Like Ted Lasso, I'm ready to believe in Apple TV Plus
Ted Lasso season 3 arrives on Apple TV Plus in Q1 2023. (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)
Congratulations, Apple. It took you over three years, but you’ve finally convinced me to sign up to your streaming service.
Despite its back catalog of critically acclaimed shows and movies, including 2022 Best Picture Oscar winner CODA, I’ve never felt compelled to purchase an Apple TV Plus subscription. Maybe it’s because some of the world’s best streaming services, such as Netflix, provide much more content, which makes my money go further.
However, Apple TV Plus’ recently announced 2023 lineup – or, rather, most of its forthcoming slate – has persuaded me to stump up its $6.99 / £6.99 monthly fee.
So, which of Apple’s in-house productions are swaying me into parting with my hard-earned cash?
For starters, Ted Lasso season 3. The wildly popular soccer comedy series, which is universally considered one of the best Apple TV Plus shows ever, has been trapped in development hell for a long time. Finally, though, there’s light at the end of the tunnel – Apple confirming its award-winning show will return to our screens in Q1 2023. That’s spring for northern hemisphere dwellers and fall/autumn for those of you who live below the equator.
Ted Lasso’s potentially final season might be the biggest draw, but there are lots of other fascinating, creative, and surreal movies and shows coming to Apple’s streamer that seem tailormade for me.
Time to win the whole f***ing thing.Here’s your first look at #TedLasso Season 3, coming to Apple TV+ this Spring. pic.twitter.com/a7MvOk00HMJanuary 18, 2023
Shrinking, which comes from Ted Lasso’s Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein, will certainly scratch that comedy itch while we wait for Apple’s biggest hit to return. Starring legendary actor Harrison Ford and Jason Segel, Shrinking looks like it strikes a Ted Lasso-like balance between life’s heart-warming and heart-breaking moments. It launches on Apple TV Plus very soon – January 27, to be exact – so I won’t be delaying signing up for much longer.
As I’m looking to fill the Knives Out/Glass Onion-shaped hole in my life, The Afterparty season 2 is also being added to my must-watch list. The sequel to the excellent murder mystery-comedy series from Phil Lord and Chris Miller – they of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse fame – is sure to be as subversively brilliant as its predecessor. It’s coming in Q1 2023, too, as does season 2 of musical-comedy show Schmigadoon!, so comedy genre fans will be eating well in the coming months.
Official Trailer – Hello Tomorrow!Emmy® winner Billy Crudup stars as Jack Billings, a charismatic salesman selling timeshares… on the moon. #HelloTomorrow premieres February 17 on Apple TV+ https://t.co/GBqYZ2AUUU pic.twitter.com/Pr6UqdBfeuJanuary 18, 2023
It’s not only comedy-centric projects that are making me join Apple TV Plus, either. The streamer’s suite of 2023 sci-fi shows, which includes Foundation season 2 and (potentially) Severance season 2, are also worth the investment.
Of Apple TV Plus’ veritable slice of sci-fi, Hello Tomorrow! and The Big Door Prize are the most intriguing. The former, starring Billy Crudup as the charismatic Jack Billings, is a retro-futuristic series that sees Billings and his sales associates dupe residents into buying moon-based timeshares. Okay, that doesn’t make it sound too thrilling, but there’s a clear sense of foreboding, a bristling dramatic undercurrent, and general uneasiness about the whole deal. Fans of Tales from the Loop and Loki season 1, both of which I’m a fan of, will lap this one up.
A small town is forever changed when a mysterious machine appears in the general store, promising to reveal each resident’s true life potential.#TheBigDoorPrize premieres Spring 2023 on Apple TV+ pic.twitter.com/TYP1eyQqikJanuary 18, 2023
The Big Door Prize is equally compelling. Little is known about this series – Apple’s teaser for this one, which you can view above, really doesn’t give much away. However, it’ll be centered around a mysterious machine – called Morpho – which unexpectedly appears in a small town store. Morpho promises to “reveal each resident’s true life potential”, although it’s unclear whether each person’s experience will be positive or not. Here’s hoping it has an unsettling Severance-like vibe when it lands in Q1 2023.
Not to be outdone by HBO Max, Apple TV Plus’ 2023 lineup comes equipped with plenty of prestige dramas. From the Jennifer Garner-starring The Last Thing He Told Me, to Extrapolations – a limited series starring Meryl Streep, Kit Harington, and David Schwimmer among others – Apple isn’t shying away from gripping and suspense-filled stories.
That’s only the TV show side of Apple TV Plus, too. Its forthcoming film slate is packed with highly-anticipated movies, all of which certainly appeal to me. Martin Scorcese’s Western crime drama Killers of the Flower Moon, Henry Cavill’s spy-thriller Argyle, and Julianne Moore’s neo-noir Sharper are just three flicks that could join our best Apple TV Plus movies list, especially if I end up enjoying them.
Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus and others might be able to offer a large range of TV shows and films than Apple TV Plus. However, thanks to its rich and interesting lineup of shows and movies – some of which are criminally underrated – Apple’s streaming platform is becoming more popular by the day.
If Apple keeps producing unmissable and award-winning content, it won’t be long before its streaming service is giving its rivals a run for their money. I know where my cash is being spent in the coming months – and it isn’t with Netflix.
For more Apple TV Plus coverage, read our Apple TV Plus review. Additionally, find out how much a subscription is worth with our Apple TV Plus cost guide, or learn if there’s an Apple TV Plus free trial available in your world region.
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Tom Power
Entertainment Reporter
As TechRadar’s entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.
An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as this Moon Knight TV spot (opens in new tab).
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