10 Apple – From Elle Fanning’s messy adult-content comeback in Margo’s Got Money Troubles to Matthew Rhys wrestling a cursed island in Widow’s Bay, this Apple TV+ lineup is loaded with critically adored shows. But the list’s clearest standout is Slow Horses—an anti-glam
The streaming era keeps multiplying subscriptions until you can’t remember why you subscribed in the first place. Apple TV+ has an answer for that problem: a catalog built like a boutique—fewer shows, higher hit rate, and plenty of titles that feel crafted more than churned.
The proof sits across a standout list of Apple TV shows rated as “10/10. no notes.” The picks range from sharply written dramedies and prestige dystopian thrillers to sitcom-adjacent therapy stories and multi-generational epics—all with Rotten Tomatoes scores and Emmy hauls that signal they’re not just popular. they’re lasting.
At the very top is Slow Horses, the anti–James Bond spy show based on novels by Mick Herron. There are no gadgets or glamour. Instead. it’s about a team of disgraced MI5 spies—so-called “slow horses”—rotting in a department called Slough House. a place explicitly designed to push them out. Gary Oldman anchors the series as Jackson Lamb. the unkempt genius who leads the mess that no one can quite shut down.
What separates Slow Horses isn’t just that it’s good—it’s how reliably it delivers. Across five seasons. the show has never dropped below a 95% audience score. and Seasons 2 and 4 earned perfect 100% critic scores on Rotten Tomatoes. Each season runs six tight episodes with no filler whatsoever. The ensemble cast is equally central. including Kristin Scott Thomas and Jack Lowden. with chemistry that lands even when the plot gets tense. The show first premiered on April 1, 2022, and it remains on Apple TV+.
And while Slow Horses may be the safest bet in the bunch, the rest of the lineup keeps raising the bar.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles (2026–Present) is the charming outlier: a dramedy based on the novel by Rufi Thorpe. starring Elle Fanning as Margo. It follows a college freshman whose affair with her professor leaves her pregnant and broke. pushing her to create adult content on OnlyFans to make ends meet. The premise can sound gimmicky on purpose. but under the absurdity it leans into sex work. financial stress. addiction. and toxic family dynamics with a tender. honest approach to character rather than a quick moral lesson. The cast includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman, Greg Kinnear, and a revelation in Thaddea Graham. The series has been praised for sharp writing and Fanning’s fearless performance.
If you want warmth with a spine. Ted Lasso (2020–Present) is the proof that optimism doesn’t have to be thin. The premise—an American football coach taking over a Premier League soccer team—started as a joke. Jason Sudeikis’ version of a setup that could have stayed simple. It didn’t. Ted Lasso became a global phenomenon by using relentless optimism without drifting into cliché. Over its first three seasons. it’s tackled mental health. toxic masculinity. and grief while staying funny enough to keep viewers coming back.
The show also has the awards to match the love. Ted Lasso has won 13 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series for its first season. It holds a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score across all seasons. And the next chapter is already on the horizon: Ted Lasso Season 4. coming in late summer 2026. follows Ted as he coaches a women’s team. asking whether lightning can strike twice.
Silo (2023–Present) takes the opposite route—claustrophobic, oppressive, and built for suspense. The dystopian story is set in an underground silo built to house humanity’s last remaining survivors after a mysterious event made Earth’s surface uninhabitable. Rebecca Ferguson plays Juliette. an engineer who starts questioning the rigid rules of her world and collides with the powerful people who control it. The show has a 90% Rotten Tomatoes rating and has been recognized for its production design and complex storyline. Each episode reveals more answers while raising suspense and mystery, keeping stakes personal and the world feeling lived in.
Shrinking (2023–Present) finds its own kind of balance—laughs and emotional hits coming from the same place. Created by Bill Lawrence. Brett Goldstein. and Jason Segel. the series follows a grieving therapist (Segel) who starts breaking the rules and telling his patients exactly what he thinks. The series is built on the messy idea that radical honesty. even when it’s inappropriate. can be the first step toward real healing. Segel delivers what’s described as a career-best performance. while the revelation is Harrison Ford as his cynical mentor—hilarious. cranky. and profoundly vulnerable in a role that feels like a second act.
Shrinking has a 93% Rotten Tomatoes rating, with praise for emotional depth and sharp comedic writing. The rhythm is consistent: it understands the tight line between laughter and tears, often delivering both in the same scene.
For All Mankind (2019–Present) reimagines what happens if the Space Race never ended. The premise: an alternate history in which the Soviet Union beats the United States to the Moon. pushing NASA to accelerate its ambitions. Spanning decades, it follows astronauts, engineers, and their families as each achievement pushes humanity deeper into space. Created by Ronald D. Moore, it’s been acclaimed for pairing hard science fiction with human drama. Every season raises the stakes while delivering stunning visual effects and an optimistic vision of humanity’s future.
The list doesn’t stop at sci-fi and comedy, though. Pachinko (2022–2024) is epic in scope and intimate in impact. Based on Min Jin Lee’s acclaimed novel. it’s a Korean family saga that follows their struggle for survival and identity across four generations. The story spans occupied Korea in the early 1900s to the bustling streets of 1980s Japan. weaving timelines and languages with masterful grace.
The performances carry huge weight here. with Youn Yuh-jung as the older version of the protagonist and Kim Min-ha as the younger version. Pachinko has a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score and was named one of the best shows of the year by many critics and fans. The emotional weight of every scene is described as immense, but the show never feels heavy-handed.
Pluribus (2025–Present) leans into big-thought thriller territory. Created by Vince Gilligan—known for Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul—Pluribus is described as Apple TV’s biggest drama launch ever. Rhea Seehorn stars as Carol Sturka. a woman described as “the most miserable person on Earth.” Her mission is to save the world from happiness—because the “happiness” is actually an alien virus that has merged humanity into a single shared consciousness. consumed by absolute serenity.
Carol is immune along with twelve other people across the globe. and she doesn’t believe that this “happiness” is earned. She tries to reverse the contagion, but the story frames her as seemingly the only one convinced it’s wrong. Pluribus was the most anticipated show of 2025, and its premiere earned a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. It now holds a near-perfect 99% score and has rave reviews from critics and audiences. The series has already been renewed for a second season ahead of its premiere.
Severance (2022–Present) is where corporate horror meets metaphysical dread—without losing the show’s emotional core. The series follows Mark Scout (Adam Scott). an employee of Lumon Industries who undergoes an original procedure they invented. severing his memories and splitting his work self (“innie”) from his home self (“outie”). The story is described as a cerebral dive into dealing with problems by literally forcing yourself to forget about them.
Severance has two seasons, and it carries 68 Emmy nominations and a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score. It’s positioned as not just one of the most perfect shows on Apple TV, but one of the best shows on television.
Widow’s Bay (2026–Present) promises a surprise hit—and it arrives with genre whiplash. The horror-comedy stars Matthew Rhys as the mayor of the island community of Widow’s Bay. trying to turn his cursed island home into the next Martha’s Vineyard. The island’s curse, however, proves very real and begins waking up just as tourists start flooding in.
The show is described as managing a tightrope of being properly scary and properly funny, often in the same scene. It holds a near-perfect 98% Rotten Tomatoes score and is being hailed as the best show of the year. The sharp writing and elevated dialogue come from Katie Dippold. and producer/director Hiro Murai is credited with an expert lens for the world. The chemistry between Rhys and his eccentric supporting cast makes every scene stand out. with even scenes without him still described as electrifying.
And across the entire list, there’s a single through-line: Apple TV’s success here isn’t in volume, it’s in conviction. A catalog like this doesn’t just invite you to watch—it keeps you coming back because it consistently hits.
The editorial truth shows up in the numbers and the performances, sure. But it also shows up in the feeling each show leaves: characters you want to follow, worlds you believe, and story choices that don’t flatten human struggle into something easy.
If you’re looking for Apple TV+ worth investing in, this slate makes the case fast—and then keeps making it.
Apple TV+ Slow Horses Ted Lasso Severance Silo Shrinking For All Mankind Pachinko Pluribus Widow's Bay Margo's Got Money Troubles