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Apple users have certain expectations when it comes to using the company’s lineup of products. The same can be said for Apple TV Plus subscribers. The platform — which has been going strong for five years — is chock-full of sci-fi offerings that are engaging, thought-provoking and will surely leave you on the edge of your seat.
Apple’s TV streaming service has remained under the radar since its launch in 2019, but thanks to the Ted Lasso effect, its record 72 Emmy nominations and the move to feature Apple TV Plus as an add-on subscription on Prime Video, the streamer’s status has been on the rise.
Apple TV Plus can be considered a youngster among big-name streamers like Netflix, Prime Video and Hulu, but the quality content the service has offered its viewers so far has put it at the top of our list for worthwhile science fiction entertainment. Pretty much everything listed below is a must-watch.
Highly conceptual and original in their storytelling, each genre show I’m highlighting below stays true to Apple’s sleek branding and “thinks different.” In turn, sci-fi shows like Severance, Foundation and Dark Matter stand out from the crowded pack.
Below, you’ll find CNET’s guide to the best genre shows to watch on Apple TV Plus right now. You could be in the mood for a neo-noir mystery, an epic monster battle, a real-life fairy tale or something with a scientific flair. There are choices, choices, choices. So settle in and click play.
Read more: Apple TV Plus Review: Small Library but the Quality Is Top-notch
Rashida Jones stars as Suzie in Sunny, a series Apple TV Plus describes as a dark comedy. After Suzie’s husband and child mysteriously disappear, she is gifted a robot to help her grieve. As the show unfolds, though, Suzie begins to learn her husband’s secrets, leading the program to take a darkly dramatic turn. Presented in a sleek, near-future lens, Sunny feels very Black Mirror-y. And that’s a good thing.
If Ted Lasso set the stage for quirky comedies on the platform, Severance has to be the title that cemented Apple TV Plus as a streamer devoted to high-concept genre programming. The series follows Mark (Adam Scott), who works for Lumon Industries, a biotech firm that has a unique (albeit terrifying) system to maintain its employees’ work-life balance. Ben Stiller executive produces and directs most of the first season’s episodes, proving once again he’s a stellar talent behind the camera.
What would life be like if the space race never stopped? That’s the big question For All Mankind answers. The prestige sci-fi drama occurs in an alternate reality where America and the Soviets compete for outer-space dominance. Thanks to the always creative vision of show creator Ronald D. Moore and the committed performances of its epic ensemble cast, this is probably the best science fiction series you’re not watching.
Elisabeth Moss has habitually picked complex characters to sink her teeth into, and that trend continues in Shining Girls. The series, which takes inspiration from the book by Lauren Beukes, follows Kirby (Moss), a troubled woman who believes a recent murder connects to a crime from her past. The mystery reveals an array of twists and turns as she partners up with a downtrodden investigative reporter (played by Wagner Moura) to find answers. This unpredictable thriller should’ve gotten more attention when it premiered in 2022.
What if we did things differently? We’ve all asked ourselves that question at least once throughout our lives. That question comes to life in Dark Matter, a high-concept twisted series based on Blake Crouch’s book. The series stars Joel Edgerton as Jason, a college professor who suffers a strange assault that alters his life and reality. Jennifer Connelly, Jimmi Simpson and Alice Braga co-star alongside him in a show that’ll keep you guessing until the season’s finale.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
The Godzilla universe finally came to TV in this Apple TV Plus series. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters seeks to reveal the organization’s secrets as they connect to the monsters who leveled San Francisco. Kurt Russell stars in his first role in a TV series in nearly five decades. Here, he and his son Wyatt play Army officer Lee Shaw in the 1950s and present day. The monsters and Russell’s star power alone are reasons enough to tune in.
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey
Samuel L. Jackson pivots away from the superhero genre to bring topics of age and dementia to the forefront. Here, he plays Ptolemy Grey, an aging man with Alzheimer’s. Thanks to the support of an orphaned teen and the progressive research of an extraordinary doctor, Ptolemy can regain his wits to get closure in his own life while also looking for answers to his nephew’s sudden death.
Using Hugh Howey’s book trilogy as inspiration, Silo explores a dystopian future world where humanity’s survivors live in an underground structure. Varied classist drama permeates the underground city. Population control, a murder mystery and the potentially lethal world outside keep the show humming. Rebecca Ferguson, Common and Tim Robbins lead the ensemble cast.
Apple TV Plus did the unthinkable in adapting Isaac Asimov’s epic sci-fi book series. But the streamer pulled it off. Jared Harris plays Hari Seldon, an exiled math professor, for predicting the fall of the Galactic Empire. Lee Pace delivers a formidable performance as Brother Day. The space drama follows Seldon and his followers as they fight to save humanity.
Jason Momoa flexes his acting chops in See. The program, created by Peaky Blinders mastermind Steven Knight, explores a dystopian future where humanity has lost the ability to see. The loss of sight doesn’t slow down people’s ability to battle, though, and it surely is a spectacle to see blind warriors wield weapons for war. Momoa’s charisma and passion shine through, which makes the show enjoyable, even if it is a hard-to-believe concept.
Mark Protosevich, the writer responsible for movies like Thor, I Am Legend and The Cell, created Sugar — a series that wears its love for the film noir genre on its sleeve. Visually, Sugar is a delight. Add Colin Farrell’s soft-spoken, empathetic private investigator to the mix, and you’ve got a stylish murder mystery with patience and compassion. An unexpected twist flips the show on its head later in the series, transforming the story into something else entirely.
