Anya Taylor-Joy’s New Action-Packed Thriller Dethroned by Return of an Upbeat Icon on Streaming

Apple TV scored big with its new heist series, which has been steadily climbing the platform’s top ten charts since its release. The streamer has established a solid slate of action thrillers with standouts like Hijack, Echo 3, and Slow Horses, but the new show is, at its core, a chase story. Anya Taylor-Joy has repeatedly showcased her acting chops, starting with her career debut, The Witch. She’s also proved she can carry an action plot in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, The Gorge, and now in Lucky, Apple TV’s latest streaming hit.

Based on Marissa Stapley’s 2021 novel, Lucky stars Taylor-Joy as Luciana “Lucky” Armstrong, a con artist who’s on the run following a botched high-stakes heist. With the FBI and a ruthless mob boss on her heels, Lucky must find a way out of the mess — her life depends on it. Lucky premiered its first two episodes on Apple TV+ on July 15, followed by five more weekly episode drops until August 19. Reception to the series is overwhelmingly positive, garnering a 78% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics liked Taylor-Joy’s performance, as well as the show’s pacing.

‘Lucky’ Showcases Anya Taylor-Joy’s Physical Acting

What makes Taylor-Joy’s performance compelling is her physical acting. The series shows her always on the run and struggling. She was instructed to “run worse” to show her character’s desperation, and it’s viscerally evident on screen. Her arc does visibly progress from a hunted quarry to an animal who survives the game (if the series adapts the novel’s ending).

Lucky has been climbing Apple TV’s top ten since it entered the TV charts this week. It has now taken the second spot, outpacing Silo, Cape Fear, Widow’s Bay, and Shrinking. However, it has yet to beat the acclaimed sports comedy, Ted Lasso, which has now claimed the top spot for two consecutive days now. Ted Lasso is holding fast inside the top ten rankings for a whopping 921 days.

‘Ted Lasso’ Charms as a Fish Out of Water Series

Jason Sudeikis draws on his improv roots to embody Ted Lasso‘s titular character, an American college football coach who is unexpectedly hired to helm an English Premier League soccer team. Ted Lasso is a fish out of water who jumps into a new pond, clueless but eternally optimistic. “It is infectious to play a character who sees the best in people and isn’t mad at the world for all its foibles and bullies and shadows,” Sudeikis told The Hollywood Reporter.

Sudeikis had stated that he only had three seasons of Ted Lasso in mind, and the show did have a satisfying Season 3 finale. “The story was told. Ted went home to be with his son. I wasn’t going to have Ted uproot their life to justify the money truck. It made no sense to me,” he said, adding that it was the fans who convinced him to continue with the show, especially the fans who said the show had saved them. Season 4 premiered on Wednesday with a fresh premise — Ted coached the men’s Premier League squad for the past three seasons, but he’s taking on a new challenge in Season 4, where he’s set to coach the women’s team.