ shows to look forward to in 2025! There are new seasons of some of the streamer’s best shows coming, along with new series and even a cool-looking film or two. Get ready for dramas, comedies and lots of sci-fi.

Cult of Mac writers picked the Apple TV+ shows we’re most excited about in the coming year. Keep reading or watch our video to fill out your Up Next queue early.

The best shows on Apple TV+

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Stills from Apple TV+ shows, plus the words
Looking for something to stream? Check out the best shows on Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple TV+

Some of the world’s greatest creative talents are making the best Apple TV shows.

Directors like Martin Scorsese, M. Night Shyamalan, Rupert Wyatt and Kim Jee-Woon bring to life incredible stories by writers like Min Jin Lee, Paul Theroux, Emily Dickinson and Isaac Asimov. High-concept premises, crack-up comedies and legendary ensembles meet on Apple’s streaming service.

The result is a collection of art and entertainment worth signing up for. As the service goes free for everyone this weekend, here’s a look at the best shows on Apple TV+.

3 apps to help you with your New Year’s resolutions [Awesome Apps]

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Finish Your Goals This Year
You can actually get it done — with these apps.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Awesome Apps

It’s the new year! If you haven’t given up on your New Year’s resolution already, I have three apps that’ll help you through it. (I won’t hold you to it if you’ve slipped up in the first week.)

Whether you’re trying to exercise more, work more efficiently or change your daily habits, these three apps will help you make a better 2024.

3 reasons to watch Steve McQueen’s WWII epic Blitz on Apple TV+

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A still showing Saoirse Ronan and Elliott Heffernan in the
Saoirse Ronan and Elliott Heffernan star in Steve McQueen's Blitz.
Photo: Apple TV+

Ready for a cinematic experience that transports you to the heart of London during one of its darkest hours? Consider director Steve McQueen’s Blitz, a surprisingly moving period piece now streaming on Apple TV+. As you’ll see in our Blitz review, if you’ve got holiday downtime to spare, this makes a good diversion.

The gripping film offers a powerful glimpse into the resilience of the human spirit during World War II’s London Blitz. It was a relentless bombing campaign associated with Germany’s aggressive “blitzkrieg” strategy. Here are three reasons why you should watch Steve McQueen’s Blitz.

3 Reasons to Watch: Silo, the hit dystopian sci-fi show on Apple TV+

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Rebecca Ferguson in
Rebecca Ferguson's gutsy performance is just one reason to watch epic sci-fi series Silo.
Photo: Apple TV+

In this installment of 3 Reasons to Watch, our hand-cranked Apple TV+ recommendation engine, we’re looking at the dystopian sci-fi show du jour, Silo. While not a full Silo review, it’s a full-throated endorsement of the thrill-packed series and its star, Rebecca Ferguson.

Created by Graham Yost (Justified, Speed), and based on the books by Hugh Howey, the show focuses on the last people on earth, who live in a huge, underground structure and slowly start to learn there’s more to their predicament than meets the eye. The first season of Silo became a bona fide hit. And season two of Silo just started streaming on Apple TV+.

3 reasons to watch comedy-thriller Wolfs on Apple TV+

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reasons to watch Wolfs
Turns out Croatian gangsters are not to be messed with. But that's only part of the fun.
Photo: Apple

George Clooney and Brad Pitt reunite in darkly madcap comedy-thriller Wolfs, an Apple Original Film that started streaming on Apple TV+ Friday. For those who love to see modern takes on classic Hollywood vehicles where stars pretty much play themselves — and for anyone who just wants a good popcorn flick with lots of gunplay and humor — there’s no shortage of reasons to watch Wolfs. But those same traits may deter others, of course.

The Instigators is old-school action-comedy fun [3 Reasons to Watch]

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Hong Chau, Casey Affleck and Matt Damon in
Hong Chau, Casey Affleck go on the lam in The Instigators..
Photo: Apple TV+

New Apple TV+ action comedy The Instigators is getting a bad rap. The action-comedy about a Boston heist gone wrong, which stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, currently achieves a lackluster 41% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. But those critics are missing the point. The Instigators is an unpretentious buddy film that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

The critics who panned the movie apparently don’t know how to sit back and enjoy a fun flick. (The Instigators’ audience score sits at a much higher 71%.) Here are three reasons you should give this underappreciated action-comedy a stream on Apple TV+.

3 reasons to watch Masters of the Air‘s bloody WWII aerial ballet

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Austin Butler, right, appears in Masters of the Air on Apple TV+
The life expectancy of these airmen was not high.
Photo: Apple

When I was a kid, I had a thing for historical aircraft. I especially loved the smooth lines of the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. And it played a big role in ending World War II, as shown in Masters of the Air on Apple TV+, the final installment in Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s World War II filmmaking trilogy.

Despite massive challenges, the plane and its crews’ strategic bombing helped bring down Adolf Hilter and the Nazi regime, shortening a horrific ground war.

And yet as good as the series is, sometimes it lands just short of the runway, like a beat-up B-17 losing its landing gear and grinding to a halt. Will it blow up? Maybe, maybe not. But is Masters of the Air worth watching? Hell yes.

For All Mankind season 4 finale burns with new hope [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★

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Kuznetzov Station For All Mankind★★★★
Is this just a foward-looking ending, or is this upcoming season 5? We shall see.
Photo: Apple TV+

You can’t ask for much more than For All Mankind‘s season 4 finale “Perestroika” gives. It wraps up the season in heart-pounding and heartstring-tugging fashion Friday, bringing climax and resolution to the audience along with hope for the future of the space program — and maybe a season 5 of the show.

It’s a satisfying end to the conflict over Mars-based asteroid mining at the heart of the season. But the future development teased as the episode wraps up, which appears to beg a fifth season, could simply make a fitting end to the series (as we wait to see if Apple TV+ will renew it).

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episode 8 drops down a giant hole … literally [Apple TV+ recap]

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'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters' episode 8 -- Cate Randa
The Randa family needs to learn to stay away from the titan tunnels.
Screenshot: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewMonarch: Legacy of Monsters episode 8 reveals why Lee Shaw is traveling around the world blowing stuff up, and also hits us with a big surprise. Then it drops some central characters down a huge hole.

Read our review/recap for Godzilla-size spoilers about the latest episode, plus some speculation about the show’s future.