It’s official: Apple TV+ isn’t the scrappy new kid in streaming anymore, it’s a full-blown prestige powerhouse. Remember when people wondered if Apple could really go toe-to-toe with HBO or Netflix? That question’s long answered. With 81 Emmy nominations this year alone and shows like Severance and The Studio leading the pack, Apple TV+ has carved out a spot among television’s elite. So if you’re trying to figure out which Apple originals are actually worth diving into, here’s your definitive guide. These are the 10 Apple TV+ series everyone’s talking about, critics, award voters, and your group chat included.
10. The Morning Show
The original series. The Morning Show was Apple TV+’s initial bold statement pie, a shiny, star-studded drama that showed the streamer to be a player at the top level. Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon star as anchors navigating personal scandals and industry turmoil in a post-hastag MeToo newsroom. Every season ratchets up the stakes, dealing with cyberattacks, power struggles, and media ethics. Smartsy, sassy, and stylish, it’s still Apple’s first choice for big, splashy drama.
9. Silo
Say hello to the end of the world below ground. Silo, based on Hugh Howey’s bestselling books, proposes that the last remnants of humanity live far beneath the surface of the Earth, prevented from gazing outward. Rebecca Ferguson fronts a tense thriller with a dash of paranoia, politics, and lots of twists. It’s science fiction that feels expansive and cramped at the same time, and critical acclaim as one of Apple’s wittiest, most ambitious offerings yet.
8. Foundation
Adapting Isaac Asimov’s classic sci-fi epic into a television show wasn’t an easy feat, but Foundation manages it with cinematic sweep and rich, compulsive storytelling. With Jared Harris and Lee Pace, it follows a galaxy-conquering empire on the edge of collapse, and the revolutionaries attempting to forecast and reimagine the future through mathematics. Game of Thrones, but with higher metaphysics and less fire-breathing. It is a rich, sprawling, and stunning treat for fans of the genre.
7. Dope Thief
Those who prefer their thrills gritty and realistic will be rewarded with Dope Thief in abundance. The miniseries tracks two small-time hustlers in Philadelphia who pose as DEA agents until their scam runs out of control and gets them into a deadly confrontation with an actual drug operation. Directed by Ridley Scott and scripted by Peter Craig (The Batman), it’s a gripping, high-velocity crime thriller driven by a breakout performance by Brian Tyree Henry. Critics have dubbed it “one of the year’s most gripping dramas,” and they are correct.
6. Shrinking
Therapy has never been so crazy or so hilarious. In Shrinking, Jason Segel stars as a therapist who begins sharing his unvarnished opinion with his patients, defying every rule of the profession. Harrison Ford is his grumpy mentor, swiping scenes with sarcasm. Half heartwarming, half hilarious, the series has been touted as one of Apple’s strongest comedies to date, earning Emmy nominations for its writing, cast, and tone-perfect emotional resonance.
5. Slow Horses
Gary Oldman has never looked more scruffily charming than he does in Slow Horses, a darkly comedic spy thriller about a team of MI5 misfits exiled to the government agency’s worst division. But when actual threats arise, this ragtag team could be the only ones who can rescue the day. With biting writing, lots of British wit, and terrific performances, the series has become a critical darling and one of Apple’s biggest dramas to watch. Oldman’s curmudgeonly genius Jackson Lamb is the icing on the cake.
4. The Studio
Nobody skewers Hollywood like The Studio. Seth Rogen plays a newly minted head of a studio attempting to stay afloat with his failing movie empire while skirting PR disasters, artistic breakdowns, and his own self-doubt. With its gossipy cast that includes Kathryn Hahn, Ike Barinholtz, and endless surprise cameos, the show’s a hit as well as an industry inside joke. With a record-shattering 23 Emmy nominations, it’s the type of meta-comedy that satisfies both movie geeks and lovers of chaos.
3. Pachinko
Crossing continents and generations, Pachinko is a work of art. Adapted from Min Jin Lee’s celebrated novel, it tells the story of one Korean family’s journey through love, loss, and survival from Japanese-occupied Korea to contemporary Japan. Every shot resembles a painting, rich, emotional, and profoundly human. Critics and viewers have all praised it as one of the best dramas on TV, and with Season 2 broadening its canvas, Pachinko keeps raising the bar for prestige television.
2. Severance
By now, Severance is no longer a hit but a cultural phenomenon. Adam Scott plays a man whose work and personal memories have been surgically separated, leaving him with a bifurcated life that’s both unnerving and compulsively watchable. With unsettling accuracy, the series delves into corporate manipulation, identity, and agency, earning a snowballing number of awards and 27 Emmy nominations this season alone. Stylish, intelligent, and heart-wrenching, it’s Apple TV+’s crowning glory.
1. Masters of the Air
Last but not least, flying high at number one: Masters of the Air. From creators Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, this World War II drama follows the “Bloody Hundredth,” an actual U.S. Air Force squadron that wagered everything on bloody air combat over Europe. With motion-picture-quality visuals, heavy-hitting performances, and emotional resonance, Masters of the Air doesn’t feel like a TV show, but rather a feature film each week. It’s huge, it’s loud, and it’s downright stunning, the crown of Apple’s premium range.
Wishing for a mentally intriguing story? Period drama? Sharp humor? Apple TV+ is the service that all other providers are trying to match. The Emmys have recognized this. Critics as well. And if you are not aware yet? Your Netflixist has just figured out ten reasons for you to register.