Best Apple TV Shows Ranked: Top 41 Picks

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Quick Summary

• Streaming Services: By 2025, users face choices among numerous streaming platforms, each with unique offerings.
• Apple TV+: Apple TV+ has gained recognition for its original series, including sci-fi and comedy hits.
• Best Shows: The article ranks the top Apple TV+ shows, showcasing a mix of genres and themes.
• Apple TV vs. Apple TV+: It’s crucial to differentiate between the hardware (Apple TV) and the streaming service (Apple TV+).

We’re officially overloaded with streaming services by 2025, with each costing a pretty penny of your pay packet to keep. Whether you decide to shell out for a service typically comes down to the shows and movies on offer, whether you’re looking for buzzy Netflix series or Sunday night HBO heavyweights. But there’s an underrated competitor in the mix, especially for TV shows.

Apple TV+, Apple’s own streaming service, has become better and better over the years, hitting it out of the park with sci-fi smashes like Severance, Silo, and Pluribus, along with comedy wins like Shrinking, Bad Sisters, and Ted Lasso — plus a few curveballs mixed in here and there.

One important thing to know? Apple TV is not the same thing as an Apple TV. As Mashable’s Stan Schroeder explains it, “Apple TV is both the name for the set-top-box hardware device that you buy and connect to your TV, as well as the app that’s available on Apple TV (the set-top-box), as well as Macs, iPhones, and other TV operating systems. And then there’s Apple TV, which is Apple’s streaming service and a competitor to Netflix, HBO Max, and others.”

Got it? So, what are the best TV shows on Apple TV? Here are our picks of the streaming service’s original series, ranked.

41. The Shrink Next Door

Inspired by true events, The Shrink Next Door sends Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell into a complicated web of manipulation, power plays, and mic-drop moments. The series hinges on unethical psychiatrist Dr. Ike Herschkopf (Paul Rudd) and his patient, Marty Markowitz (Will Ferrell), who have a dysfunctional relationship that becomes more and more imbalanced and twisted as Ike weasels his way into Marty’s life. Kathryn Hahn stars as Marty’s younger sister Phyllis, and Casey Wilson plays Bonnie, Ike’s wife. — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor

Starring: Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Kathryn Hahn, Casey Wilson, Cornell Womack, Sarayu Blue, Robin Bartlett, and Gable Swanlund

How to watch: The Shrink Next Door is now streaming on Apple TV.

40. Time Bandits

Time Bandits, Terry Gilliam’s classic ’80s fantasy adventure, got the TV adaptation treatment by Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, and Iain Morris. And despite the show being sadly cancelled after one season, it’s still worth your while to watch.

Over 10 episodes, Time Bandits sees a group of thieves in a fantasy world who are suddenly joined by Kevin (Kal-El Tuck), an 11-year-old history aficionado. Kevin’s parents find themselves in peril across time and space, so his knowledge of historical events — and his new group of friends — might be their only hope. Across the Stone Age, Ice Age, many other Ages, across major moments in the history books, Kevin and the gang time-travel every episode, meeting a few famous historic faces. — S.C.

Starring: Kal-El Tuck, Lisa Kudrow, Tadhg Murphy, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva, Rune Temte, Charlyne Yi, Rachel House, Kiera Thompson, James Dryden, Felicity Ward, Francesca Mills, and Imaan Hadchiti.

How to watch: Time Bandits is now streaming on Apple TV.

39. Defending Jacob

Given its grim subject matter, Mark Bomback’s crime drama won’t be for everyone. Defending Jacob follows Assistant DA Andy Barber (Chris Evans), whose life is thrown into turmoil after his son Jacob (a haunted Jaeden Martell) is charged with the murder of a classmate. The show immediately chucks us in at the deep end, with the question of Jacob’s innocence hanging over the Barber family like a storm cloud that threatens to badly damage or even break them altogether. It’s tense, well-written, and the acting — including a disturbingly memorable turn from Michelle Dockery as Jacob’s struggling mother, Laurie — is excellent across the board.

Some have argued that the show doesn’t do enough to justify its dark storyline, but I found it to be a horribly suspenseful exploration of how far familial bonds will stretch before they snap altogether. Can you ever fully know anyone? Can you trust your closest family members no matter what? Love them no matter what? These are the questions Defending Jacob asks, and, as the Barber family wrestle with each new piece of evidence that comes to light, the answers don’t come easy. — Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor

How to watch: Defending Jacob is now streaming now on Apple TV.

38. Palm Royale

Kristen Wiig infiltrates the world’s most exclusive country club in Emmy–nominated comedy Palm Royale. The year is 1969, and underdog Maxine Dellacorte-Simmons (Wiig) wants nothing more to be a part of high society in Palm Beach, Florida. That means crashing the lavish Palm Royale club, where she’ll be met with snobbery and disdain at every turn. While Palm Royale is far from Apple TV+’s best comedy offering, it does boast an all-star cast of comedy greats over two seasons, including a fabulous Carol Burnett. And you just can’t beat those costumes. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

Starring: Kristen Wiig, Ricky Martin, Laura Dern, Carol Burnett, Allison Janney, Leslie Bibb, Amber Chardae, and Josh Lucas

How to watch: Palm Royale is now streaming on Apple TV.

37. Government Cheese

Set in 1969, Aeysha Carr and Paul Hunter’s series Government Cheese didn’t get the buzz it deserved, with sharp writing and excellent performances. David Oyelowo (Selma, Silo) stars as Hampton Chambers, an engineer newly out of prison and adjusting to life back home with his family in Chatsworth, in the San Fernando Valley. It’s not an easy landing by any means, with his wife Astoria (Simone Missick), pole vaulting brainiac son Einstein (Evan Ellison), and vexed teen son Harrison (Di’Allo Winston), having very differing reactions to Hampton’s return. But despite his awkward reception, Hampton has spent his time planning a potentially (and literally) groundbreaking invention: the Bit Magician. But leaving his past behind is harder than it seems, with the series itself flashing back and forth between Hampton’s present and previous experiences. — S.C.

Starring: David Oyelowo, Simone Missick, Jahi Di’Allo Winston, Evan Ellison, Bokeem Woodbine, Jeremy Bobb, Louis Cancelmi, Julien Heron, Thomas Beaudoin, Kyle Mac, and Adam Beach

How to watch: Government Cheese is now streaming on Apple TV.

36. Sunny

A robot and a grieving woman make for an unlikely crime-solving duo in soft sci-fi mystery Sunny. Rashida Jones stars as Suzie, an American expat living in Kyoto, whose husband Masa (Hidetoshi Nishijima) and son Zen (Fares Belkheir) go missing in a plane crash. Following their disappearance, she receives Sunny, a companion robot Masa developed for her at work. Despite hating robots, Suzie decides to work with the ever-cheerful Sunny to uncover the truth about Masa’s work and his and Zen’s accident. The ensuing journey takes this odd couple pairing deep into a criminal underworld of gang showdowns and robot fighting rings. While occasionally bloated, Sunny‘s central duo and sci-fi world-building make it well worth the watch. — B.E.

Starring: Rashida Jones, Joanna Sotomura, annie the clumsy, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Jun Kunimura, Judy Ongg, and You

How to watch: Sunny is now streaming on Apple TV.

35. Shining Girls

Imagine the ghoulish love child of Sliding Doors and Zodiac, and you’ll get the gist of this mini-series adaptation of Lauren Beukes’ 2013 crime novel. Created by Silka Luisa, Shining Girls centers on Kirby Mazrachi (Elisabeth Moss), an archivist whose reality has been shifting without warning ever since she was viciously attacked and left for dead in 1980s Chicago. One moment she’s living with her mom, and the next she’s married to a co-worker she barely knows. She doesn’t understand why this is happening but is certain it connects to a stalking serial killer (Jamie Bell), who’s been targeting fantastic women across decades.

Featuring graphic violence, time-travel twists, and harrowing revelations, Shining Girls can be a tough watch. But its finale episode makes it all worthwhile. Luisa smartly buttons up the mysteries of these murders, their un-aging perpetrator, and what it means to become disentangled on a molecular level. More than answers, however, this finale gives poetic justice to its villain and a hard-won empowerment to its harried heroine. Which, considering how Kirby’s quest to be believed plays like the most extreme version of a domestic violence survivor’s experiences coming forward, is darkly and deeply satisfying. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Phillipa Soo, Wagner Moura, Jamie Bell, Erika Alexander, Amy Brenneman, Chris Chalk, and Madeline Brewer

How to watch: Shining Girls is now streaming on Apple TV.

34. Masters of the Air

If you loved Band of Brothers and The Pacific, you need to watch Masters of the Air. Based on Donald L. Miller’s book, John Shiban and John Orloff’s Emmy–winning World War II series follows the 100th Bomb Group (known as “The Bloody Hundredth” due to heavy losses), the U.S. Army Air Force bomber and fighter battalion deployed to England in 1943 as part of the Allied war effort against Germany. Austin Butler and Callum Turner lead the charge as the real Major Gale “Buck” Cleven and Major John “Bucky” Egan, and the series moves through the missions, downtime, tragedies, and sense of camaraderie within the unit. Yes, the series takes some creative liberties, but producers Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, and Gary Goetzman threw 10 years and $250 million at the show — so when you’re experiencing a live-or-die tactical manoeuvre, you’re in the pilot’s seat. — S.C.

Starring: Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Barry Keoghan, and Anthony Boyle

How to watch: Masters of the Air is now streaming on Apple TV.

33. Hijack

Set over seven real-time hours, Hijack is something you could finish on a flight but should absolutely not watch on one. With Jim Field Smith and Mo Ali directing, and Idris Elba in the lead, this Apple TV+ series is about a plane hijacked on its way to London. Elba plays Sam Nelson, a corporate negotiator who tries to bargain with flight KA29’s villains all the way to the final humdinger of an episode. As Mashable’s Belen Edwards writes in her review, “Hijack is the perfect show to watch if you want to get sucked into a mildly ridiculous, yet totally engrossing scenario. You’ll squeal as our heroes brave danger, swoon at Elba’s charisma, and even chuckle at some choice one-liners.”* — S.C.

Starring: Idris Elba, Neil Maskell, Archie Panjabi, Max Beesley, Christine Adams, Jude Cudjoe, and Eve Myles

How to watch: Hijack is now streaming on Apple TV.

32. Central Park

It’s a show central in our hearts. Loren Bouchard, Josh Gad, and Nora Smith’s sharply scripted animated musical comedy Central Park hinges on New York family the Tillermans: park manager Owen (Leslie Odom Jr.) and journalist Paige (Kathryn Hahn), their son Cole (Tituss Burgess), and daughter Molly (Kristen Bell in Season 1, Emmy Raver-Lampman in Season 2). They’re the custodians of Manhattan’s beloved green space, which comes under threat by bespectacled wealthy villain Bitsy Brandenham (Stanley Tucci), accompanied by her assistant Helen (Daveed Diggs). It’s a plight all hilariously narrated by Gad as park busker Birdie — the show’s absolutely brimming with songs.

“Whether it’s throwaway jokes or spotlight solos, the cast both elevate and benefit from Central Park‘s tight, confident writing,” writes Proma Khosla in her review for Mashable. “Central Park is a show that easily wears all hats. The storylines are simple, but it’s style and sensibility that make them so enjoyable. It’s a show that can soothe you by being on in the background but offers nonstop punchlines and Easter eggs if you give it your full (deserved) attention.” — S.C.

Starring: Leslie Odom Jr., Kathryn Hahn, Tituss Burgess, Kristen Bell, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Stanley Tucci, Daveed Diggs, and Josh Gad

How to watch: Central Park is now streaming on Apple TV.

31. The Buccaneers

If you’re yearning for the next season of Bridgerton, The Buccaneers will satiate your Regency thirst. Based on Edith Wharton’s final novel and created by Katherine Jakeways, The Buccaneers is a 19th-century romantic drama with diabolical narrative twists and long-simmering romantic leads, as well as that requisite anachronistic modern soundtrack and the lavish design of our society ball dreams.

The story sees a group of young American ladies — Nan St. George (Kristine Frøseth), Jinny St. George (Imogen Waterhouse), Lizzy Elmsworth (Aubri Ibrag), Mabel Elmsworth (Josie Totah) — who are drawn to England after their friend Conchita Closson’s (Alisha Boe) high-society wedding to an English lord. Arriving in London, the newcomers face deep social scorn while channelling their own. But there’s also a rugged array of suitors taking a turn about the landscape, including a forlorn duke who enjoys standing on clifftops — and who must be in want of a wife. — S.C.

Starring: Alisha Boe, Josie Totah, Kristine Frøseth, Aubri Ibrag, and Imogen Waterhouse

How to watch: The Buccaneers is now streaming on Apple TV.

30. Mythic Quest

Whether you’re into gaming or not, you should check out Mythic Quest. From the crew behind It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia comes four seasons (and a spinoff show Side Quest) of ups and downs inside the video game industry, specifically within the offices of a game studio responsible for the show’s titular MMORPG. The cast — including Rob McElhenney, Charlotte Nicdao, Jessie Ennis, Ashly Burch, Danny Pudi, and more — are superb, the commentary on gaming is bang on, and the show’s standalone episode, “Dark Quiet Death,” has to be one of the best of all time. — S.C.

Starring: Rob McElhenney, Charlotte Nicdao, Jessie Ennis, Ashly Burch, and Danny Pudi

How to watch: Mythic Quest is now streaming on Apple TV.

29. The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin

If you don’t mind your history a little revisionist and plenty ridiculous, The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin is for you.

Based on the exploits of Essex brigand Dick Turpin (Noel Fielding in full Vince Noir mode), the series seizes on the fact that Turpin’s life was wildly romanticised after his death at 33 (by hanging, for horse theft) — then amps it up to 11. Rolling about the woods with his Essex Gang of misfits, Turpin takes on a peril of the week in Monty Python meets Our Flag Means Death meets The Mighty Boosh–fashion. Throw in some cameos from Britain’s biggest comedians, with standout appearances by Tamsin Greig, Greg Davies, and Sex Education‘s Connor Swindells, and you’ve got a surreal, satisfying, history-adjacent adventure on your hands.* — S.C.

Starring: Noel Fielding, Tamsin Greig, Greg Davies, Connor Swindells, Michael Fielding, Mark Heap, Ellie White, Duayne Boachie, Marc Wootton, Dolly Wells, Asim Chaudhry, Sindhu Vee, and Simon Farnaby

How to watch: The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin is now streaming on Apple TV.

28. The Morning Show

With Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell leading the first season, The Morning Show starts the day right — in the most unsettling way. Created by Jay Carson and inspired by Brian Stelter’s 2013 book, the series is set in the world of morning news broadcasting, examining the power dynamics within it — especially amid the #MeToo movement and the COVID-19 pandemic. Over increasingly high-drama seasons, The Morning Show examines the ethics of news and the people who report it, all dealing with personal and professional hurdles under an extremely bright, incessant daily spotlight. — S.C.

Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell, Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Néstor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, Bel Powley, Desean Terry, Greta Lee, Julianna Margulies, and Jon Hamm

How to watch: The Morning Show is now streaming on Apple TV.

27. Dark Matter

Sometimes the idea behind a story is so good it’s practically begging to be watched. Taking his own novel of the same name and adapting it for the screen, Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter follows physicist Jason (Joel Edgerton) as he’s kidnapped by an alternative version of himself and trapped in a parallel universe. The way these worlds are linked? A box that gives you access to all the infinite lives you could have led. Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga, Jimmi Simpson, Dayo Okeniyi, and Oakes Fegley also star in this sci-fi thriller that’s popular with viewers and critics. — S.H.

Starring: Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga, Amanda Brugel, Dayo Okeniyi, Jimmi Simpson, and Oakes Fegley

How to watch: Dark Matter is now streaming on Apple TV.

26. Platonic

Answering the age-old When Harry Met Sally question of whether heterosexual men and women can be just friends, Francesca Delbanco and Nicholas Stoller’s Platonic is a brilliantly written, authentically performed, and genuinely compelling examination of modern friendship. “This isn’t a prolonged remake retreading a tale of opposites-attract romance,” writes Mashable’s Kristy Puchko in her review. “Instead, this show takes that kinetic dynamic and the odd-couple concept and spins it into a series of misadventures that are thrillingly outrageous and freshly entertaining. This isn’t just a story about friendship; it’s the hang-out series you may well be aching for.”

Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen are hilariously relatable as full-time mum Sylvia and brewery owner Will, former best mates out of touch until their mid-40s when Will goes through a divorce. Awkwardly reconnecting means facing a few things about their relationship and getting older, but it also means dynamite banter between Byrne and Rogen. — S.C.

Starring: Rose Byrne, Seth Rogen, Tre Hale, Luke Macfarlane, Andrew Lopez, and Carla Gallo

How to watch: Platonic is now streaming on Apple TV.

25. Presumed Innocent

If you’re in the market for a tense and well-made legal thriller with strong performances, you could do a lot worse than Presumed Innocent. Based on Scott Turow’s 1987 novel, Big Little Lies creator David E. Kelley’s adaptation follows a prosecutor (Jake Gyllenhaal) under suspicion for the murder of his colleague.

“This new mini-series is a fairly stock legal drama that’s not necessarily all that new in terms of what it offers,” I wrote in my Mashable review. “But the story itself feels contemporary, with its themes of sexual power dynamics and legal corruption. What it does, it does very well, with a fast-paced story, well-written script, and excellent performances across the board.” — S.H.

Mashable Top Stories

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Ruth Negga, Peter Sarsgaard, O-T Fagbenle, Bill Camp, Lily Rabe, Nana Mensah, Chase Infiniti, Kingston Rumi Southwick, and Rosanna Arquette

How to watch: Presumed Innocent is now streaming on Apple TV.

24. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

Legendary’s MonsterVerse movies (Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla vs. Kong) make their first stomp into live-action TV with Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, a series with its reptilian eye fixed on the establishment of Monarch, the secret monster-studying organisation. The show bounces around time periods, between the 1950s and 2010s, and has more than its fair share of monstrous creatures to behold. As Mashable’s Belen Edwards writes, “The richness of Monarch‘s world — and its glorious, glorious monsters — keeps the show intriguing even when it gets bogged down in the MonsterVerse’s oft-maligned human affairs.” — S.C.

Starring: Anna Sawai, Kurt Russell, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Wyatt Russell, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Elisa Lasowski, and Joe Tippett

How to watch: Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is now streaming on Apple TV.

23. Loot

Apple TV comedies are strong stuff, and Maya Rudolph’s Loot is one of the best. The comedy star leads as billionaire Molly Novak, who’s recently received a hefty settlement in her divorce but is at loose ends as to what’s next. Picked up off the glossy floor of her sprawling home by her assistant Nicholas (Joel Kim Booster), she realises she has a charity foundation run by Sofia Salinas (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez) and so she starts on a fresh new journey, with accountant Arthur (Nat Faxon) and cousin Howard (Ron Funches) in tow. But there’ll be more than a few life lessons and perspective shifts in store.

Season 2 meets up with Molly in a new chapter, and adds an ample dash of Benjamin Bratt, and Season 3 dropping in guest stars including D’Arcy Carden, Zane Phillips, and Henry Winkler. — S.C.

Starring: Maya Rudolph, Joel Kim Booster, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Adam Scott, Nat Faxon, Ron Funches, Meagen Fay, Stephanie Styles, Benjamin Bratt, D’Arcy Carden, Zane Phillips, and Henry Winkler.

How to watch: Loot is now streaming on Apple TV.

22. Your Friends and Neighbors

Jon Hamm enters his robber era in Your Friends and Neighbors. The Emmy-winning Mad Men star plays Andrew “Coop” Cooper, a disgraced hedge fund manager who finds himself totally broke after a surprise firing. How will he keep up his affluent lifestyle? By stealing from his neighbors in his wealthy community of Westmont Village, of course!

Coop’s descent into burglary leads him to discover his neighbors’ deepest, darkest secrets, a premise that’s juicy enough to get you hooked immediately. However, your mileage on Your Friends and Neighbors may vary depending on how much more TV you want to watch about the woes of the uber-rich — a market that’s already saturated thanks to shows like The White Lotus and Nine Perfect Strangers. — B.E.

Starring: Jon Hamm, Amanda Peet, Olivia Munn, Hoon Lee, Mark Tallman, Lena Hall, Aimee Carrero, Eunice Bae, Isabel Marie Gravitt, and Donovan Colan

How to watch: Your Friends and Neighbors is now streaming on Apple TV.

21. Stick

Want to scratch your Ted Lasso itch while still watching something new? Then check out Stick, which is basically Ted Lasso: Golf Edition. Owen Wilson stars as Pryce Cahill, a washed-up pro golfer who decides to mentor prodigy Santi Wheeler (Peter Dager). The pair hit the tournament circuit, along with Santi’s mother Elena (Mariana Treviño), Pryce’s former caddy Mitts (Marc Maron), and Santi’s new caddy Zero (Lilli Kay).

Created by Jason Keller, Stick occasionally takes one too many pages from the book of Ted Lasso, from its focus on mental health and grief to coining its own “be the goldfish”-type slogan. Still, there’s no denying its many charms, including its ability to make even a golf skeptic like me get invested in every round. Like I wrote in my review, “As familiar as these [Ted Lasso] beats are, there’s no denying they make a solid base for any feel-good comedy. And with Wilson capably leading such a likable ensemble, Stick feels pretty darn good.” — B.E.

Starring: Owen Wilson, Peter Dager, Marc Maron, Mariana Treviño, Lilli Kay, and Judy Greer

How to watch: Stick is now streaming on Apple TV.

20. The Afterparty

If you’re a fiend for a whodunnit, consider yourself a bit of a Miss Marple, and regularly declare “J’accuse!” at your unsuspecting pals, follow the clues to The Afterparty.

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