Apple TV+ is one of my favorite streaming services because it prioritizes quality over quantity, with excellent shows like Severance, Silo, and Shrinking (plus others that don’t begin with the letter “s”).
If you’re looking for some top entertainment to binge this weekend, these are some brilliant Apple TV+ shows that you can feasibly start and finish in a day or two.
3
The Essex Serpent
|
Release Year |
2022 |
|---|---|
|
Seasons |
1 |
|
Episodes |
6 |
|
Overall Running Time |
4 hours 48 minutes |
|
Status |
Ended |
The Essex Serpent is adapted from Sarah Perry’s hit novel, here led by the splendid Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston. Danes plays a young nature-loving widow called Cora, who moves from London to Essex and is intrigued by local rumors of a mythical creature. She meets Hiddleston’s Will, a vicar, and the two form a connection after a girl goes missing and fears about the supposed serpent mount.
The show is set in the Victorian era and it very much looks the part, with an unsettling atmosphere and beautiful shots of the Essex landscape. In fact, the entire production is great, from the haunting score through to the costumes, as are the supporting actors like Frank Dillane and Clémence Poésy.
The Essex Serpent is a bit of a slow burn, but that’s why it’s ideal for a weekend binge. It’s dark and moving, with some interesting themes like the relationship between science and faith. Even if you’ve read the book, the show will still surprise you.
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2
Masters of the Air
|
Release Year |
2024 |
|---|---|
|
Seasons |
1 |
|
Episodes |
9 |
|
Overall Running Time |
8 hours 28 minutes |
|
Status |
Ended |
You might have seen 2001’s Band of Brothers, a gripping limited series about a company of US soldiers during World War II. Masters of the Air is a companion to that show (though works on its own), created by some of the same team including executive producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, and is equally essential viewing.
Masters of the Air puts the focus on a group of airmen part of the 100th Bomb Group, based on the realities of the war—the horrors that they were constantly confronted with, not knowing if they’d ever make it back to land safely after setting off, and the friendships they formed. The sequences in the sky are spectacular and put you right in the action, giving you a small sense of what it must have been like for the real men this story is about.
The cast is full of up-and-coming young actors, many of whom you’ll likely recognize from elsewhere, with Callum Turner and Austin Butler at the center of it all as John Egan and Gale Cleven respectively. Both put in fantastic, charismatic performances and it’s easy to root for them.
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1
The Studio
|
Release Year |
2025 |
|---|---|
|
Seasons |
1 |
|
Episodes |
10 |
|
Overall Running Time |
4 hours 19 minutes |
|
Status |
Ongoing |
Hollywood loves making movies and shows about itself, so the idea of another perhaps isn’t the most appealing, but don’t overlook The Studio. It’s a hilarious satirical comedy starring Seth Rogen as a newly promoted movie studio head, bumbling his way through work as he tries to stick to his artistic ideals in a system that wants the next big franchise hit.
Case in point with the opening episode, which sees Rogen’s Matt tasked with getting a Kool-Aid movie off the ground and he somehow gets Martin Scorsese on board. The Studio is packed with high-profile cameos like these, which are always amusing, alongside great performances from the main cast like Kathryn Hahn and Ike Barinholtz.
Much of The Studio is presented in long, unbroken shots, which is not only technically and stylistically impressive, but it also lends the show a frantic energy that suits the story. It takes a little while to settle in, but it’s bound to brighten up your weekend, especially if you have even a passing interest in the film industry.
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Nearly everything on Apple TV+ is exclusive to the platform, so you’ll need to sign up for a subscription to binge these shows if you’re not already a member. To truly get value out of Apple TV+, use the free seven-day trial (boosted to three months with purchase of an Apple device).