Best Apple TV Plus shows: 23 great Apple TV+ shows to watch

Ted Lasso is one of the loveliest TV shows we have seen in a while. If you are in the UK it's a slightly strange look at a US American football coach that comes over the pond to teach a ragtag team of footballers. Lasso is an optimist and you can't help but be caught up in the way he looks at life. And, even though it's US made, it portrays the UK pretty darn well.

The Morning Show, is a drama set behind the scenes at, you guessed it, a morning TV news show. Starring Jennifer Aniston in her first series since Friends, the show also stars Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell as the journalistic drama unfolds. If this show was on something like Netflix (as in a service that's a bit more popular) then it would have been given all the accolades for its themes of workplace sexual harassment and all that goes with it. The second season of the show is streaming now.

Defending Jacob sees Chris Evans swap spandex for the courtroom in a mini series about a family defending their son from being accused of killing another classmate. It's a harrowing watch at times, given the subject matter but it's great to see Evans step away from the big budgets and do something a little more nuanced. The show is based on the best-selling novel by William Landay.

The Apple TV Plus launch saw the world premiere of the See trailer, an exclusive Apple TV series starring Jason Momoa and Oscar nominee Alfre Woodard. Depicting a civilisation based hundreds of years in the future who have lost the ability to see, the show follows a new generation who are miraculously born with their sight intact. It's a gritty endeavor by Apple, one that isn't altogether successful but at least you know there will be more as a second season has been commissioned.

Depicting how the world would have turned out had Russia beaten the US to landing a man on the moon, For All Mankind begins in the 60s, tracking the out-of-this-world challenge. The series continues as technology advances and decades pass, with plenty of action and drama for good measure

Created by Tony Basgallop, Servant focuses on a Philadelphia couple in mourning after the loss of their child. It's a bit of a dark one to say the least, with a mysterious force getting involved - we're not saying any more, we're not going to give it all away. Featuring Lauren Ambrose, Toby Kebbell, and Rupert Grint, it has an impressive line-up.

Mythic Quest is a fun show that strives to be like Silicon Valley, charting a video game company as they release, and try to stay on top of, their game Mythic Quest. It's made by Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney who created the fantastic It's Only Sunny In Philadelphia and while it doesn't hit those heights, it's a great watch. The second season of the show is available now and it continues to be one of the funniest things on TV right now.

Apple teased the highly anticipated Dickinson trailer in advance of the announcement - and it was right too - this is a laugh-a-minute. Starring Hailee Steinfeld as rebellious poet Emily Dickinson, the comedy series follows is a melting pot of modern day comedy and traditional attire.

Following a remarkably similar plot line to the hit podcast Serial, Truth Be Told follows the story of a podcast maker who sets out to unravel an unsolved cold-case murder. A dramatic adaptation of the book Are You Sleeping: A Novel by Kathleen Barber, this is a must-watch for fans of true crime podcasts and tv shows.

Home Before Dark is the sort of old-school family TV that you yearn for. The premise is great: a nine-year-old budding journalist heads back with her family to the town her dad grew up in. There she begins to uncover secrets about a cold case from way back. The episodes could do with being a bit shorter but this is a great tale of a child whose way more advanced than her years give her credit for, and what happens when she begins to search for the truth.

One of the very best things on Apple TV Plus right now, Severance is a show by Ben Stiller based in a dystopia where a shadowy company allows its workers to literally disconnect their work life and personal life, so each side of their minds doesn't know what the other is doing. It's both dark and funny and needs to be watched by all.

A comedy set around infertility doesn't really sound like a comedy but it's a fantastic premise for Trying. Rafe Spall and Esther Smith are trying for a child and this show shows what happens when maybe adoption is the answer. With a focus on their relationship and how it deals with new pressures, this is a real must watch, with a second season set for May 2021.

A show focusing on the immigrants of America trying to make it in the country has never felt so relevant - and that's what makes Little America a joy to watch. Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon and Lee Eisenberg have created an anthology series that focuses on eight separate stories, each dealing with a culture clash of sorts between those who have spent their whole lives in the US and those who came there seeking something. This particularly resonates in the brilliant The Grand Expo Winners, a tale of Chinese mother who watches her kids who have embraced America drift from her. Every episode, though, is worth a watch.

Taking the route of a documentary, the feature-length film The Elephant Queen focuses on the extinction of one of the world’s most majestic creatures. Narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor, this epic and beautiful piece of cinema first wowed audiences at the Toronto International Film Festival and is set to air in living rooms across the country imminently.

Beastie Boys Story is as much about Beastie Boys the band as it is about their friendship and their life growing up together. Focusing on the ever-changing music the rappers have released, this is a poignant, eclectic watch - thanks to long-time collaborator Spike Jonze directing the thing. Fantastic stuff.

Amazing Stories is an updated version of Spielberg's classic hit show. It is an anthology series that "transports the audience to worlds of wonder through the lens of today’s most imaginative filmmakers, directors and writers." The first five episodes were directed by the likes of Hollywood director Susanna Fogel, Michael Dinner (who also directed an episode of Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams) and Game of Thrones director Mark Mylod. As it's an anthology, some of the episodes are hit and miss but Spielberg's wonder is apparent throughout.

Recently renewed for a second season, After Party is as inventive as it gets. It's a comedy that centres on a murder mystery that takes place at an after party, each episode takes on its on style and genre. This is from one of the makers of The LEGO Movie (Christopher Miller) and it has their playfulness beating throughout. Superb stuff.

Bruce Springsteen's Letter To You gets the documentary treatment and it's a compulsive watch, focusing on the making of the album and Springsteen's long and fantastic history with the E Street Band. Apple really knows how to make a music doc and we hope to see more of them on Apple TV Plus.

Central Park is a new animated sitcom from the minds behind Bob's Burgers. While it's not quite on the same level of that masterpiece, it's a lot of fun. It revolves around a family of caretakers living in Central Park who stand in the way of developers. There's musical aspects to the show and it isn't without controversy. Kristen Bell recently revealed she will (quite rightly) no longer lend her voice to mixed race character Molly Tillerman.

This is a fantastic documentary which really showcases what a genius Billie Eilish is - and how awesome her dad is, too! It's an intimate look at the singer/songwriter and reminds you just how young she is and what the industry can give and take from someone. The behind-the-scenes looks at her songs are fantastic.

Well, this is an absolute joy. Apple TV Plus has rebooted Fraggle Rock and the result is an hilarious, warm and fuzzy show. Unlike the 5-minute episodes Apple TV Plus released in 2020 there are 13 full-length episodes here and you'll love every single last one of them.

The Book Club was once a golden part of Oprah's daytime TV show - and now it's been given the screen time it deserves. Starring, you guessed it, Oprah Winfrey (who will always feature alongside Lorraine Kelly as the Queen of daytime TV), the show is a must watch Apple TV+ addition.

Telling the tale of Pakistani-American teenager Hala, the show depicts the conflict that occurs in balancing personal desire with the various obligations that surround family and religion. Joining the platform a few weeks after launch, this is a show that also depicts a central character with a dark secret