| Cult of Mac

Helpsters, Ghostwriter rack up Daytime Emmy nominations for Apple TV+

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FireWire lands Apple its first Emmy.
Another set of nominations for Apple TV+.
Image: The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences/Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

For the second year in a row, Apple TV+ kids’ shows Helpsters and Ghostwriter have racked up a slew of Daytime Emmy award nominations. While not quite the collective 13 nominations the two shows received last year (of which Ghostwriter wound up winning one), they nonetheless picked up an impressive six noms between them.

Ghostwriter now in its second season — received five nominations, including outstanding sound mixing and editing, lighting direction, music direction and composition, art direction, and hairstyling. Helpsters — also having finished season two — picked up a nomination for outstanding costume design.

Ghostwriter stays totally chill in sleepy second season [Apple TV+ review]

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The gang gets back together for Ghostwriter's sleepy second season.
The Ghostwriter gang gets back together.
Photo: Apple TV+

One of the first Apple TV+ shows for a younger audience, Ghostwriter was both a reboot of a ’90s cult hit and a shoo-in to get renewed. With precious little to choose from, the streaming service’s execs had little choice but to put their muscle behind a show with cheap production costs and limitless potential for story ideas.

Like Apple TV+’s initial batch of Ghostwriter episodes, the second season is in no hurry to go anywhere or say much. However, it’s agreeable company — and its heart is in the right place.

Animated kids’ series Doug Unplugs and Stillwater premiering on Apple TV+ this autumn

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‘Stillwater’ seems to have a very Zen vibe to it.
Stillwater on Apple TV+ will teach kids life skills.
Photo: Apple

Coming soon to Apple’s streaming service are two animated shows for children. Doug Unplugs is from DreamWorks Animation and based on a successful book series about a young robot. And Stillwater, which is also based on a book series, stars a very wise giant panda.

Apple TV+ also revealed on Thursday that the second seasons of its children’s shows Ghostwriter and Helpsters will both premiere in October.

Apple TV+ wins pair of Emmys for Ghostwriter and Peanuts in Space

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ghostwriter
Apple TV+ has scored a couple of big Emmy wins.
Photo: Apple

Apple TV+ picked up two Daytime Emmy awards over the weekend, including “Outstanding Children’s or Family Viewing Program” for Ghostwriter and “Outstanding Single Camera Editing” for Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10.

While two wins is only a fraction of the 17 nominations Apple received, it’s still an impressive achievement. Apple TV+ only launched in November last year. Apple has reportedly made winning awards a big part of its Apple TV+ strategy.

Apple TV+ kids’ shows rack up 17 nominations for Daytime Emmy awards

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FireWire lands Apple its first Emmy.
Apple will surely be happy with this slew of nominations.
Image: The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences/Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple TV+ has racked up 17 nominations for the 2020 Daytime Emmy awards. That’s more than established names including Hulu, HBO, and fellow tech newcomers like YouTube Originals and FaceBook Watch.

Kids’ series Ghostwriter got eight nominations. Preschool show Helpsters picked up five. Snoopy in Space and Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10 also received their share of awards.

Here is what’s on Apple TV+ right now

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Apple spent more than $20 million advertising Apple TV+ last month
It's finally here.
Photo: Apple

Apple TV+ launched this morning. Costing $4.99 per month (or free to anyone who buys a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac), the subscription service brings Apple’s eagerly anticipated original TV shows to anyone who wants to watch them.

But what exactly does the service feature so far? And what’s the timeline for the release of Apple’s other shows? Check out our rundown.

Apple shows off its kids shows in latest batch of Apple TV+ trailers

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Snoopy
Snoopy in Space looks like Apple's best kids' show.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s full lineup of shows for the upcoming launch of Apple TV+ is starting to come into clearer focus ahead of the big November 1 launch. The iPhone-maker shared three new teaser trailers this morning showcasing what it has in store for kids and its educational shows might be some of Apple’s best content.

The new minute-length teaser trailers for Ghostwriter and Helpsters don’t divulge much details about the plot. However, the new Snoopy in Space trailer provides a solid peek at the Peanuts gang as they help Snoopy try to become a NASA astronaut.

Watch all three:

Why Apple TV+’s Ghostwriter and Helpsters could prove so important

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White Rabbit Ghostwriter
This is Apple's first attempt at reaching out to the lucrative kid market.
Screenshot: Apple

We’ve got our first glimpse of what Apple TV+’s kid-friendly programming is going to look like, thanks to trailers for Ghostwriter and Helpsters.

Ghostwriter reboots a popular children’s mystery/fantasy series that originally ran from 1992 through 1994. It involved a group of diverse kids who solve crimes and mysteries with the help of a ghost, which can communicate only by rearranging letters and words to form sentences.

Helpsters, meanwhile, is a Sesame Street-style show all about learning to help. The question: Can these shows help Apple TV+ become a success?