Jason Momoa. Reese Witherspoon. Snoopy. What do these cultural icons all have in common?
Well, unless you’re as glued to your armory of Apple products and services as the rest of humanity is, you’ll be excited to learn that Momoa, Witherspoon and Snoopy are each the stars of their own Apple TV+ original series.
The platform commences in Australia on November 2. It will cost $7.99 a month.
Perhaps the most interesting element of Apple’s streaming service is that all its content is entirely original, in contrast to Netflix and Stan’s acquisition of TV and film from the past. Zack Vam Amburg, Apple’s head of Worldwide Video, announced that the company will be presenting “all-original stories from the best, brightest, and most creative minds,” adding that “we know viewers will find their new favourite show or movie on our service.”
Could the Jason Momoa-led See be your next favourite show? It’s an epic drama set “600 years in the future, after a virus has decimated humankind and rendered the remaining population blind.” The sci-fi dystopia sounds like a solid shot at the empty ‘sprawling fantasy epic’ programming slot left behind by Game Of Thrones.
Notably, the service is also launching with not one but two series about the majesty and importance of space exploration – one for family audiences (Snoopy In Space) and one for older, idealistic sci-fi optimists, entitled For All Mankind. Battlestar Galactica showrunner Ronald D Moore’s new show imagines what contemporary society would look like if “the global space race never ended, and the space program remained the cultural centrepiece of America’s hopes and dreams.”
Elsewhere, Apple TV+ seems to be focusing some of its content on celebrity personalities with proven TV appeal, such as a new televised version of Oprah Winfrey’s Oprah’s Book Club, and the buzzworthy The Morning Show drama series, starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.
Apple seems to be pinning their highest hopes on this “cutthroat drama,” extensively advertising the show and its trio of stars – Aniston, Witherspoon, and Steve Carrell. It will “explore the world of morning news and the misguided search for power behind the people who help America wake up in the morning.” Interestingly, the show will be entitled The Morning Wars in Australia only, to distinguish it from the network morning show of the same name.
Viewers in over 100 countries and regions will be able to make up their own minds about all of these original titles and more on November 1. The platform’s original pricing scheme starts at $7.99 a month. See below for a full lineup of the Apple TV+ originals, which will be immediately available to subscribers. And also a short list of the releases that will appear in the next few months, including a new psychological thriller from M. Night Shyamalan.
- See, an epic drama starring Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard, is set 600 years in the future after a virus has decimated humankind and rendered the remaining population blind. When all humanity has lost the sense of sight, humans must adapt and find new ways to survive.
- Morning Wars, a cutthroat drama starring and executive produced by Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, and starring Steve Carell, explores the world of morning news and the ego, ambition and the misguided search for power behind the people who help America wake up in the morning.
- Dickinson, a darkly comedic coming-of-age story, explores the constraints of society, gender and family through the lens of rebellious young poet, Emily Dickinson.
- For All Mankind, a new series from Ronald D. Moore, imagines what would have happened if the global space race never ended and the space program remained the cultural centrepiece of America’s hopes and dreams.
- Helpsters, a new children’s series from the makers of “Sesame Street,” stars Cody and a team of vibrant monsters who love to help solve problems. It all starts with a plan.
- Snoopy in Space, a new original from Peanuts Worldwide and DHX Media, takes viewers on a journey with Snoopy as he follows his dreams to become an astronaut. Together, Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the Peanuts crew take command of the International Space Station and explore the moon and beyond.
- Ghostwriter, a reinvention of the beloved original series, follows four kids who are brought together by a mysterious ghost in a neighbourhood bookstore, and must team up to release fictional characters from works of literature.
- The Elephant Queen, an acclaimed documentary film and cinematic love letter to a species on the verge of extinction, follows a majestic matriarch elephant and her herd on an epic journey of life, loss and homecoming.
- Oprah Winfrey joins the world’s most compelling authors in conversation as she builds a vibrant, global book club community and other projects to connect with people around the world and share meaningful ways to create positive change.
More Apple TV+ originals will be added to the Apple TV app each month, including:
- Servant, a new psychological thriller from M. Night Shyamalan, follows a Philadelphia couple in mourning after an unspeakable tragedy creates a rift in their marriage and opens the door for a mysterious force to enter their home.
- Truth Be Told, a gripping new series starring Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer and Emmy Award winner Aaron Paul, explores America’s obsession with true crime podcasts and navigates urgent concerns about privacy, media and race.
- Little America, inspired by the true stories featured in Epic Magazine, brings to life the funny, romantic, heartfelt, inspiring and surprising stories of immigrants in America.
- The Banker, a feature film inspired by a true story, stars Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson as two African American entrepreneurs who try to circumvent the racial limitations of the 1950s and quietly provide housing loans to the African American community in Jim Crow Texas. Nia Long and Nicholas Hoult also star.
- Hala, a feature film and official selection of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, follows a high school senior struggling to balance being a suburban teenager with her traditional Muslim upbringing.
