Apple is ready to launch its own streaming platform, Apple TV+, and here’s every TV show users will be able to enjoy at launch. The streaming wars are only getting started, with various networks and companies launching their own subscription services – Netflix is definitely not the only option to watch films and TV shows from the comfort of your home anymore. What’s interesting about all the streaming options (and, sometimes, what makes it hard to choose) is that they all offer different content and some are more affordable than others.
On the other hand, an obstacle of many is that they are not available outside the U.S., but that’s not a problem Apple TV+ will have to deal with, as it will be available in over 100 countries and regions on November 1. Another particularity of Apple TV+ is that, unlike its competitors, it doesn’t have licensed content, meaning that every film and TV show you’ll find there is an Apple original. The company has already teased a long list of projects in development, including a comedy drama by Sofia Coppola, the adaptation of Stephen King’s Lisey’s Story, and a good amount of documentary films and series. Although users will have to wait a couple of weeks to watch some of these, many others will be available at launch.
Keeping in mind that its content is aimed to viewers of all ages, Apple TV+ will have a variety of TV shows ready at launch that include children’s content, a sci-fi drama starring Jason Momoa, the reboot of a children’s mystery series from the 1990s, the revival of a particular book club, and more. Here are all the TV shows that will be available at launch on Apple TV+.
Dickinson
Emily Dickinson meets black comedy in this series created by Alena Smith and co-produced by David Gordon Green. Hailee Steinfeld stars as the famous poet in this coming-of-age series that takes place during her era but with “a modern sensibility and tone”. Dickinson explores themes like society, gender, and family all through the poet’s perspective, who is known to have been an outcast. Also starring are Toby Huss as Edward Dickinson, Jane Krakowski as Mrs. Dickinson, Anna Baryshnikov as Lavinia Dickinson, and Ella Hunt as Sue Gilbert. Dickinson has already been renewed for a second season, and at least the first episode will be available on November 1.
For All Mankind
Created by Ronald D. Moore, For All Mankind is a sci-fi series with an interesting concept: it imagines what would have happened if the global space race had never ended. Set in an alternate timeline where the USSR beat the USA to the Moon, it follows the efforts of those working at the NASA to challenge the Soviet Union one more time. For All Mankind stars Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, Wrenn Schmidt, Sarah Jones, Shantel VanSanten, and Jodi Balfour. It will also feature some historical figures such as Buzz Aldrin (played by Chris Agos), Neil Armstrong (Jeff Branson), and John Glenn (Matt Battaglia), among many others. For All Mankind has also been renewed for a second season.
Ghostwriter
The 1992 series Ghostwriter is getting a reboot thanks to Apple but with a twist in order to encourage young viewers to read more. This new version will follow the basic premise of the original series, which is a group of friends from Brooklyn who solve mysteries around the neighborhood with the help of a ghost appropriately called Ghostwriter. In the original series, the ghost communicated with the kids through text and letters around him, but this time, Ghostwriter will also release fictional characters from different books. As such, each episode will feature works (both classics and more modern titles) from various authors.
Helpsters
Directly from the makes of Sesame Street comes a new series (with puppets!) aimed for children. Helpsters will arrive to guide young viewers through problem-solving with the charm, sense of humor, and catchy songs that only a Sesame Street production could bring. Helpsters’ first season is 26 episodes long and unlike other Apple TV+ shows, it hasn’t been renewed yet, but it could very well be once it’s finally out.
The Morning Show
The Morning Show is a drama series that takes a look at the ambition, ego, thirst for power, and overall drama that goes down behind the scenes of a morning show. The series is inspired by the book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV by Brian Stelter, and it stars Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell, Billy Crudup, and Mark Duplass. The Morning Show follows Alex Levy (Aniston), host of a popular news program from Manhattan who, after her partner Mitch Kessler (Carell) is fired amidst a sexual misconduct scandal, has to fight to keep her job. Things will get more complicated with the arrival of Bradley Jackson (Witherspoon), an aspiring journalist who wants to take Alex’s place.
Oprah’s Book Club
Apple TV+ is giving Oprah’s book discussion club segment its own place. Simply titled Oprah’s Book Club, it will follow the same concept of the original segment from The Oprah Winfrey Show in which Oraph selects a book for viewers to read and discuss each month, and with that create a “global book club community” to connect with people and “share meaningful ways to create positive change”. Oprah’s first pick is Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer, and viewers will have plenty of time to read as the platform will drop a new episode every two months.
See
One of the most talked about projects from Apple TV+ thanks to its concept and its protagonist is See, a sci-fi drama series written by Steven Knight and directed by Francis Lawrence. It takes a look into a distant future in which a virus has rendered the remaining population blind. The series follows warrior Baba Ross (Jason Momoa) whose wife gives birth to a set of twins who, to the surprise of everyone, can see. Of course, that catches the attention of others who don’t have the twins’ welfare in mind and want to capture them. See has already been renewed for a second season.
Snoopy in Space
After years of dreaming about space missions, the world’s most famous beagle is finally fulfilling his dream. Snoopy in Space follows Snoopy’s “elite mission” to space with his good old friend Woodstock after they’re chosen by NASA during a field trip. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the help of the rest of the Peanuts gang, who will stay by their side – well, by guiding them from Earth – through this journey. Unlike the most recent Peanuts film, Snoopy in Space went for a more traditional, 2-D look, which is more loyal to the overall vibe of the characters.