Actors like Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman and Cate Blanchett are bona fide movie stars, but they have all starred in their own Apple TV+ shows. While this isn’t exactly unheard of, it’s remarkable that there are so many Apple TV+ shows with A-list stars. This is one way that the streaming platform has managed to differentiate itself from the competition, and it has produced some unforgettable performances.
The 25 Best TV Shows On Apple TV+ Right Now (April 2025)
From comedies including Ted Lasso and Mythic Quest to dramas including Severance, there are many great TV shows available to binge-watch on Apple TV+.
Gary Oldman is famous for his villain roles in movies likeBram Stoker’s Dracula, Leon: The ProfessionalandThe Fifth Element.He brings a dark edge to his role inSlow Horses,creating an obnoxious antihero who works beyond the borders of traditional morality. Jackson Lamb heads a team of undesirable British intelligence agents as they snuff out threats to the nation by any means necessary.
Slow Horsesis based on Mick Herron’sSlough Houseseries 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 has just finished its fourth season,Slow Horsesseason 5and season 6 have both been confirmed by Apple, cementing the crime show’s status as one of the streaming platform’s heavy hitters.
Presumed Innocentis a gripping legal thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a prosecutor who gets a taste of 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 Scott Turow novel, which was also adapted into a movie starring Harrison Ford in 1990. The show largely follows the same plot, but it introduces a few original twists which make it stand out.
Jake Gyllenhaal excels at playing oddball characters, just as he does inOkjaandVelvet Buzzsaw,for example.Presumed Innocentsees him in everyman mode, which is something he pulls off with aplomb in movies likePrisonersandZodiac.His performance is worth watching the show for, althoughPresumed Innocentseason 2will feature a new case with a new cast. Finding an actor as good as Gyllenhaal will be season 2’s first big hurdle to overcome.
Disclaimerhas A-list talent on both sides of the camera. Gravity andChildren of Mendirector Alfonso Cuarón writes and directs each episode, creating a stifling atmosphere for a tale of uncovered secrets and false truths. Cate Blanchett isn’t the only star in thecast ofDisclaimer. There are four other Oscar nominees, including Sacha Baron Cohen in a rare dramatic role and Kevin Kline in superb form.
Disclaimermay start slowly, and the non-linear storytelling can take some getting used to, but it gradually sinks its hooks in. Blanchett’s performance is just one of many positives in the seven-part drama.Disclaimerunfurls its intriguing story at its own pace, but there’s enough psychological drama and personal conflict to keep things interesting the whole way through, and it all builds towards a thought-provoking finale.
Mission: ImpossibleandDunestar Rebecca Ferguson leads a great cast inSilothat also features David Oyelowo, Common and Tim Robbins.Silois one of many greatsci-fi shows on Apple TV+, as the streaming platform has led the industry in the genre recently.Silois based on a series of novels by Hugh Howey. It follows a dystopian society living in an underground silo, bound by a strict set of rules handed down through the generations.
Silo’s impressive visual effects and intelligent worldbuilding give it a deeply immersive atmosphere.The central mystery of the show, about what exists above ground level and why people have been forced into the silo for so many years, affects everything.Silois far more than a mystery show, however, as it also has elements of romantic drama, political commentary and philosophical sci-fi.
Harrison Ford is an underrated comedic actor, andShrinkingshows just how funny he can be. Even though he hasn’t been in too many out-and-out comedies, he brings humor to his famous roles as Indiana Jones and Han Solo.Shrinkingmakes good use of his deadpan charms by pairing him up with the more excitable and comically anxious Jason Segel. Ford can get a lot of laughs without doing too much.
One ofShrinking’s creators is Bill Lawrence, who also createdScrubsandTed Lasso.Both of these other shows manage to blend hilarious comedy with some heartwarming emotional moments. They also place a lot of importance on mental health.Shrinkingtakes this to the next level. It may talk about mental health in more explicit terms, but it’s just as relatable and funny.Shrinkinghas slowly moved away from its initial premise, focusing more on the merits of its ensemble cast.
Vince Vaughn is perfectly suited to the role of fast-talking wisecracker Andrew Yancy inBad Monkey.The character could easily be obnoxious with a less affable actor, but Vaughn measures his performance expertly to ensure that Yancy is a pain in the neck for most of the characters he meets and a treasured companion for the audience. He is surrounded by a cast that mixes well-known actors like Zach Braff and Rob Delaney with more obscure talents.
Bad Monkey’s knotty narrative all begins with a severed human arm that a tourist snags while on a fishing trip in the Florida Keys. From there, it takes in murder, fraud, occult practices and the titular simian.Bad Monkeyoften has a breezy, conversationalist style of humor, but this is merely a facade which conceals some pitch-black comedy. The cast are charismatic enough to keep things fun while graves are robbed, innocent bystanders are gunned down and arms are sawed off.
WeCrashedis a miniseries that charts the rise and fall of WeWork founder Adam Neumann, and his wife and WeWork partner Rebekah. Jared Leto offers a characteristically eye-catching performance as Adam, with plenty of prosthetics and an accent that swings for the fences. Anne Hathaway is somewhat more restrained as Rebekah, but her conflicted inner life makes her just as interesting in a different way. Both actors play to their strengths.
The story of WeWork is a fascinating case study in the folly of modern venture capital.WeCrashedis primarily a drama, but there are notes of bleak comedy which make the whole enterprise look like a 21st century gold rush without 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 zany adventurousness.
Masters of the Airis one of the most expensive TV shows ever made, with a reported budget of $250 million.The World War II drama comes from the same team that madeBand of BrothersandThe Pacific, although the budget boost allows the show to take to the skies. The aerial battles are phenomenal, butMasters of the Airalso keeps the stakes high while the pilots are all on the ground.
Austin Butler is still a rising star in Hollywood, but with hits likeDune: Part TwoandElvisalready under his belt, he’s a big name. TheMasters of the Aircastalso includesDoctor Whostar Ncuti Gatwa, Barry Keoghan and Callum Turner. Some superb performances and some exhilarating action scenes add up to makeMasters of the Airone of the best shows of 2024, further bolstering Butler’s stellar record.
While Colin Farrell has been receiving praise forThe Penguinlately, this isn’t his only starring role in a TV show of 2024. The Oscar nominee also played the lead inSugar,one of Apple TV+’s most original projects.Sugarlooks and feels like a classic Los Angeles detective story, but this only explains part of it.Farrell plays John Sugar with the suave demeanor of Sam Spade or Jake Gittes. He’s a man out of time in the 21st century.
Sugaris a captivating slow burn, moving through the sun-soaked streets of Los Angeles at a languid pace as John Sugar attempts to track down the granddaughter of an influential Hollywood producer. To say much more would risk ruining the unexpected twists and detours that makeSugarso interesting. As for Farrell’s performance, he’s just as charming ever, but he has a mysterious edge to him that invites interrogation.
Natalie Portman has had minor guest appearances on TV shows before, but 2024’sLady in the Lakeis her first starring role.She plays a once-aspiring journalist whose passions are reignited when she embeds herself in a twisty murder mystery. The show’s meticulous recreation of 1960s Baltimore is gorgeous to watch, butLady in the Lakeis no fantasy, and the recreation also shows the ugly side of the crime-ridden, racially-segregated city.
Lady in the Lakepresents an intriguing mystery that reaches into the private lives of people across many different boundaries in Baltimore. Portman’s obsessive sleuth finds herself moving and shaking in a world that she previously paid no mind to during her years in a loveless marriage. She is paired with Moses Ingram, whose equally mesmerizing performance givesLady in the Lakeanother dimension.
