There are too many options in the streaming television era we are in. Half a dozen major streaming apps flanked by a dozen smaller apps make deciding what to watch a stressful endeavor, especially if you are looking for something to hold your attention for a few hours and seem like it was worth it in the end.
Max, formerly HBO Max, had the belt as the most bang for your buck in quality and quantity, with great tentpole shows from its HBO library and new series under the HBO Max label that was fun with that added HBO sign of approval. Things have changed slightly over the last year with the merging of Warner Brothers and Discovery, changing what was one of the best streaming apps into a convoluted library consisting of
everything from Cake Boss Week to The Wire.
This type of change has been the norm recently with many streamers, compounded by the uncertainty clouding the industry with ongoing writer’s and actor’s strikes, the cracks start to show. Price increases and unnecessary changes to streamers are making consumers and TV obsessives pick and choose where they spend their time and money. In comes Apple TV+, which has a roster of shows with very little fluff. It’s a
lean mean streamer that has been gaining steam this summer, making a case it might be the
most bang for your buck streamer.
Most people have heard about Ted Lasso, but its catalog has some real gems outside of its most popular show. The streamer that has been the most direct and consistently enjoyable this summer has been Apple TV+. With all the uncertainty going on in the TV landscape, Apple TV+ has been a breath of fresh air this summer, with many realizing that they have a library starting to stack up to the big boys with quality and a budget that only Apple can do.
From its multiple big-budget sci-fi shows to its workplace comedies and prestige drama, it really has it all from a variety standpoint. Add in the fact that every show is fueled with series star power and production quality that is exceptionally high, and you have what has become a go-to streamer for many who have taken the time to dive into everything it’s offering.
Hijak has a legitimate claim as the show of the summer. The Idris Elba starring thriller became one of the most talked about shows through its star power and its simple but effective premise (A plane being hijacked).
Elba gives an incredibly reserved star performance as Sam Nelson, who is neither a soldier nor a secret agent. He is simply a guy who is a good negotiator. People skills are his superpower, and they allow him to get away with murder on the hijacked flight Kingdom 29, where he manipulates the hijackers and his fellow flyers to ensure that nothing gets in the way of the plane successfully landing and him making it back safe to see his family.
Hijack is very 24, in the sense that there is a ticking clock of the plane arriving in London, and the time crunch ratchets up the intensity and drama and allows us to sit back and enjoy the ride while ignoring some of the terrible decisions the passengers make on this flight. Entertaining and made on a high level, Hijack made what could have been a simple thriller a fun prestige-y thrill ride that is one of the best shows of the year that came out of nowhere.
The After Party had a really good first season that featured a stacked cast of comedic performances and an exciting storytelling device where every episode was from a different character’s POV — always a different take on a movie or genre like a romantic comedy, or even a Fast and Furious movie.
There was a nagging feeling of “Do we need another season?” watching the beginning of the second season, but as the episodes kept churning out, the answer to that initial feeling became “Absolutely.” Sam Richardson, Zoë Chao and Tiffany Haddish are back investigating another murder that happened at yet another after-party.
The returning cast is joined by a crazy ensemble of performers, including John Cho (Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle, Cowboy Bebop), Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewel, Cobra Kai), Ken Jeong (Community, The Hangover), Anna Konkle (PEN15), Poppy Liu (Hacks) and even more guest stars that pop up throughout the season. This season’s cinematic tributes have been a treat, paying homage to everything from Wes Anderson to the sexual thrillers of the ’90s.
Hijak and The After Party are the loud summer successes for Apple, but there is much more. Silo, its dystopian sci-fi drama, was one of the better shows of the year. One of their biggest shows, Foundation, is an incredible Sci-fi epic whose second season has also been going on this summer. Invasion, another sci-fi show, is just starting its second season as well. They might not command the attention of something like Hijak (which wasn’t even pushed as a major show), but they are there and look very good if you need a sci-fi epic to dig your teeth into.
There is The Morning Show, one of the most anticipated projects when Apple TV+ was announced and laid the blueprint for what the streamer continues to do well: get major stars on board and let them cook. There is an even deeper level of hidden gems that are shockingly good. Take, for instance, Drops of God, an adaption of a Japanese Manga about two wine prodigies battling it out in a test of knowledge and senses to see who will inherit the world’s biggest, most expensive wine collection. Most people probably have never heard of it, but it’s legitimately one of the year’s best shows, and more people need to see it.
With the TV landscape in flux and the uncertainty around what will come out in the next few months, it might be the perfect time to dive in and see what streamers are bringing to the table, especially as prices continue to rise. It’s time to find some gems and new obsessions, and Apple TV+ might be the best destination for finding worthwhile and engaging shows.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
