Apple’s streaming service got a new name this year — it dropped the “plus” and is now just Apple TV — but its actual programming didn’t change all that much. And that’s good news for sci-fi fans, as the service continued to cement itself as the preeminent destination for the genre in the streaming era. This year included new series like Pluribus from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, as well as the return of favorites like Severance and Foundation. If you’re new to Apple TV, or are just looking for something fresh to watch, here’s the best stuff from (mostly) this year.
Pluribus is like a concept for a Twilight Zone episode that’s been stretched out to encompass an entire TV show. At the core of the show is a virus of unknown origin, which turns much of the Earth’s human population into an interconnected hive mind incapable of negative emotions. One of the “survivors” is Carol (Rhea Seehorn), a successful fantasy author who is also completely miserable most of the time. This creates an ongoing tension with the hive: they just want to make Carol happy, while she wants to set the world back the way it was. Things get weird, and the show offers a delightful (or disturbing) mystery to think about each episode.
After a too-long wait, the office horror story finally returned for its second season this year. It continues the story of “severed” Lumon Industries employees whose psyches have been split in half, essentially turning them into two people: one who exists in the real world, and one who only exists in the eerie basement floor at Lumon, where “the work is mysterious and important.” Season 2 wasn’t afraid to take its time teasing out the story, and while things could get confusing, it ultimately brought all of its disparate threads together in a very satisfying way — while also leaving plenty of questions for next season.
The most epic of Apple’s sci-fi series, Foundation’s century-spanning story returned for season 3. This time around a new wrinkle is introduced in the form of the Mule, a telepathic warlord hellbent on ruling the galaxy. This puts him in direct opposition to the titular Foundation and the current Empire run by a genetic dynasty of clones. Which is all to say, things are very complicated right now.
Most of Apple sci-fi offerings are big, splashy affairs, but Murderbot is a little more humble. An adaptation of Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries novels, it follows the titular bot (Alexander Skarsgård) who frees itself from its owners, but isn’t really free at all, because the discovery of its sentience will lead to immediate termination. What follows is a goofy adventure full of existential drama, as Murderbot is forced to hide its true nature from humans, all while dealing with crippling anxiety. It’s very relatable.
An extremely funny takedown of Hollywood, The Studio is absolutely packed with celebrity cameos as it explores the bizarre and confusing nature of the studio system. From the very first episode — which involves a film adaptation of Kool-Aid — the pace never really lets up, making The Studio at times as stressful as it is hilarious.
Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age
This nature documentary is a bit like Jurassic Park meets Planet Earth. It has all of the elements of a big-budget doc, from the celebrity voice-over to the incredible shots of various landscapes — except, well, it’s all fake. Instead of a real documentary, it uses the most recent science to imagine what life would have been like for prehistoric creatures. And the latest season shifts the setting to the Ice Age, as told by the soothing voice of Tom Hiddleston.
This video game industry satire wrapped up for good this year, although not without some controversy when it came to the finale. The fourth and final season of Mythic Quest continued to take shots at the game industry, but it also expanded the emotional range of its characters, turning them into more fully fleshed-out people. As a bonus, the spinoff Side Quest was also released this year, growing the world even further.
Okay, this one isn’t totally new, but you’re probably going to want to catch up soon. Season 2 of Monarch is streaming in February, and a lot has happened so far. The show follows the Monarch group, which is a secret organization that deals with Titans, otherwise known as kaiju like Godzilla and King Kong. And it has a nice balance between mystery and all-out action, including a number of very cool run-ins with giant monsters.