10 Best Apple TV+ Shows Of 2025 (So Far)

There are always new and exciting shows coming out every year, and Apple TV continues to release some fantastic choices. From the dramatic spy thriller “Slow Horses” to the feel-good comedy “Stick,” there’s plenty to enjoy for every viewer. We’re not surprised by how Apple TV moves forward with quality shows, as the network hints that it has more than 45 million Apple TV subscribers. With a diverse selection of TV series on Apple TV, it’s difficult to keep track of them all and decide what to watch next. 

The shows that we highlight have notably strong review scores, and many have numerous award wins and nominations. However, these choices are subjective, and it comes down to our enjoyment of these programs. Our choices range from science-fiction tales to dramatic, down-to-earth thrillers, and even notable comedies that gave us a good feeling when the credits rolled. It’s a perfect time to jump into Apple TV for anyone who gets the Apple TV and Peacock bundle. Here are 10 of the best Apple+ TV shows so far in 2025. 

“Slow Horses” is a show that surprises many when they hear about it, but we believe it’s a streaming hit. Based on the book series “Slough House,” written by Mick Herron, it’s a spy thriller that focuses on a group of MI5 agents who have failed in previous missions. For failing, they get sent to Slough House, but find plenty of opportunities to defend Britain in this new role. The show launched in 2022 with positive praise, with a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score. It’s not as widely discussed as other notable shows, such as “Game of Thrones,” despite earning 16 awards and 88 nominations. Still, in its fifth season, “Slow Horses” continues to inject levity into a dark world while keeping the suspense front and center. It stars Gary Oldman in the leading role, alongside Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas, Saskia Reeves, and Christopher Chung.

The current fifth season is based on the book “London Rules,” and kicks off with an armed assailant with an assault rifle opening fire on a crowd outside the flat of Slough House agent Roddy.  With his involvement in question, as many believe he has become compromised, Slough House goes into lockdown. The plot is fast-paced, filled with plenty of action, and concludes with a rewarding ending, sprinkled with plenty of laughs that keep it widely entertaining.

For those who want to lean into dark comedy, a fantastic show that blew up in early 2025 is “The Studio.” It’s a fascinating perspective on what goes on behind the scenes of large movie studio decisions, with executive producers and board members carefully navigating the line between making money and creating artistic films. While “The Studio” has only a single season, it’s a highly talked-about show, boasting a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It has also achieved considerable success, winning 31 awards and receiving 50 nominations, which iswhy we predicted it would be the most talked-about show on Apple.

The series focuses on Matt Remick, played by Seth Rogen, as he becomes the head of Continental Studios. Earning the job of head of a studio has always been his dream, but the reality is vastly different from what he’s expected. He finds himself having to navigate the complex politics of meeting the demands of the corporate machine that funds these movies, while trying to maintain his artist’s desire to produce meaningful films. Much of the plot is inspired by Rogen’s personal experiences in Hollywood, carefully interwoven with his unique comedic timing. While Rogen takes the spotlight, he’s joined by a phenomenal ensemble cast, featuring Catherine O’Hara, Kathryn Hahn, Ike Barinholtz, and Chase Sui Wonders, who assist in preventing or causing mayhem along the way. It’s a series that has a strong start and has been renewed for a second season on Apple TV+.

Although it took three years for the second season of “Severance” to arrive, for many fans it was well worth the wait. The show depicts the employees at biotech corporation Lumens Industries agreeing to a procedure that separates their work personalities from their personal lives, referred to as the ‘innie’ and the ‘outie’. The innie works at Lumens on the severed floor, allowing the outie to receive control after they depart. It’s a dark premise brought to life by executive producer  Ben Stiller, along with creator and showrunner Dan Erickson, which shows how these different personalities deal with each other, and it explores the seedier work happening behind the Lumens corporation.

The show focuses on a strong cast of Adam Scott as Mark, Zach Cherry as Dylan, Britt Lower as Helly, Tramell Tillman as Seth Milchick, and John Turturro as Irving, who all work on the severed floor. The second season focuses more on what’s happening with Lumens Industries as the cast dives deeper into learning how the lives of their innies and outies clash. The first season received critical acclaim, with a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and the second season continues to enjoy fan reception, earning a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Along with high praise, the series has won 36 awards while receiving 150 nominations.

“Platonic”, another Seth Rogen-fueled adventure on Apple TV+, is a sharp comedy centered around a pair of childhood best friends who grow apart and attempt to reconnect with each other in adulthood. Rogen stars as Will, who is going through a divorce, and his old friend Sylvia, played by Rose Byrne, learns this through social media and decides to reignite their friendship. The witty show focuses on how these two attempt to rediscover and make it work, even as it fuels some of their more destructive personality traits. They navigate these murky waters while also balancing the responsibilities of adulthood and family life. On paper, it’s easy to see why it could fly under everyone’s radar until they sit down and watch it themselves.

The first season of “Platonic” received high praise from critics, with a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. The recently released second season surpassed this overall rating with a 100% score, but only from 28 reviewers. Still, the on-screen chemistry between Rogen and Byrne remains a significant highlight, as the show’s writing explores how these two manage their chaotic friendship. It’s a clever approach to exploring the difficulties of maintaining a modern friendship between two people, especially for those of the opposite sex, without it becoming romantic.

“The Morning Show” is another powerful example of a human-focused story. It’s also a more established entry, having released its first season in 2019, with the show currently in its fourth season and an approved fifth season on the horizon. The plot centers on the cast of The Morning Show, a morning news program set in Manhattan, revealing the seedy behind-the-scenes life of its principal characters, the morning show hosts. It explores themes of how a news network handles current events, including racial inequality, sexism, and corporate politics — relevant topics in an ever-changing media landscape. 

“The Morning Show” stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon in leading roles, alongside Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Néstor Carbonell. The fourth season centers on the ramifications of the choice made by Alex Levy, played by Aniston, as she develops a merger for their news network with the United Broadcast Network. The fourth season received generally positive reviews, with a 70% score on Rotten Tomatoes by 33 reviewers. Despite not receiving fantastic scores, it’s a well-respected series that has won 20 awards and received 122 nominations.

If you’re keen for science fiction with some political “Game of Thrones” flair, “Foundation” is a superb choice, based on the “Foundation” book series, written by Isaac Asimov. Set in the far future, humans have traveled and colonized much of the known galaxy, which is now controlled by an empire. The real meat of the series focuses on mathematician Hari Seldon, played by Jared Harris. He has created a science known as psychohistory, which allows him to predict the future. He predicts numerous impending crises that lead to the fall of humanity, forcing him and his followers to form the Foundation with the intention of protecting humanity and opposing the tyrannical Empire. Harris stars alongside Lee Pace, Lou Llobell, Leah Harvey, Cassian Bilton, Terrence Mann, and Isabella Laughland.

“Foundation” is a meticulous television show that many enjoyed in its first season, but had a slow start as there was a decent amount of setup to anchor viewers. As the series finds its footing, it only becomes grander as the Foundation and Empire clash against each other in this intergalactic chess match. The first season received a 72% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 89 reviews, while the most recent third season has a 91% from 23 reviews.

For those who enjoy historical stories, “Chief of War” offers a fresh perspective, focusing on the indigenous people of Hawaii. Taking place in the late 18th century, this story recounts the unification of the four Hawaiian kingdoms, as the tale begins with divisive wars and politics among native factions. There’s a significant amount of ruthless betrayal that occurs between them as King Kamehameha tries to unify Hawaii. However, these warring kingdoms also contend with the slow arrival of outside colonizers, who begin to make their presence known on the islands. “Chief of War” explores the challenging politics of the Hawaiians as they settle these differences, focusing on a singular enemy.

Jason Momoa produces and stars as Ka’iana, alongside Luciane Buchanan, Te Ao o Hinepehinga, Te Kohe Tuhaka, Mainei Kinimaka, Temuera Morrison, and many others. Only in its first season, “Chief of War” received a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes from 48 reviewers. It was initially promoted to serve as a miniseries on Apple TV, but Momoa teased that there could be the possibility of a second and third on the horizon.

“Murderbot” is a diabolical science fiction show that features plenty of dark comedy. A SecUnit, which calls itself Murderbot, played by Alexander Skarsgård, secretly unlocks emotions and free will. However, it needs to avoid revealing these newfound feelings for fear of its creator destroying it. To avoid detection, it joins a mission to protect researchers on a remote planet. Although it spends most of its day watching television reruns of an in-universe series called “Sanctuary Moon,” which we’d love to see as much as “Murderbot” season 2. As humans slowly become suspicious of Murderbot’s activities, growing tension and distrust within the research team create conflict. It’s an insightful story about how a robot designed to kill grapples with these emerging emotions, and how they develop with unorthodox scientists and several bits of sharp humor along the way.

As bloody as “Murderbot” is, there’s a lot of heart within the plot. The relationship with the scientists and Murderbot is a significant driving force, and the performances from the cast make it a worthwhile adventure. Starring alongside Skarsgård are Noma Dumezweni, David Dastmalchian, Sabrina Wu, Akshay Khanna, Tamara Podemski, and Tattiawna Jones. Viewers can look forward to a second season in the future, and the first season received a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Smoke” is a crime thriller inspired by events shared on the Firebug podcast, a true-crime series about a serial arsonist in Southern California. The show focuses on the complex mystery surrounding a pair of serial arsonists and the destructive mayhem they leave behind. Only finding cold leads, arson investigator Dave Gudsen, played by Taron Egerton, works with Detective Michelle Calderone, played by Jurnee Smollett, as they reluctantly work the case together. The show follows their difficult journey of tracking down these arsonists, spending a good amount of time showing how these characters have complicated relationships with others, and no one is good. The narrative for “Smoke” never loses sight of the true mystery but keeps viewers guessing with messy characters along the way.

With the first season of “Smoke” available in 2025, it has received generally positive reviews, with a 74% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Created by Dennis Lehane, one of the executive producers behind “Boardwalk Empire” and “Black Bird” miniseries, a second season is planned, along with a third-season arc, but it requires approval from Apple. Still, it’s a great miniseries to enjoy time on the couch and guess how the heroes find their way to solve this mystery, and the trouble they manage along the way.

For those with a warm spot in their heart for the “Ted Lasso” series, “Stick” sparks a lot of the same good feelings around the sport of golf. Starring Owen Wilson as Pryce Cahill, a professional golfer whose career ends due to an emotional meltdown on live television, finds a chance to redeem himself when he meets promising young golfer Santi Wheeler, played by Peter Drager. Cahill sees plenty of promise behind Wheeler’s career and his talent with golf. Wanting to give Wheeler the chance Cahill missed out on, there are plenty of endearing moments as he finds friends in this adventure, while also getting something he’s never had from playing the game before. Similar to “Ted Lasso”, the emotions are vibrant and meaningful with “Stick”, but the laughs are always close by, especially from the charismatic depiction of Cahill by Wilson, as he’s joined by Marc Maron, Lilli Kay, and Mariana Treviño.

For the first season, “Stick” has plenty of promise, and reviewers were positive with an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. Apple has already greenlit a second season for the series, meaning the writers may have the leeway to take bigger risks and veer away from the traditional sports stereotypes we’ve come to expect from comedies like this.