Isolation Media 101: Apple TV+ Edition
This deep dive was pushed off a lot, and many times, because I just didn’t care too much about what was on Apple TV+ or whatever the technical name of it is. But then I saw that there was a crime drama kind of show that had Lady Mary from Downton Abbey (Michelle Dockery) married to Captain America (Chris Evans) and that finally made me check it out.
So Apple TV+ has more shows than movies, which makes this list a bit shorter than some of my others. The good thing is that it’s hard to get lost among the offerings this service has - it’s no Netflix, Prime or Hulu. Even Peacock had more. But that’s because all of the things on this site (I believe) are exclusive programming - they aren’t just buying the rites to things. Also, I’ll admit there are a couple of things I’ve wanted to watch but haven’t gotten to during my timespan (Mythic Quest is the main one) so maybe I’ll add some edits later on.
But here was what I spent time with on my first look into Apple’s streaming service.
Dickinson
I had been told this show was very odd, but the more I watched, the more I loved it. It’s very, very odd. In the best way. Wiz Khalifa is death, Hailie Steinfeld is Emily Dickinson who is just trying her best to have a good and creative life, there’s a voice appearance by Jason Mantzoukas and it’s actually just flat-out beautiful to watch. This may be one of the most creative “true stories” I’ve seen in a long time.
The Verdict: 4/5
The Morning Show
I believe this show (starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carrell, among others) was what brought a lot of people to this streaming service, I was a bit disappointed, however. The plot itself was fascinating, but some of the dialogue made me roll my eyes, especially in regards to Aniston’s character’s daughter. Also, Witherspoon couldn’t keep her accent consistent and I’ll be honest and say that definitely made me rank this a half a star lower.
The Verdict: 3/5
Defending Jacob
And now the thing that made me finally check out the service. The actors are incredible. Period. No doubt. And I don’t fully know why I didn’t like it more. The show managed to avoid the more stereotypical crime drama feel, but just certain aspects of it fell flat to me, or just didn’t follow through with what I would have hoped to see. Fair warning, too, there’s a very good chance you’ll be left going, “Wait so….?” at the end.
The Verdict: 3.5/5
Ted Lasso
If there is one thing you will watch on Apple TV+, let it be this show. It is wholesome and lovely without being cheesy, slightly predictable without being boring and creative while feeling familiar. Ted Lasso is about an endearingly goofy and earnest football coach who goes to the UK to coach a football (UK football that is) team and….well just watch it and go along for the ride.
The Verdict: 4.5/5
Boys State
I heard about this documentary (even though I haven’t heard about Boys State) through an NPR podcast and it was both fascinating and unsettling. I felt like I may have gotten a slightly skewed perspective about this weird leadership/poli-sci gathering of high school boys by focusing on all the conservative aspects, but maybe there was more to it than we see.
The Verdict: 3.5/5
Greyhound
I wanted to like this. It’s Tom Hanks. It’s a war movie that’s only 90 minutes (a true rarity) but I just couldn’t. I feel like I knew exactly how it was going to end within the first 15 minutes and I felt there was no way Tom Hanks can star in a movie and not be a hero. Also, a weird issue for me was how much of the dialogue was just the same lines being repeated back and forth. I know it was a military confirmation of understanding orders, but I swear 1/3 of the dialogue was just someone exactly duplicating what Hanks just said to them.
The Verdict: 2/5
The Banker
Why this movie was not even remotely promoted is beyond me. I was so excited to see a Black-led movie, because I had watched way too much white-centric content. Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson star in this based-on-a-true-story tale that is both inspiring and infuriating about how Black members of society were treated earlier in the 20th century and just how hard it was to get anywhere if you weren’t white.
The Verdict: 4/5
So I will admit, I didn’t devote quite as much time or effort into this one and didn’t branch out a ton but there isn’t much on this service, so it isn’t hard to go around it and find some things you like or are at least intrigued by. While for the most part, I have no qualms about ending my free trial when it expires at the end of the month, I think I’ll have to get it again whenever Ted Lasso or Dickinson (hopefully) comes back for another season.