Is Apple TV+ Worth it? A Review of the Platform’s Most Popular Originals

By Ali S. & Vibhas S.

February 11, 2022

The streaming service meta is currently at its peak and  only getting hotter. At the peak of the pandemic, over one billion accounts were made across every streaming service. Instead of opting to watch television on cable with ads, streaming services provide the ability to watch a plethora of movies and shows completely on demand for a monthly subscription fee. Services like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ all offer unique experiences with their own original and licensed content. The rich yet competitive market has attracted numerous media companies attempting to start their own streaming services, such as Paramount with “Paramount Plus,” NBC’s “Peacock,” and even the NBA with “League Pass.” Unfortunately, many of these services fail to capture the market’s attention because the average American consumer can only spend so much on entertainment monthly. Their subscription will only go to the service with the absolute best content. For a streaming service to be successful, it needs to be both affordable and accessible, as well as have nothing less than a top-tier catalog of series and movies. 

Apple has jumped on this opportunity to make an impact in the streaming service game, with their affordable, ad-free service: Apple TV+. The service features solely Apple-produced content, or “Apple Originals.” Launching in November of 2019, they cast stars such as Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell for The Morning Show, and Hailee Steinfield for Dickinson, which were among the first Original shows. Since its release, Apple has accumulated around 40 million subscribers; an extremely competitive number in comparison to Peacock’s 20 million. This large figure may be due to Apple’s low price for the no-ad service: $4.99/month. The price is consistent and  their only plan. At release, Apple gave people who bought its products, like the iPhone, an entire year free of the service, but it has now been reduced to three months. 

The Morning Show

Apple TV's The Morning Show was among the first shows to be released on the service, releasing the first few episodes on the service’s launch day. The Original follows a fictional show titled, “The Morning Show,” and its dark behind the scenes. The first episode begins with a heavy accusation to one of the co-anchors, Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell), being accused of workplace misconduct and subsequently being immediately fired. Sadly, the other co-anchor, Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston), has to deal with the public backlash that comes with these accusations. During these unfortunate circumstances, she and the producers of the show must find a replacement for Mitch Kessler, which they find in Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon). The show deals with a lot of social implications and political movements, which establish themselves as a driving theme within the core of the show.

The show is exceptional at keeping the audience engaged while also having hour-long episodes. So much goes on within the story that it makes the viewer stress over what is going to happen next. The cast is fantastic; Billy Crudup won an Emmy for his performance, and Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Mark Duplass were all nominated.The cinematography is nothing too special, but it is very visually appealing. Apple had an average budget of $15 million per episode, so the high quality production is very apparent and makes the show a lot better. 

Score:  7.5/10, with a fantastic cast that is worth watching just for their compelling performances. 

Acapulco

Acapulco would best be described as whatever the TV show equivalent to a beach read is. Its wholesome bilingual comedy series with loveable characters and a steadily moving plot makes for excellent feel-good television. The show follows a penniless young man named Maximo from the streets of Acapulco in 1984 who’s received the opportunity of a lifetime: a job as a pool boy at a 5-star tourist-trap resort. Quickly, he realizes the resort is nothing like what he had imagined and that to keep his job, he needs to sacrifice his moral code. Despite his personal battle, he manages to make a name for himself among the rest of the staff members. Each member has a different yet tightly strung dynamic with him, such as his best friend Memo, his rival Hector, his boss Chad, the hotel manager Don Pablo, and his hopeless crush Julia. Each episode contains a story of an event that takes place at the hotel and how the dynamics play out in its resolutions. 

An interesting thing to note about this show is the lens through which it’s told. Each episode begins with a glimpse of the protagonist’s future life, which is filled with riches galore. The story of the resort is told as a story to his younger nephew of how his rags-to-riches tale unfolded. Through his narration, Maximo seems nostalgic of his past life, regardless of its complications. His major problems are talked about like they could be laughed at in hindsight. Additionally, his memory may be a bit hazy at times. Techniques such as blurs and dialogue voiced over by his narration are used to convey the fact that he can’t be everywhere in the resort at once, and some important plot points are second-hand, or even assumption. And, surprisingly for a show about the 80s, it does a good job of moderating dated cultural references to a bearable amount. 

Score: 9/10. Some minor flaws, but definitely would recommend watching if you don’t mind subtitles.

Dickinson

Dickinson is the fascinating tale of the renowned late poet, Emily Dickinson. Starring Hailee Steinfield, the show explores her complicated life in the early 1800s. Emily is an aspiring writer whose goal in life is to become a successful poet. She starts by trying to get one of her poems published in a local newspaper. Sadly, at the time, women had neither equal opportunities nor rights. This is a rather unfortunate roadblock for Emily, especially with her father trying to run for public office. The show progresses with Emily’s journey as she seeks to become a successful writer. Although Dickinson is a period piece, it takes modern tone, language, and music, making the show a lot funnier and opening up more moments for jokes. 

The show does look at all of the unfortunate circumstances and obstacles that Emily encounters through a comedic lens and never fails to make the audience laugh, even featuring famous comedian, John Mulaney, for a brief cameo. The overall pace of the show is really well done because of its short 30 - 40 minute average episode duration, which prevents the audience from being bored. Hailee Steinfield does a great job as Emily Dickinson and puts on a convincing performance. 

Score:7/10, and would recommend this to a friend who likes period pieces and comedy. 

Finch
If you like Tom Hanks, dogs, or post-apocalyptic worldbuilding, this is the movie for you. Finch is set in a world in which the Earth’s ozone layer has been damaged by a solar flare, eliminating most of its sentient life. Even slight exposure to sunlight would severely burn skin. A witty man played by Tom Hanks in the midst of this crisis manages to stay ahead of circumstances through use of various robots he’s created. His motivation? Keeping his dog safe. Unfortunately, he’s unable to stay completely safe from the radiation and has extremely numbered days. In a last ditch effort to keep his dog safe, he creates his ultimate brainchild: a humanistic robot with the sole purpose of looking after the dog after he passes. The movie follows Hanks, his dog, and the robot as they travel to find a less afflicted place.

The cinematography, done by Jo Willems, was one of the most solid elements of the film. In movies that take place in doomsday settings, good cinematography is vital. Willems does not disappoint; the atmosphere of abandoned towns and worn-down roads does great wonders for the tone of the movie. And Hanks gives a spectacular performance, as always. Unfortunately, this is where the upsides of this movie end. The plot, pacing, character development, and writing all leave a lot to be desired. At best, the movie presents itself as a rip-off of another famous Tom Hanks movie, Cast Away. Despite Hank’s best efforts to play the part, his character’s big revelations just don’t seem to have any meaningful impact. The movie’s ending felt rushed, the final scene just happens out of the blue, and everything changes without proper justification.

Score: 4/10. Watch if and only if you really like Tom Hanks.

Defending Jacob

Apple’s limited series, Defending Jacob is a miniseries adaptation of William Landey’s book, “Defending Jacob.” The show is about a family of a 14 year old boy named Jacob (Jaeden Martell) who is accused of murdering a classmate in the local woods. It is a chilling tale with horrible implications that follow this tragic occurrence. Of course, Jacob’s parents, Andy Barber (Chris Evans) and Laurie Barber (Michelle Dockery), “defend” him because they don’t believe that their son could’ve committed such a heinous crime. The show also follows some of the other students at the school who may have some knowledge of the murder, or at least the victim.

The show is one of Apple TV+’s most compelling,  because of the murder mystery aspect of it. The story makes the viewer want to continue watching. The cinematography has a massive effect on the tone of each and every scene, such as how many of them are spine chilling and mysterious. Evans, Dockery, and Martell are talented actors whose performances make the show infinitely better. This show, unlike the other ones The Khranicle has reviewed, is a mini-series, which means there won’t be another season. 

Score: 8/10 because of the performances and the gripping story.

Ted Lasso

Ted Lasso is what many critics would consider “saving the best for last.” No discussion of Apple TV+ is complete without a mention (and endless praise) of Ted Lasso. An American Football coach accepts a job as the general manager for a failing English Premier League soccer club. In doing so, he becomes a pawn in the team owner’s plot to destroy the club. He’s at odds with a boss who is actively trying to sabotage him, the town’s loyal football fans who disapprove of him, and a team that sucks. Behind the scenes, he faces a difficult situation with his spouse and a traumatic past he still feels stress from. Yet despite all of this, he still lives his life one day at a time with a smile on his face. Lasso’s neverending positivity somehow manages to be contagious to the viewers; you feel happy when he’s happy, and awful when he gets sad. This is a result of the show’s perfect writing and acting complementing each other, making for excellent television. 

In contrast to all of the feel-good-ness this show brings, a far more outspoken facet of the show is its tone management. While the first season was lighthearted every minute, it didn’t need to be serious. The second season took a more grave approach to the characters: Each one  had deep and touching moments as they addressed a serious issue within their personal lives. Whether it was one of the players dealing with his heritage, the owner grieving her mother’s death, or Ted’s coming to terms with his past, each and every major or minor character had a personal revelation. The revelations gave each character more depth, allowing the viewer to be emotionally bonded with all of them at once. All of this was done while somehow sprinkling in enough of the same lightheartedness to make it feel natural. Yet the two never intrude on each other, existing in a state of total ecological balance. 

Score: 25/10. It’s worth getting an Apple TV+ subscription for this show alone.

Clearly, Apple has established its service as a competitive one which doesn’t lack in quality. And this is only a review of a  small portion of over 50+ original shows. Apple TV+ is definitely worth it; with its high quality content, relatively low price, and no ads, it deserves the praise it gets.