In recent years, Apple TV+ has attracted a number of A-list actors to its original shows, many of whom rarely work in TV. Apple TV+ has never had as many subscribers as other major streaming platforms, but it consistently delivers some of the most entertaining shows on TV. One of her main strengths is that she always assigns big names to her shows, and these actors have elevated her shows.
Actors like Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman and Cate Blanchett are bona fide movie stars, but they’ve all starred in their own Apple TV+ shows. While this isn’t exactly unheard of, it’s notable that there are so many Apple TV+ shows featuring A-list stars. This is one way the streaming platform has managed to differentiate itself from the competition and produce unforgettable performances.
10
Slow Horses
Gary Oldman
- Release date
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April 1, 2022
- Seasons
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4
Gary Oldman is famous for his villainous roles in films such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Leon: The Professional and The Fifth Element. He brings a dark edge to his role in Slow horses, creating a nasty antihero who works beyond the boundaries of traditional morality. Jackson Lamb leads a team of unwanted British intelligence agents as they extinguish threats to the nation by any means necessary.
Slow Horses is based on the book by Mick Herron Slough House series of novels. Herron is one of the most popular living writers of spy fiction and seen by many as a natural successor to John le Carré. Although it just finished its fourth season Slow Horses Seasons 5 and 6 have been confirmed by Apple, cementing the crime show’s status as one of the streaming platform’s heavyweights.
9
Presumed innocent
Jake Gyllenhaal
- Cast
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Jake Gyllenhaal, Ruth Negga, Bill Camp, Elizabeth Marvel, Renate Reinsve, Peter Sarsgaard, OT Fagbenle, Chase Infiniti, Lily Rabe, Nana Mensah, Matthew Alan, Kingston Rumi Southwick
- Release date
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June 12, 2024
- Seasons
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1
Presumed innocent is a gripping legal thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a prosecutor who experiences the other side of the law when he is accused of murdering his colleague, with whom he was having an affair. The drama is based on a novel by Scott Turow, which was also adapted into a film starring Harrison Ford in 1990. The show largely follows the same plot, but features some original twists that make it stand out.
Jake Gyllenhaal is excellent at playing eccentric characters, as he does in Okja and Velvet circular saw, for example. Presumed innocent sees him in everyman mode, something he does with ease in films like Prisoners and Zodiac. The show is worth watching for his performancealthough Presumed innocent season 2 will feature a new case with a new cast. Finding an actor as good as Gyllenhaal will be the first major hurdle to overcome in season two.
8
Disclaimer
Cate Blanchett
- Release date
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October 10, 2024
- Seasons
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1
Disclaimer has top-notch talent on both sides of the camera. Severity and Children of Men director Alfonso Cuarón writes and directs each episode, creating a suffocating atmosphere for a story of uncovered secrets and false truths. Cate Blanchett isn’t the only star in the cast of Disclaimer. There are four other Oscar nominees, including Sacha Baron Cohen in a rare dramatic role and Kevin Kline in excellent form.
Disclaimer It may start slowly, and the non-linear narrative may take some getting used to, but it gradually sinks its hooks. Blanchett’s performance is just one of many bright spots in the seven-part drama. Disclaimer unfolds its intriguing story at your own pacebut there’s enough psychological drama and personal conflict to keep things interesting throughout, and it all leads to a thought-provoking ending.
7
Silo
Rebecca Ferguson
- Release date
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May 5, 2023
- Seasons
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2
Mission: Impossible and Dune star Rebecca Ferguson leads a huge cast in Silo which also features David Oyelowo, Common and Tim Robbins. Silo is one of Apple TV+’s many great sci-fi shows, as the streaming platform has led the genre industry recently. Silo is based on a series of novels by Hugh Howey. It follows a dystopian society that lives in an underground silo, subject to a strict set of rules passed down through generations.
SiloStunning visual effects and clever world-building provide a deeply immersive atmosphere. The series’ central mystery, about what exists above ground level and why people were forced into the silo for so many years, affects everything. Silo is much more than a mystery show, as it also contains elements of romantic drama, political commentary, and philosophical science fiction.
6
Shrinking
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an underrated comedic actor and Shrinking shows how funny he can be. Even though he hasn’t been in many comedies, he brings humor to his famous roles like Indiana Jones and Han Solo. Shrinking makes good use of his deadpan charm, pairing him with the more excitable and comically anxious Jason Segel. Ford can laugh a lot without doing much.
One of ShrinkingThe creators of is Bill Lawrence, who also created Rub and Ted Lasso. Both other shows manage to mix hilarious comedy with some heartwarming and heartwarming moments. They also place a lot of importance on mental health. Shrinking takes it to the next level. It may talk about mental health in more explicit terms, but it’s equally relatable and funny. Shrinking it slowly moved away from its initial premise, focusing more on the merits of its cast.
5
Bad Monkey
Vincent Vaughn
- Cast
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Vince Vaughn, Natalie Martinez, Alex Moffat, Ronald Peet, John Ortiz, Tom Nowicki, David St.
- Release date
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August 13, 2024
- Seasons
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1
Vince Vaughn is perfectly suited to the role of prankster Andrew Yancy in Bad Monkey. The character could easily be unlikeable with a less affable actor, but Vaughn measures his performance deftly to ensure that Yancy is a pain in the ass to most of the characters he meets and a treasured companion to the audience. He’s surrounded by a cast that mixes well-known actors like Zach Braff and Rob Delaney with more obscure talents.
Bad MonkeyAll Star’s convoluted narrative begins with a severed human arm that a tourist picks up while fishing in the Florida Keys. From there, murders, fraud, occult practices and the titular ape are covered. Bad Monkey often has a light-hearted, conversational style of humor, but this is just a facade hiding some dark comedy. The cast is charismatic enough to keep things entertaining as graves are robbed, innocent bystanders are shot to death, and arms are sawed off.
4
We crash
Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway
- Release date
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March 18, 2022
- Seasons
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1
We crash is a miniseries charting the rise and fall of WeWork founder Adam Neumann and his wife and WeWork partner Rebekah. Jared Leto gives a characteristically appealing performance as Adam, with lots of prosthetics and an accent that swings for the fences. Anne Hathaway is a little more restrained as Rebekah, but her conflicted inner life makes her equally interesting in a different way. Both actors play to their strengths.
The WeWork story is a fascinating case study in the madness of modern venture capital. We crash is primarily a drama, but there are notes of dark comedy that make the whole enterprise feel like a 21st century gold rush, with not a single flake of gold to be found. It’s also a character study of a singular individual who created a company like no other, and the people around him who enabled and encouraged his crazy adventure.
3
Masters of the Air
Austin Butler
- Release date
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January 26, 2024
- Seasons
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1
Masters of the Air is one of the most expensive TV shows ever made, with an estimated budget of $250 million. The WWII drama comes from the same team that made Band of Brothers and The Pacificalthough the increased budget allows the show to take to the skies. The aerial battles are phenomenal, but Masters of the Air it also keeps the stakes high while the pilots are all on the ground.
Austin Butler is still a rising star in Hollywood, but with hits like Dune: Part Two and Elvis It’s already on his CV, he’s a big name. THE Masters of the Air cast also includes Doctor Who stars Ncuti Gatwa, Barry Keoghan and Callum Turner. Some excellent performances and some exciting action scenes add up to make Masters of the Air one of the best shows of 2024, further bolstering Butler’s stellar record.
2
Sugar
Colin Farrell
- Release date
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April 5, 2024
- Seasons
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1
Although Colin Farrell received praise for The penguin Lately, this isn’t his only leading role in a 2024 TV show. The Oscar nominee also played the lead in Sugar, one of Apple TV+’s most original projects. Sugar It reads like a classic Los Angeles detective story, but that only explains part of it. Farrell plays John Sugar with the smooth demeanor of Sam Spade or Jake Gittes. He is a man out of time in the 21st century.
Sugar is a captivating slow burn, moving through the sun-drenched streets of Los Angeles at a languid pace as John Sugar tries to track down the granddaughter of an influential Hollywood producer. To say much more would risk ruining the unexpected twists and detours that make Sugar so interesting. As for Farrell’s performance, he’s as charming as ever, but has a mysterious edge that invites interrogation.
1
Lady at the lake
Natalie Portman
- Release date
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July 19, 2024
- Seasons
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1
Natalie Portman has had small guest appearances on TV shows, but 2024 Lady at the Lake it is his first leading role. She plays an aspiring journalist whose passions are rekindled when she becomes involved in a sinister murder mystery. The show’s meticulous recreation of 1960s Baltimore is beautiful to watch, but Lady at the Lake It’s not fantasy, and the recreation also shows the ugly side of the crime-ridden, racially segregated city.
Lady at the Lake presents an intriguing mystery that touches on the private lives of people across many different borders in Baltimore. Portman’s obsessive detective finds herself moving and shaking in a world she paid no attention to during her years of loveless marriage. She is paired with Moses Ingram, whose equally mesmerizing performance gives Lady at the Lake another dimension.