Best series to stream on Apple TV

One of the TV drama jewels in Apple TV's crown is undoubtedly Slow Horses, which has now delivered quite the cliffhanger finale for season 5.

Well now, one of Mick Herron's other novels has now been adapted for the small screen, with Down Cemetery Road proving to be another hit of a drama on the platform.

Led by Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson, the eight-part series is being released weekly and sees the two women join forces in the aftermath of a perplexing explosion in a close-knit neighbourhood. When one little girl is caught up in the case, there seems to be closed doors and a desire to keep answers to a minimum.

As well as expertly handling some of the non-visible nuances of being a woman (like being gaslit, not believed or deemed 'too emotional'), the series is also incredibly employs enough dry wit to keep you laughing through the episodes.

We also have the second season of Hijack to get excited about, which will be dropping very soon. But in the meantime, we also have eerie sci-fi drama Severance, as well as the latest seasons of Foundation, Silo and Murderbot.

Or, if none of the above shows are your cup of tea, then read on for plenty more Apple TV recommendations, courtesy of Radio Times. Stop scrolling, start watching!

1. Slow Horses

A spy thriller with a comedic edge, Slow Horses follows a group of disgraced MI5 agents led by the slovenly but brilliant Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) – who leaps from the pages of Mick Heron's Slough House series of novels.

Season 5 continues the show's streak of excellence, with tightly plotted intrigue, strong character development, and a perfect balance of humour and suspense, with showrunner Will Smith (not that one) drawing inspiration from Herron's London Rules.

Excellent performances from the likes of Jack Lowden, Rosalind Eleazar and Kristin Scott Thomas are highlights, but it's Oldman who steals the show in what might arguably be his greatest role to date.

2. Severance

This psychological thriller explores the disturbing concept of work-life balance taken to the extreme. Employees at Lumon Industries undergo a procedure to separate their work and personal memories.

Adam Scott stars as Mark, whose dual existence begins to unravel in haunting ways. Season 2 continues the eerie atmosphere and deepens the mystery, with standout direction from Ben Stiller and a five-star critical reception.

3. Silo

Set in a dystopian future where humanity lives in a giant underground silo, this gripping sci-fi series follows engineer Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) as she uncovers disturbing truths about her society.

Season 2 builds on the tension, introducing new characters and expanding the world and watch out for a brilliant supporting performance from Steve Zahn as the enigmatic and troubled Solo.

4. Foundation

All three seasons of this epic sci-fi series, based on the works of Isaac Asimov, are now available to stream in full, meaning now is the perfect time to catch up, ahead of the already-confirmed season 4.

The series, which stars Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Lou Llobell and Leah Harvey, follows a band of exiles as they work to save humanity and rebuild civilisation amid the fall of the Galactic Empire. With strong performances, stunning visuals and a complexity of story which only keeps getting more twisty and intriguing, any sci-fi fan looking for their next binge-watch should look no further.

5. Murderbot

A sci-fi action comedy adapted from Martha Wells’s beloved novella All Systems Red, Murderbot follows a rogue security cyborg (SecUnit), played by Alexander Skarsgård, who hides its sentience while protecting a group of human scientists.

The show balances thrilling action sequences with dry humour and emotional depth, making it a standout for fans of character-driven science fiction, with Skarsgård’s performance widely praised as his best to date.

6. The Studio

Ripping fun at the Hollywood film industry seems like quite an unexpectedly meta thing for an Apple TV+ comedy to do, but with a long line of starry cameos and hilarious mishaps, The Studio has come out on top as one of the streamer's shiniest comedic gems.

As a newly appointed studio head, Seth Rogen's Matt Remick must balance his own dedication and love of film with the wants and wishes of everyone around him, resulting in a juggling act of hilarious proportions that will leave you easily binge-watching the series in one go.

7. Chief of War

Jason Momoa is the creative driving force behind this ambitious historical drama, which takes us to the islands of Hawaii in the fraught years leading up to the arrival of colonisers.

The blockbuster star plays real-life figure Ka'iana, who returns from his travels to warn of the approaching danger, seeking to unite the bitterly opposed kingdoms against the coming forces.

No expense or detail has been spared in this unprecedented depiction of Polynesian history, featuring intricate costumes, sets, hair and make-up as well as entire episodes filmed in the critically endangered language 'Ōlelo Hawai'i.

8. Dark Matter

Based on Blake Crouch’s novel, this sci-fi thriller follows Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton), a physicist abducted into an alternate version of his life. The series explores identity, love, and the multiverse with emotional intensity and complex plotting.

Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly deliver standout performances in a show that is both thrilling and deeply romantic. Well worth a watch.

9. Masters of the Air

An epic WWII drama from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, Masters of the Air tells the story of the 100th Bomb Group, known for their high casualty rates.

Starring Austin Butler and Callum Turner, the series features breathtaking aerial combat scenes and emotional depth. It's a worthy successor to Band of Brothers, with a five-star rating for its storytelling and production values.

10. Bad Sisters

This dark comedy follows five sisters as they plot to rid themselves of their toxic brother-in-law. With sharp writing and a strong ensemble cast, it manages to blend mystery and humour effortlessly.

It won Best Drama at the 2023 British Academy Television Awards, with Anne-Marie Duff picking up Best Supporting Actress for her excellent turn as Grace.

11. Manhunt

This historical drama chronicles the aftermath of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination and the pursuit of John Wilkes Booth. Tobias Menzies stars as Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War, in a slow-burning but emotionally resonant series.

It's garnered praise for its meticulous attention to historical detail, strong performances, and an ability to humanise complex figures from history.

12. Shrinking

A therapy-based comedy starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford, Shrinking follows a grieving therapist who starts breaking rules with his clients. Season 2 expands the ensemble and focuses on forgiveness, with standout performances from Jessica Williams, Lukita Maxwell, and Michael Urie.

Very funny and surprisingly heartfelt, this is everyone operating at the peak of their powers.

13. Pachinko

This epic, sweeping historical drama, based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Min Jin Lee, has been critically acclaimed since its debut, with fans still waiting on tenterhooks to see whether there will be a third season.

It tells a story across a vast canvas, following four generations of a Korean family between 1915 and 1989, with a critical moment coming in 1931, when one woman, Sunja, leaves her family in Korea to start a new life in Osaka, Japan.

It may not be the flashiest drama or the most star-studded on Apple TV+, but if you're looking for a stunningly realised historical piece, with compelling characters, superb performances and a soulful spirit, then look no further.

14. Time Bandits

A family-friendly adventure series co-created by Taika Waititi, Time Bandits follows a group of time-travelling thieves and an 11-year-old history enthusiast, Kevin.

Each episode explores different historical periods in a whimsical tone and Lisa Kudrow leads the cast with charm – all in all, it's a worthy successor to the classic 1981 film.

15. The Buccaneers

While many of us wait patiently for the fourth season of Bridgerton, there's actually another period drama gem that boasts the same levels of drama, raunch and show-stopping style.

The Buccaneers, which has just finished airing its second season, follows a group of American girls who travel to London in the 1870s in hope for more.

Now settled in the capital, these women must navigate new scandals, characters like Leighton Meester's Nelle, as well as the regular romantic highs and lows of life.

16. The Last Frontier

If you miss the heightened, high-concept action flicks of the '80s and '90s, The Last Frontier should prove to be an enjoyable throwback – even if it takes itself rather more seriously than the genre's most playful entries.

Jason Clarke (Oppenheimer) leads the cast as US Marshal Frank Remnick, who is faced with a far from ordinary day on the job when a cohort of dangerous convicts crash land just outside his remote Alaskan town.

Expect secrets to be exposed and epic stunts to be pulled off, with Netflix's Extraction director Chris Hargrave and The Blacklist creator Jon Bokenkamp among the key creatives behind this ambitious thrill ride.

17. Sunny

This sci-fi mystery stars Rashida Jones as Suzie, a woman who teams up with a domestic robot to investigate her family’s disappearance. Set in a near-future Japan, Sunny blends dark comedy, emotional storytelling, and social commentary on AI.

In a competitive field, it's been hailed by fans as a standout in Apple’s sci-fi offerings.

18. Presumed Innocent

Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this legal thriller as Rusty Sabich, a prosecutor accused of murdering his colleague and former lover. Based on the novel by Scott Turow, the series explores themes of guilt, power, and truth.

Gyllenhaal’s performance is, as ever, stellar, with the drama of the courtroom alongside the character study making it a gripping watch.

19. Criminal Record

This police thriller stars Cush Jumbo and Peter Capaldi as detectives on opposite sides of a reopened murder case, exploring generational divides in policing and the legacy of institutional corruption.

Critics praised the lead performances and the show’s nuanced handling of social issues, calling it a gripping and timely drama.

20. Dope Thief

Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura star in this thriller from executive producer and director Ridley Scott, about two friends living in Philadelphia who find themselves on the run, after a scam in which they pose as DEA agents to rob drug dealers goes awry.

Intense and comic in equal measure, the series lags a little in the middle but really comes into its own towards the end. Regardless, Henry and Moura are both exceptional throughout.

21. Ted Lasso

Ted Lasso was one of Apple TV+'s first breakout series, with Jason Sudeikis taking on the charming and eternally optimistic Ted Lasso - an American football coach who is hired to manage AFC Richmond.

While it seems like a feat that won't be accomplished, the team prove naysayers wrong. With a top-notch cast and loveable characters no one could forget, Ted Lasso is a must-watch, with a fourth season on the way.

22. Platonic

The Studio may be the buzziest show starring Seth Rogen on Apple TV+, but it wasn't the first. No, that was Platonic, a very different type of show but one that's no less enjoyable and laugh-out-loud funny.

The series, which has just returned for its second season, sees Rogen re-teaming with his Bad Neighbours co-star Rose Byrne, as the duo play old friends from college who have drifted apart and taken very different paths in life. When Rogen's character Will gets divorced, he and Byrne's Sylvia reconnect, but it brings a whole heap of chaos into both of their lives.

The comedy is firmly out of Rogen's playbook, with lots of improvisation and hijinks. However, when something works, it works, and here Rogen and Byrne are both on top form with the material. It's also refreshing to see a comedy which is firmly not a will-they-won't-they, we already know they won't, even if their friendship is too close for some of the show's other characters to handle.

23. Black Bird

While Taron Egerton most recently starred in Smoke, the Rocketman actor previously made his Apple TV+ series debut with Black Bird, from the same team he's reunited with on the recent arson investigator drama. This series, though, sees Egerton star as the confident Jimmy Keene, who gets slapped with a 10-year prison sentence for dealing drugs.

However, when he's offered a deal of a lifetime from the FBI, he can't quite resist. The deal involves befriending killer Larry Hall in order to illicit a confession that can be used to charge him, but the cat-and-mouse nature of the entire series keeps you hanging on, leaving you curious to see whether Jimmy succeeds in the unthinkable task.

While the very nature of the series being based on a remarkable true story is enough to pique anyone's interest, the real reason you'll want to tune into this drama is for the simple fact that both Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser are phenomenal in the leading roles, as well as the heartbreaking Ray Liotta in what was to be his last small-screen role before his death in 2022.

24. The Morning Show

Since it launched in 2019, Apple TV+ has made all manner of star-studded series, but this satirical drama – one of the platform's original launch shows – still takes some beating when it comes to the sheer volume of A-list talent.

Led by Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, the cast has also included the likes of Billy Crudup, Steve Carell and Jon Hamm at various points throughout its run, and some more big names – including Marion Cotillard and Jeremy Irons – are joining for the currently airing fourth run.

Set in the world of morning television news, the first season focused on the #MeToo movement – following allegations of sexual misconduct made against the male co-anchor of the titular programme. Subsequent runs have spotlighted a number of other recent talking points, and have garnered mixed critical receptions, but the show has remained popular with viewers.

25. Trying

This comedy series has now been acquired by the BBC, as it has already been renewed for a fifth season on Apple TV+, making it one of the streamer's longest-running series. There's a reason for that.

The charming, funny, warm-hearted series stars Rafe Spall and Esther Smith as a couple Nikki and Jason, who at the start of the run are struggling to conceive a child, and look to adopt. The most recent fourth season jumped forwards six years and charted their lives as parents, struggling with the usual and trials and tribulations that come with raising children.

Featuring a stellar supporting cast including Siân Brooke and Darren Boyd, the series is a delightful watch, featuring optimism and hope but not being afraid to delve into more difficult topics and circumstances.

26. Down Cemetery Road

It's natural that many will probably just label Down Cemetery Road as another Slow Horses or perhaps, a female-led version of the spy thriller. If you actually watch the new series, you'll find that while it does have the signature same wit, humour and unexpected twists as Mick Herron's other hit series, it's a drama worth praising on its own merit.

The unlikely pairing of private investigator Zoë and art conservationist Sarah happens when Sarah's close-knit neighbourhood is hit with an unexpected explosion. What starts off as her simply wanting to deliver a handmade card to a young girl that has been hospitalised starts pointing at something a lot more sinister when she realises that everything (and everyone) surrounding the case is frankly quite odd. Is it a cover-up? A government conspiracy?

The search for answers is an action-packed one full of twists and lots of humour. While some of the initial episodes may lean on the slower side, the series as a whole is one that will undoubtedly be one of the best of the year.

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