The 50 Best Shows and Movies on Apple TV Right Now (February 2026)

Pluribus, acclaimed creator Vince Gilligan's brilliant sci-fi dramedy, recently had a big, gratifying win at the Golden Globes. Star Rhea Seehorn won the Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series, a much-deserved win that (almost) makes up for major award shows overlooking her masterful performance on Gilligan's previous show, Better Call Saul, for so many years. Next stop, the Emmys. Pluribus is high on our list of the best shows to watch on Apple TV right now, along with returning seasons of thrillers Hijack and Tehran, movie-loving docuseries Mr. Scorsese, and many more. 

This list was last updated Jan. 16; newer additions are at the top.

Hijack

For fans of: 24 but only for 7 hours

This perfectly fine seven-episode thriller stars Idris Elba as a man on board a flight that gets hijacked by terrorists. The good thing about Elba's character? He's a fantastic business negotiator, which makes him the perfect hero to negotiate with the terrorists. Each episode represents an hour of the ordeal, so there is a good sense of a ticking clock going on. Season 2 moves the action to an underground train in Berlin. Idris hijacked again! What are the odds? -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Tehran

For fans of: Homeland, thrillers, stress, espionage

Aside from Amazon's Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan and whatever passes for a thriller on NBC these days, American television has mostly backed away from international espionage dramas that were once such a hot ticket. To get your spy thrills, you need to look elsewhere, like the Israeli spy thriller Tehran. The International Emmy winner for Best Drama last year, Tehran follows Tamar Rabinyan (Niv Sultan), a female Mossad agent navigating a world of espionage, double crosses, and her cultural quandary as she was born in Iran. Glenn Close joined the cast in Season 2 as a British agent, while Season 3 adds Hugh Laurie as a South African nuclear inspector. -Tim Surette [Trailer]         

Pluribus

For fans of: Conceptual sci-fi, beautifully composed shots

Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan reunites with Rhea Seehorn, that great spinoff's breakout star, for a philosophical sci-fi character study. Seehorn plays Carol Sturka, a dyspeptic romantasy novelist who becomes one of about a dozen people left on Earth whose consciousness doesn't get subsumed into an alien superintelligence that has (benevolently?) taken over. Carol does not want to become part of the hive mind, because her negativity is what makes her who she is. It's a funny, unpredictable, wonderfully acted real-world sci-fi thinker, and that's why TV Guide named it the fourth-best show of 2025. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Mr. Scorsese 

For fans of: Goodfellas, good directas

Director Rebecca Miller took inspiration from her documentary's subject and opted for the extended cut, using five episodes to tell the story of film director Martin Scorsese's life and impact on cinema. The series uses interviews with Scorsese as well as his contemporaries and frequent collaborators, such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Steven Spielberg. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Highest 2 Lowest 

For fans of: New York City, Spike Lee joints

Denzel Washington reunites with director Spike Lee for the latest effort in their iconic ongoing collaboration. Washington plays a rich record executive who is forced to make a difficult decision when his best friend/employee's son is kidnapped and held for ransom by someone who thinks he's Denzel's son. It's a crime thriller about class, music, and the greatest city in the world. It's based on Akira Kurosawa's classic 1963 film High and Low. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Platonic

For fans of: "Can men and women be friends?", Seth Rogen's laugh

Seth Rogen's other Apple TV+ show isn't as buzzy as The Studio but is in some ways more accessible. He stars alongside Rose Byrne (who also has another show on this list, the now-concluded Physical), and they play former best friends who reconnect and tentatively restart their friendship. Hailing from creators Francesca Delbanco & Nicholas Stoller (Friends From College), the series is a non-romantic comedy for grown-ups. The first season fully went under the radar in 2023, but people are discovering the show in Season 2. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Chief of War

For fans of: Historical epics, Jason Momoa showing some skin

This historical drama limited series is a passion project for co-creator/co-writer/finale director/star Jason Momoa, who is of Native Hawaiian descent. It tells the story of the unification of Hawai'i in the early 1700s, with Momoa as Kaʻiana, a warrior who played an important role in the war between the island kingdoms. It's a fascinating history that has never been told like this before — and the show is the first major production in the Hawaiian language. It's an epic, bloody drama that shows off Momoa's range (and physique). The Night Agent's Luciane Buchanan and Star Wars' Temuera Morrison also star. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Smoke

For fans of: Twisty crime thrillers, unreliable narrators, arson

Smoke comes from the same team behind the Emmy-winning crime thriller Black Bird (which you'll find further down this list), including creator Dennis Lehane and star Taron Egerton. Here, Egerton plays an arson investigator for the fire department who teams up with a detective (Jurnee Smollett) to investigate a string of arsons in their city that appear to be the work of two different firebugs (Firebug is the title of the true crime podcast Smoke is loosely based on). No spoilers, but the investigation takes a turn at the end of the second episode that will have you hooting and hollering at your TV screen even if you picked up on what's coming. Smoke isn't as good as the psychologically rich Black Bird, but it's a great watch for crime drama fans. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Acapulco

For fans of: Hard work, sunny vibes, telenovelas

If you need to wash the day away, you can't do much better than checking into the Las Colinas resort in Acapulco, the setting for this comedy about a young man who gets a dream job working at a high-end resort in Mexico. The 1980s-set bilingual comedy — it's about 50/50 English and Spanish — is like Jane the Virgin meets The White Lotus meets How I Met Your Mother, as Maximo (Enrique Arrizon) works his way up from pool boy in 1984 to wealthy hotelier in the present-day timeline. It's charming, it's sunny, and it's got a pair of lounge singers who belt out '80s classics in Spanish. The fourth and final season is streaming now. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

The Buccaneers

For fans of: Bridgerton but younger vibes, stickin' it to snobby Brits

Need to unstuff a stuffy British period piece? Just add Americans. This adaptation of Edith Wharton's unfinished novel, published in 1938, will no doubt draw appropriate comparisons to Netflix's wildly popular Bridgerton, but the story of five young, new-money American women who head to London in the 1870s to catch British aristocrats for marriage adds a different enough wrinkle to make it stand out. These girls are rowdy and raucous, making the conservative Brits spit out their tea (metaphorically, sadly) at their brash behavior. But behind the culture clashes is a whopper of a love triangle as Nan (future leading lady Kristine Frøseth) finds herself caught between two best friends. A finale that holds its secrets tight until the last minute, sets and costumes that used every farthing of Apple's generous budget, and a youthful energy make this show a fun watch. -Tim Surette [Trailer] [Review]      

Echo Valley 

For fans of: Actresses who are exceptionally good at crying

Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney star in this psychological thriller written by Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby. Moore plays Kate, a horse trainer grieving the death of her partner. Her daughter, Claire (Sweeney) is a heroin addict who Kate only sees when she wants something. One day, Claire shows up at Kate's farm, distraught and begging for help. She killed her abusive boyfriend, and needs Kate to get rid of the body. Kate will do anything for daughter, but will the amount of trouble Claire is in get Kate in over her head, too? It's a dark, twisty thriller about the bonds of family. Reviews are mixed, but not for Moore and Sweeney's performances, which have been widely praised. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Stick

For fans of: Golf, Ted Lasso, Golf Ted Lasso

Owen Wilson gets his Ted Lasso on in this uplifting sports comedy. Wilson stars as Pryce Cahill, a washed up former golf star whose love of the game is reawakened when he starts coaching a talented but raw young phenom named Santi Wheeler (Peter Dager). Santi has a swing that makes Pryce say..."wow." The cast includes Marc Maron, Judy Greer, and Timothy Olyphant. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Deaf President Now!

For fans of: Standing up for the rights of the marginalized, American Sign Language

This powerful documentary tells the story of how a protest can become a movement. It focuses on a 1988 student protest at Gallaudet University, America's only university specifically for Deaf and hearing impaired people. When the university hired a hearing president over more qualified Deaf candidates, students rose up and demanded greater rights and representation. These activists' efforts inspired disability activists for years to come. The documentary is directed by Nyle DiMarco, a Deaf actor and activist, and Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

The Studio

For fans of: Showbiz satire, oners, Da Movies

Present-day Hollywood, where the old adage "nobody knows anything" has reached extreme levels, gets lovingly(ish) satirized in this smart, funny, and timely comedy series. Seth Rogen, who also co-created the series, stars as Matt Remick, who has just been promoted to head of studio after the unceremonious firing of his boss. Patty Leigh (Catherine O'Hara). Matt loves movies and wants to make good ones, but he has to grapple with a system that actively incentivizes him to make bad ones. The excellent supporting cast includes Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn (being the straight-up funniest she's been in a while), and Chase Sui Wonders, along with an endless parade of superstar cameos. The first episode alone features Paul Dano, Peter Berg, Charlize Theron, and Martin Scorsese. Oh, and every scene is a tracking shot. If you're even a little bit interested in how the sausage gets made, you'll find The Studio delightful. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Dope Thief

For fans of: Supporting actors getting long-awaited lead roles, The Wire

After nearly a decade of scene-stealing supporting roles, Atlanta star Brian Tyree Henry finally gets a lead role in this Philadelphia-set crime thriller, and he makes the most of it. He plays Ray, who makes his living robbing drug dealers while posing as a DEA agent with his friend Manny (Wagner Moura). But when Ray and Manny stick up a meth lab outside of Philadelphia that's part of something much bigger than they realized, they have to go on the run. All the while, Ray is dealing with personal problems like a sick father (Ving Rhames), trying to stay sober, and dealing with the grief of losing someone he loved. Few actors are better at playing stressed out than Henry, and the stress keeps mounting in this tense drama. Ridley Scott directs the first episode. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

The Gorge

For fans of: Genre-blending movies, star power

Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy star in this adventure movie that's half romance, half sci-fi action. They play soldiers on guard duty on opposite sides of a gorge tasked with making sure the mysterious monsters inside of it don't get out. They're not supposed to talk to each other, but they do, and they fall in love, via games of chess and banging out solos on makeshift drumsets (Teller and Taylor-Joy said they asked director Scott Derrickson to change the script to activities that didn't echo Whiplash and The Queen's Gambit, but he refused). So when one of them falls into the gorge, the other has to go in after them to save them. It's predictable, but you could do a lot worse for a straight-to-streaming blockbuster. -Liam Mathews [Trailer] [Review]

Severance

For fans of: The weekend, r/antiwork, brain-melting thrillers

The whole idea of work-life balance gets revisited with a technological twist in this sci-thriller that will make you want to quit your day job. Mark (Adam Scott) works at Lumon Industries, where a new procedure implants a chip into employees' brains that severs their consciousness into their work life and personal life, splitting their life in two so that neither knows what the other does. Obviously, Lumon is up to no good, and as the employees get closer to the truth, the line between their work lives and personal lives blurs. Scott is joined by a tremendous cast that includes Patricia Arquette, John Turturro, and Christopher Walken, and Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle work magic behind the camera with one of the best-looking shows in a while. Severance is WEIRD, yet it weaves a complicated conspiracy that will have you hooked. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

Silo

For fans of: Sci-fi murder mysteries, deep holes in the ground

This sci-fi series — an adaptation of Hugh Howey's 2012 book Wool — from Justified's Graham Yost starts off with a rough first episode, but the story — a near-future dystopian murder mystery set in an underground facility where the last surviving thousands of humans live — really gets chugging in Episode 2. That's when we're introduced to Rebecca Ferguson's Juliette, an engineer discovering that a series of murders just might be related to the rule-makers of their subterranean abode. Fair warning: This moody and drab drama is for hard sci-fi lovers or fans of Scandinavian noir. Its second season is currently streaming. -Tim Surette [Trailer]      

Bad Sisters

For fans of: Big Little Lies, Irish accents, cinematography

The great Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe) created and stars in this Irish series that's something like Big Little Lies as a dark comedy. It's about five sisters — played by Horgan, Anne-Marie Duff, Eva Birthistle, Sarah Greene, and Eve Hewson — one of whom is married to a truly awful man played by Claes Bang, who, when the show begins, is dead. The show unfolds over two timelines, and there's a mystery in each one: What happened to him and how exactly the sisters were involved in his death in the past, and whether they'll be able to keep the secret in the present. It's thrillingly biting in Horgan's signature way. The in-progress second season hasn't been as well-received as the first, but you might be hooked regardless. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]       

Shrinking 

For fans of: Therapy, Harrison Ford being gruff but kind

If you've ever imagined what it would be like to have Harrison Ford as a therapist, this comedy can show you what it's like. "How does that make you feel? Ah, I don't care." Ford plays the boss of the show's protagonist, Jimmy (Jason Segel), a therapist who decides to try a radical new method where he tells his patients exactly what he's thinking and what he thinks they should do. The series is created by Segel, Apple TV+'s top comedy producer Bill Lawrence, and Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein, who joins the cast in Season 2 as a man with a tragic connection to Jimmy. Maybe you wouldn't want Harrison Ford or Jason Segel as your therapists, but you'll enjoy hanging out with them on this easygoing show. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Pachinko

For fans of: Korean dramas, intricate stories of generational drama, bitchin' opening credits

When Pachinko premiered in 2022, we said the show "pushed TV toward a more connected future." The story, based on Min Jin Lee's The New York Times bestselling novel of the same name, is told in three languages, set across three countries, and follows three generations of one family. Season 1's finale was marked by despair, as our main character Sunja (Minha Kim) endured difficulty after difficulty. But Pachinko is all about Sunja weathering the storms in her life, and the light of hope at the end of the tunnel. Some shows transcend cultural barriers; this is one of them. -Kat Moon [Trailer]

Slow Horses

For fans of: Spy dramas, incredibly British things, Gary Oldman rippin' toots

Good spy dramas are hard to come by, which makes Slow Horses a refreshing watch in these times of true crime and tech CEOs behaving badly. The series follows a group of MI5 agents who have been relegated to a backwater outpost called Slough House because of past mistakes, where they're supposed to disappear and do grunt work while superstar agents get the glory. Gary Oldman plays the team leader, a disgruntled man who can no longer give an F about anything, while Jack Lowden plays the new member of Slough House who isn't willing to fade away. It's darkly funny and thrilling, and hasn't slowed down — Season 4 was one of its best seasons. In early 2024, Apple TV+ renewed the series for a fifth season before the fourth season even aired. -Tim Surette [Trailer]  

Bad Monkey

For fans of: Blue skies detective shows, that Vince Vaughn energy, Florida

Vince Vaughn is 1000% Vince Vaughn in this light detective series from Scrubs' Bill Lawrence that would feel right at home on the USA Network circa 2009, if it allowed more cursing. Vaughn plays Andrew Yancy, a former Miami PD detective who is minding his own business when his former partner asks him to investigate how a man's severed arm showed up in the Florida Keys. Don't worry, Bad Monkey is more of a comedy than anything else, as Yancy comes across some odd Floridians — are there any other kind? — as he searches for the truth. -Tim Surette [Trailer]     

Presumed Innocent

For fans of: '80s erotic thrillers, page turners

This adaptation of the 1987 novel by Scott Turow, which was also adapted into a 1990 film starring Harrison Ford, stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a prosecutor who becomes the prime suspect in a murder case after a colleague is found brutally killed. Further complicating matters — and implicating him — is the fact that he was having an affair with the victim. Naughty naughty! David E. Kelley serves as showrunner, which should give you some idea of its tone; in other words, it's a passable drama that works best if you don't parse all the details and just let what happens happens. -Tim Surette [Trailer] [Review]       

More streaming recommendations:

• The best shows on Netflix
• The best shows on Prime Video
• The best shows on Max
• The best shows on Hulu

Girls State

For fans of: Boys State, destroying the patriarchy

A sequel to the excellent 2020 documentary Boys State, Girls State flips the gender on the annual meeting of high schoolers who meet together to simulate a political ecosystem by forming their own democractic government, complete with campaigns and elections for positions like governor and the Supreme Court. Thankfully, Girls State is more than just another round of Boys State, as many of the participants acknowledge and fight the great discrepancy between the two programs and how the boys are better supported in every way possible. Just as Boys State bluntly reminded us that politics are a circus for those willing to sacrifice their morals for power, Girls State is a reminder that the patriarchy still controls the government. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Sugar

For fans of: Mind-blowing twists, classic detective stories, old movies

There aren't many shows like Sugar. Heck, there aren't many anythings like Sugar. For several episodes, it's a well-executed take on the classic detective noir story, with Colin Farrell starring as John Sugar, a private dick with quirks and an obsessive love of classic films. He shakes down half of Los Angeles looking for the missing daughter of a somewhat famous movie producer, but it isn't until later in the series that Sugar drops one of the craziest twists in TV history (spoilers inside), and the show transforms into something else while also holding firm to its noir roots. Is it a better show for it? We're not sure. We're still processing that twist. [Trailer]

Killers of the Flower Moon

For fans of: Historical dramas, true stories, Scorcese flicks, prestige films

Martin Scorsese has made a lot of excellent films over the course of his lengthy career, but Killers of the Flower Moon might legitimately be his best work. This three-hour epic, about a sleazy businessman and his similarly sleazy nephew (played by Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, respectively) marrying into a wealthy Osage Nation family and then murdering them to try to steal their money, is another heartbreaking character study from one of the masters. Star Lily Gladstone made history as the first Native American woman to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress, and the fourth Indigenous actress to be nominated in that category. She's the beating heart of this story. -Phil Owen [Trailer]  

For All Mankind

For fans of: Putting boots on the moon (and Mars), space travel, alternate history

What started out as a fun sci-fi drama set in an alternate history in which Russia landed on the the moon before America — locking the two superpowers in an extended space race that lasts for decades — has become one of TV's best shows. Battlestar Galactica's Ronald D. Moore mixes politics, technology, and character drama to create a show that's unlike anything else on TV. After settling on the moon in Season 2 with lunar stations, Season 3 has bigger aspirations of making it to Mars, bringing some of the most breathtaking action sequences the show has ever done while rivals, plus a new private tech firm, attempt to make history. And in Season 4, we're establishing bases on the Red Planet and dealing with labor practices... in space! It's great for space geeks and anyone into speculative fiction. Joel Kinnaman, Wrenn Schmidt, and Krys Marshall star. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

For fans of: Kaiju, the Russell family

Apple TV+'s biggest star is approximately, as the song goes, 30 stories high. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters brings the cinematic MonsterVerse to the small screen, continuing the story from the 2014 film Godzilla and tracking the origin of the secret cabal Monarch, which hunts and studies MUTOs (massive unidentified terrestrial organisms, aka monsters). Kurt Russell plays a man linked to Monarch in the current timeline, while his son Wyatt Russell plays the younger version of him in a flashback timeline. It's a summer blockbuster on your TV, for better or worse. -Tim Surette [Trailer] [Review]      

Lessons in Chemistry

For fans of: The magic of science, Brie Larson speaking like Sheldon Cooper

Apple TV+'s adaptation of Bonnie Garmus' best-selling book isn't always able to replicate the full flavors of the source material, but the story of a chemist (Brie Larson) who becomes a cooking TV show host after the misogyny of academia ousts her from her first love creates a hero who is still easy to root for. With shifting perspectives and timeline jumps, it can sometimes bite off more than it can chew, but that same structure also creates some of its most touching and emotional moments. Who knew a dog had so much to say? -Tim Surette [Trailer] [Review]      

The Pigeon Tunnel

For fans of: Jon le Carré novels, Errol Morris documentaries

Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris is well-known for probing his subjects through interrogation, and he may have met his match with John le Carré (real name David Cornwell), the former MI6 operative and British author known as a master of the espionage thriller, with titles such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Night Agent, and The Constant Gardener in his oeuvre. Morris mixes interviews with dramatic reenactments to crack Cornwell's shell in the author's most revealing talk and final interview before his death in 2020. -Tim Surette [Trailer]       

The Morning Show

For fans of: The Newsroom, #MeToo, A-listers

When Apple TV+ launched, it seemed to do so on the back of The Morning Show, its big-budget, high-profile, star-studded drama that was going to win every award out there. Jennifer Aniston AND Reese Witherspoon starring in the same show as rival anchors for a popular morning show? Well, reviews were mixed, and early episodes were less than impressive, but the show righted many of its wrongs as its season continued and spent another season tinkering with its formula. Now in its third season, the series is at its best, which is to say it's embraced the silliness and is going for it with some big swings about topical subjects. Case in point: A billionaire tries to shoot Aniston's character into space in the Season 3 premiere. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

The Changeling

For fans of: Brothers Grimm fairy tales, mysteries, New York City

The Changeling follows Apollo Kagwa (LaKeith Stanfield), a rare book dealer whose life takes a turn for the supernatural after his wife (Clark Backo) commits an unthinkable act of violence and then promptly disappears. Determined to figure out the truth of what happened to her, Apollo is led on a journey through a version of New York City that he never knew existed. Based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Victor LaVelle, The Changeling is an enchanting, spooky, slow-burning fairy tale. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] [Review]

Physical

For fans of: Jazzercise, internal dialogue filled with nasty insults

If you miss Netflix's GLOW, you might find some solace in this 1980s-set dramedy that follows a housewife (Rose Byrne) who finds strength in the aerobics craze that's just starting to sweep across the nation's malls. But don't expect the cheery underdog story from GLOW; Byrne's character is struggling with bulimia and spends much of her days hurling nasty body-shaming insults at other women. Byrne excels in the role as an antihero breaking free from the expectations of a traditional housewife in her own morally questionable way. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Foundation

For fans of: Hard science-fiction, great special effects

One of Apple TV+'s biggest gambles is the big-budget science-fiction series Foundation, based on the popular books by Isaac Asimov. I enjoyed Season 1 more than most — though, to be fair, I wasn't familiar with the source material, so I couldn't do any comparisons — but the biggest complaint was that it was uneven and had difficulty bringing Asimov's colossal ideas to television. But the performances are great, particularly from an inspired Lee Pace as the royal villain Brother Day and the always reliable Jared Harris as Hari Seldon. The ambitious premise is too big to explain in a single blurb — basically, some exiles are trying to rebuild society after the collapse of a long-ruling empire — but it's worth checking out if you're a fan of hard sci-fi. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

For fans of: Michael J. Fox!

Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) directs this documentary on 1980s Hollywood legend Michael J. Fox, whose career was paused by a Parkinson's diagnosis. The film works because it embodies the optimistic spirit of Fox, whose wit and charm push Still into an uplifting tale of persevering rather than a sad story of what could have been. Guggenheim's use of classic Fox clips to push the narrative forward will only remind you of just how great Fox was and is. -Tim Surette [Trailer]      

Schmigadoon!

For fans of: Musical comedies, corn pudding

Despite being perfectly enjoyable, musical comedy series don't have the most successful track record (Galavant, where art thou?). But Apple TV+'s genre-busting series Schmigadoon! is bucking the trend in a good way. Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong star as a couple who come across a magical town where everyone seems stuck in a 1940s musical. They get stuck in the town, which makes it a bit of a Twilight Zone episode or horror movie where everyone sings about corn pudding. Also, Martin Short plays a leprechaun. This show is goofy on the outside, but secretly twisted. In the fantastic Season 2, the series shifts to "Schmicago" to lampoon musicals from the '60s and '70s. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Ted Lasso

For fans of: Making fun of Americans, making fun of the British, sports, feeling good

If any show can be credited with restoring faith in humanity after the whirlwind of 2020, it is Ted Lasso. The titular Ted (Jason Sudeikis) is an American college football coach who heads to England to coach an actual football (soccer, for the uninitiated) team. While the setup seems like a farce -- Ted's hiring is part of an elaborate scheme by an embittered woman looking to ruin the beloved football team of her cheating ex-husband -- Ted's seemingly unshakeable good nature and determination to see the best in everyone, even those actively trying to do him harm, is downright inspiring. He doesn't just bring a glow to everyone around him; he leaves viewers with hope that things can get better and that doing your best is enough. He's the hero we didn't know we needed. Season 3 might be the last season of the show, or it might not. Sudeikis and Apple are being extremely noncommittal, probably because Apple is holding up a check with a lot of numbers on it to keep it going despite the producers' insistence that the originally planned three-season arc is finished. -Megan Vick [Trailer] 

The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy

For fans of: Complaining, watching someone being forced to do something they don't want to

If you find travel shows too packed with things like "wonder" and "enthusiasm" from their eager hosts, then take a tour of the world with Schitt's Creek's Eugene Levy. As the title implies, Levy would rather loaf around in the comforts of his temperature-controlled home, but here he's visiting beautiful spots like Finland, the Maldives, and Venice, complaining about the weather the entire time. But that's the attraction of the show; Levy's whining is actually more of a draw then the spots he's in, making this less of a travel show and more of a one-man play. -Tim Surette [Trailer]       

Servant

For fans of: Psychological horror from M. Night Shyamalan, babies, food

The claustrophobic thriller Servant, created by Tony Basgallop and executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan, begins as a wild-eyed but mechanically precise story about a family unraveling in the wake of a tragedy. In Season 1, Dorothy (Lauren Ambrose) and Sean Turner (Toby Kebbell) hired live-in nanny Leanne (Nell Tiger Free) to care for the lifelike "reborn doll" that a grieving Dorothy believed was her son — only for the doll to somehow become a living baby. From there, the show goes full-on supernatural as Leanne's true nature is revealed. It's the details that make this show stand out, like the rich wallpaper of the Turners' Philadelphia brownstone, the wet, wet, shoes of Leanne's weird uncle (Boris McGiver), and the most unsettling food design since Hannibal. -Kelly Connolly [Trailer] 

Little America

For fans of: The immigrant experience, anthologies, crying your eyes out in a good way

If you need a nice pick-me-up from the ills of the world, this anthology series from Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon, and Master of None's Alan Yang is a good bet. Each episode of Little America is based on the true stories of immigrants in America, showing off their successes and experiences in humorous and heartwarming fashion, like the Indian spelling bee whiz who ran his parents' hotel after they were deported and petitioned Laura Bush to help him get them back. The best part of the show is that it focuses on the systemic challenges they face rather than on hate from racist individuals, and the stories vary wildly so they don't feel repetitive. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Mythic Quest

For fans of: Workplace comedies, the video game industry

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Rob McElhenney is smart enough to know that video games are funny, but they're not to be made fun of. Gamers are legion, after all. The game biz gets a loving sendup in Mythic Quest without making gamers the joke, as McElhenney plays the egotistical creative director of a popular MMORPG that's seemingly always in trouble in some way or another. F. Murray Abraham leaves the show in Season 3 (in spectacular fashion, I might add), but the excellent cast still includes Danny Pudi, Ashly Burch, Jessie Ennis, David Hornsby, Imani Hakim, and Charlotte Nicdao, who's one of TV's most underrated talents. Even with a third season that doesn't hit like the previous two, this is one of TV's best workplace comedies. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Black Bird

For fans of: Mindhunter, prison stories

Black Bird is one of TV's rarest birds: a true crime adaptation that actually feels fresh — and horrifying. Developed by novelist Dennis Lehane and based on James Keene's autobiographical novel In With the Devil, the drama series stars Taron Egerton as Keene, who's facing a 10-year prison sentence before he gets an unexpected offer: He'll be freed if he can befriend and tease a confession out of a suspected serial killer (Paul Walter Hauser). Ray Liotta, in one of his final roles, plays Jimmy's father, an ex-cop with his own burdens. -Kelly Connolly [Trailer]       

Prehistoric Planet

For fans of: Thunder lizards, better than average CGI, David Attenborough

The whole "it's a regular nature show, but with dinosaurs" thing has been attempted many times ever since we first caught a glimpse of a brachiosaurus in the original Jurassic Park. The results have been mixed, with most failing to deliver good-looking dinos, but technology is finally at a place where computers can whip up herds of dinosaurs that require a second glance to check if they're real or not. And that realism is important for the emotional impact; ever see a baby pterosaur in a life-or-death race with a predator? With Father Nature David Attenborough narrating and five episodes divided up by biomes, it's the closest we've come to Planet Earth for dinosaurs. -Tim Surette [Trailer]       

The Velvet Underground

For fans of: Art films, innovation, rock band turbulence

Film auteur Todd Haynes directed this documentary on one of America's most groundbreaking rock bands, The Velvet Underground. But rather than the simple talking heads, live footage, repeat structure used in most rock docs, Haynes gets to the essence of the band by making the film an arthouse gem that Lou Reed and company would have loved. Don't worry, it's still loaded with VU tunes and insight into the tumultuous relationship between Reed and his bandmates, it just looks extra trippy while doing so. Put simply, this is one of the best music documentaries ever made. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

CODA

For fans of: Heartwarming movies, Deaf culture

A remake of the 2014 French film La Famille Bélier, CODA (which stands for Child of Deaf Adults) is a coming-of-age story about a 17-year-old girl (Emilia Jones) who is the only hearing member of her Deaf family, and must choose between pursuing her own dreams of becoming a singer or helping her mother and father with the family business. It's a crowd-pleasing tearjerker, with a wonderful performance from Jones. It won the Academy Award for Best Picture, the first movie released by a streaming service to do so. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Losing Alice

For fans of: Psychological and erotic thrillers, getting mindf---ed, delicious subtext

One of the most intriguing releases of 2021, the Israeli psychological drama is lathered up in erotically charged mystery that takes cues from the greats of the film world. Writer-director Sigal Avin leans on Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch, and more for influences in her story about an aging female director (Ayelet Zurer) who becomes obsessed with a young, seductive screenwriter (Lihi Kornowski) and the film that might save her career but destroy her marriage. It's wonderfully shot and loaded with beautiful people, if that's your thing. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Boys State

For fans of: Politics, Lord of the Flies, the future of America, chaos

Boys State was one of the best documentaries of 2020. The film follows the annual Boys State, a summer camp (this particular one's in Texas) sponsored by the American Legion in which more than 1,000 high school boys come together to form their own two-party government, complete with elections, voting, and mudslinging. It's a remarkable look at the pitfalls of our current political system, hyper-masculinity among teen boys, and the future of America (it looks like we're in both good and bad hands). Beyond the fascinating subject matter, the filmmaking is superb and gorgeous, feeling more like a scripted movie than a guerilla-shot documentary, which is a compliment in this case. If you like Lord of the Flies or Kid Nation (which, how can you not?), you're going to love this. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Dickinson

For fans of: Period pieces with anachronisms, Wiz Khalifa

Every headline about Dickinson, an Apple TV+ show about Emily Dickinson, felt like a fever dream: John Mulaney guest starring as Henry David Thoreau! Wiz Khalifa playing Death! The show, which stars Hailee Steinfeld as the great American poet in her younger years, is the sort of beautiful gamble that could either soar or fall on its face, with almost no room for anything in between. It worked out — Dickinson totally rules. A delirious, anachronistic period piece, it's both a very funny show and a surreal elegy for all the great art lost to misogyny. It's as bold and haunting as the work of its heroine. -Kelly Connolly [Trailer] 

Wolfwalkers

For fans of: The wonderful Cartoon Saloon films, wolves, Irish mythology (and accents)

The beautifully animated film Wolfwalkers came out in theaters in 2020, but there's about a 99% chance you didn't see it because of, well, obvious reasons. It's the third in a series of films based on Irish folklore from the studio Cartoon Saloon, following the critically acclaimed The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea (highly recommended), and tells the story of a young girl who heads to Ireland from England with her dad to kill off the last wolf pack but ends up befriending a young girl who is part of a tribe of humans who become wolves at night. It's less Disney and Pixar and more Hayao Miyazaki, and it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Pop some corn and gather the family for movie night. -Tim Surette [Trailer]