The Apple TV+ comedy Palm Royale holds on near the top of the streaming ratings charts for the second week in a row. It’s drawn in a large audience since it’s debut March 20.
And the new detective series Sugar on Apple’s streaming service might do just as well.
Apple TV+ just added two dozen more classic movies to its limited-time collection, including three John Wick films, the original Ghostbusters, a pair of Transformers movies and more.
They join an existing selection of films available to the streaming service’s subscribers, as well as all the content Apple TV+ itself produces or buys.
The new Apple TV+ trailer for LA-noir detective series Sugar asks an important question: Who is John Sugar? Well, apparently, the gumshoe played by Colin Farrell is a tough dude who “does one thing and one thing only: Find the missing.”
A legendary film producer played by veteran actor James Cromwell utters the line in the trailer, which Apple TV+ dropped Sunday. Having cast members like Cromwell adds some serious gravitas to a moody and engrossing-looking series (as if Farrell wasn’t enough).
You can see the new Sugar trailer, and the previous one, below. They should whet your appetite for some good ol’ fashioned-yet-contemporary LA crime noir. It comes up from time to time to great acclaim (see LA Confidential among others).
Steve Martin is a comedy legend going way, way back, as the trailer for a new documentary called STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces shows, below. The Apple TV+ documentary, debuting Friday, is chock-full of admiring celebs talking about the famous comedian, plus clips from his wild and crazy standup years in the 1970s.
UPDATE: The two-part documentary — and the two parts are quite distinct, like two different documentaries — premieres Friday, March 29, on Apple TV+. One part chronicles Martin’s meteoric rise to fame decades ago and the other part nestles into his happy and fulfilled life now. Reviews so far seem quite positive, though the two parts don’t provide a complete, linear account of all the legend’s accomplishments.
Apple TV+ may not pack in as many movies and TV shows as other major streaming platforms, but what it showcases rates highest for quality on IMDb, according to a new report.
Apple TV+ tops quality ratings in 19 genre categories on the movie-database site, including drama, comedy, action, biography and children’s content. But its relatively small catalogue helps keep it from ranking high on value for its price.
Manhunt, the Apple TV+ historical true-crime drama about the search for the assassin of Abraham Lincoln, immediately shot to near the top of the popularity charts of two different ratings services.
And other series and films from Apple are also performing well with audiences.
Apple TV+ unveiled a first look Thursday at The Big Cigar, an upcoming limited drama series starring André Holland as Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton. The show traces his wild escape from the FBI to Cuba.
The Big Cigar debuts on May 17 with the first two episodes, followed by new episodes every Friday through June 14. “It’s all true,” Apple TV+ said. “Mostly.”
The list of comedies on Apple TV+ will expand with the addition of one starring Owen Wilson as a washed-up golf pro stepping up to coach a teen in the sport.
The series — which does not yet bear a name — seems to have a lot in common with Ted Lasso, another sports-themed comedy that was an enormous success for Apple TV+.
No Apple TV+ film won an Academy Award on Sunday, despite 10 nominations for Martin Scorsese’s historical epic Killers of the Flower Moon — including Best Picture — and three for Ridley Scott’s historical epic Napoleon.
Despite the final results, Apple made it clear that it is honored to be nominated. And both films have drawn large audiences since they debuted on Apple’s streaming service.
Add Constellation to the lengthy list of Apple TV+ shows that are standout hits. The new sci-fi mystery horror series sits near the top of the popularity charts of two different ratings services, and has ever since its February premiere.
Masters of the Air remains popular, too. As do the historical dramas Napoleon and Killers of the Flower Moon. That puts all four of these series/films ahead of almost all the content on any streaming service.