From the new season of 'Severance' to a horror with Anya Taylor-Joy — here are the best movies and series of 2025 on Apple TV.
2025 has been a fruitful year for Apple TV (now without the +) — the streaming service managed to release a batch of real hits that are impossible to stop watching. While other platforms churned out yet another franchises and reboots, the Apple service bet on originality: here you have a drama with Matthew McConaughey about saving children from a fire, a racing blockbuster with Brad Pitt that became a box office sensation, and a sci-fi thriller from the creator of 'Breaking Bad'.
We conducted a vote in the Telegram channel Apple TV Russia, where subscribers chose the best movies and series of the year. And you know what? The competition was fierce. Let's break down what won viewers' hearts.
Best Movies of the Year from Apple TV
Bronze: 'The Lost Bus'
Matthew McConaughey returned to big cinema — and did so in a film based on real events that make your heart clench. 'The Lost Bus' from director Paul Greengrass (a master of tense thrillers like 'Green Zone' and the Bourne films) is the story of a school bus driver and a teacher who try to save 22 children from a raging wildfire.
The film is based on the book by journalist Lizzie Johnson 'Paradise: One Town's Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire' about the real Camp Fire of 2018 — the deadliest in California history. McConaughey plays Kevin McKay (name changed), a simple driver who unexpectedly finds himself at the epicenter of the disaster, and America Ferrera plays the brave teacher who refuses to abandon the children.
The premiere took place at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 5, 2025, a limited release started on September 19, and the film came out on Apple TV on October 3. The main strengths of the film are the tense storytelling and McConaughey's restrained yet powerful performance — just give him a reason to shed a tear effectively on screen. This is cinema about ordinary people who become heroes against their will, and about how fragile the line between life and death is when nature decides to show its teeth.
Silver: 'The Gorge'
Perhaps 'The Gorge' is the most romantic film of the year, despite half the runtime being about exterminating monsters like in some video game. Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy play elite snipers who guard a mysterious gorge from something horrifying lurking in its depths — and manage to fall in love with each other from a distance, while ironically reminding us of the roles that made them superstars (see 'Whiplash' and 'The Queen's Gambit').
Director Scott Derrickson (author of the first 'Doctor Strange' and horror film) created a hybrid of action, sci-fi, horror, and romance that premiered on streaming right on February 14 and instantly broke all Apple TV records. It is the most successful film launch in the platform's history — the number of unique viewers increased by 80% compared to the previous weekend. The chemistry between Teller and Taylor-Joy is so tangible that you want to believe: two people can indeed save the world, even if they are separated by an abyss — literally and figuratively.
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Open materialGold: 'F1'
Brad Pitt as a former Formula 1 driver who returns to the track to mentor a young driver and save an underdog team — sounds like the perfect formula (pardon the pun) for a summer blockbuster. And guess what? It worked a hundred percent. Director Joseph Kosinski, who gave us 'Top Gun: Maverick', made such a spectacular racing drama that it grossed over $600 million worldwide — not only the highest-grossing film of Pitt's career but also the most successful Apple Original Films release ever.
The film was released in theaters in June 2025 and became one of six releases that year to cross the $600 million mark. And in December, 'F1' royally arrived on Apple TV and immediately took first place among streaming hits in the US. Among the producers, by the way, is a seven-time Formula 1 world champion, so authenticity is top-notch. Kosinski once again proved that he knows how to film speed, adrenaline, and male friendship in a way that makes you want to run to the cinema (or turn on the streaming service) right now.
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Open materialBest Returning Series
Bronze: 'Foundation' (Season 3)
The adaptation of Isaac Asimov's iconic trilogy by Apple has always been an ambitious project — an epic space saga about the fall of the Galactic Empire and the attempt of a group of exiles to save humanity. The third season, which premiered on July 11, 2025, takes us 152 years ahead of the events of the second season. The Foundation has grown from a modest enclave into a serious force, while the Empire of the Cleon dynasty has weakened.
The new season adds a powerful warlord nicknamed 'The Mule' to the equation, who wants to conquer the universe through brute force and mind manipulation. Ten episodes were released weekly until September 12, and the cast includes new faces, including Oscar winner Troy Kotsur. 'Foundation' is not a series for everyone: it is meditative, philosophical, with dozens of storylines that intertwine over centuries. But if you are ready to immerse yourself in this universe, the reward will be generous.
Silver: 'Slow Horses' (Season 5)
The British spy thriller with Sir Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb — the cynical, rude head of the department for MI-5 agents who messed up in their main jobs — has become one of Apple TV's biggest hits. The fifth season, based on Mick Herron's novel 'London Rules', premiered on September 24, 2025.
The plot revolves around tech geek Roddy Ho, who suddenly gets a glamorous girlfriend — which immediately raises suspicions among the team. When a series of strange incidents begins to occur across the city, the inhabitants of Slough House have to figure out how it all connects. The series, which has won Emmys and BAFTAs, continues to delight with sharp British humor, tense intrigues, and Oldman, who clearly enjoys playing the most unpleasant boss in intelligence history. Six episodes — and nothing extra. We look forward to the next seasons!
Gold: 'Severance' (Season 2)
The psychological thriller about employees of Lumon Industries who voluntarily undergo the 'severance' procedure — surgical separation of work memories from personal ones — returned after almost a three-year hiatus. The second season premiered on January 17, 2025, and it was an event.
'Severance' returned to rule — the project became the most-watched series in the platform's history in terms of unique viewers. The show's return led to a 126% increase in new subscriptions in the first weeks of January compared to December 2024. Ten episodes were released weekly until March 21, and creator Dan Erickson and director Ben Stiller continued to explore the consequences of what happened in the first season finale. Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette, Christopher Walken, and the entire star team returned to plunge us even deeper into the corporate nightmare where the line between work and life is erased not metaphorically but literally. They promise that the next seasons won't take as long to wait.
Best New Series
Bronze: 'Your Friends & Neighbors'
Jon Hamm returns as the lead in a series — and chooses a project that can be described as 'what if Don Draper lost everything and started robbing his neighbors?' Andrew 'Coop' Cooper is a hedge fund manager who spent two decades building a career, only to lose everything in one day: job, reputation, family. In desperation, Coop begins robbing the homes of his wealthy neighbors in the fictional suburb of Westmont Village — and discovers that behind the perfect facades lie secrets worse than any theft.
The series from creator Jonathan Tropper premiered on April 11, 2025, with two episodes, and the rest were released weekly until May 30. It is a fascinating exploration of the fragility of the American dream and the hypocrisy of wealthy suburbs. Hamm creates a multi-layered character — simultaneously pathetic and charming, desperate and dangerous. And the fourth episode titled 'Literal Dragons' became a true highlight of the season, showing Coop's past with his wife Mel (Amanda Peet). The series has already been renewed for a second season, which will premiere on April 3, 2026.
Silver: 'Pluribus'
When the creator of 'Breaking Bad' Vince Gilligan announced a new series for Apple TV, expectations were sky-high — and 'Pluribus' delivered 100%. Rhea Seehorn, whom we remember as Kim Wexler in 'Better Call Saul', plays Carol Sturka — a bestselling author who secretly despises her own books and considers them 'mindless crap'.
But here's the catch: a strange epidemic hits Earth, making all people... happy. As the world sinks into euphoria, Carol realizes that she might be the unhappiest person on the planet — and it's up to her to save humanity from the happiness virus. Gilligan created a genre hybrid, blending science fiction, noir, and references to 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' with unexpected notes of James Ward Byrkit's 'Coherence'.
The series premiered on November 7, 2025, with two episodes, and the first season finale of nine episodes aired on December 26. Visually, 'Pluribus' plays on contrasts: the sunny, almost sterile world of the 'happy' versus the neon lights and desert landscapes of Albuquerque as Carol begins her search for the truth. A second season has already been ordered — and it is one of the most captivating series of 2025, already becoming the biggest streaming hit ever.
Gold: 'The Studio'
Seth Rogen as the head of the legendary Hollywood studio Continental Pictures, trying to balance corporate demands with his own passion for quality cinema — and this is the must-watch series of 2025 among new streaming releases. 'The Studio' premiered on March 26 with two episodes, and it immediately became clear: Apple TV has a new hit.
Created by Rogen together with Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, and Frida Perez, the series is a satire of modern Hollywood, where art battles commerce and studio bosses oscillate between commercial blockbusters and auteur cinema. Each episode is a new disaster: here Matt (Rogen's character) buys a script by Martin Scorsese about the Jonestown mass suicide in hopes of creating a new 'Barbie', there he interferes with the filming of Sarah Polley's drama with Greta Lee and jeopardizes the entire project.
The cameos are a separate delight: Scorsese, Ron Howard, Zac Efron, Charlize Theron — all play themselves and lovingly mock the system. 'The Studio' is a collective middle finger to the industry, delivered with warmth, as critic RogerEbert.com put it. Sharp, funny, ruthless, and yet a touching love letter to cinema — this is the series that became a sensation at the Emmy ceremony, taking all the top prizes in comedy categories.
Your Choice?
In 2025, Apple TV proved that you can be a small (in terms of number of titles) streaming service and still release projects that everyone talks about. From a drama about real heroes of California wildfires to a surreal thriller about a happiness virus — the range of topics turned out to be surprisingly impressive. The main thing that unites the winners of our vote is not budgets or even star names, but the willingness to take risks and tell stories that resonate.
Which Apple TV projects stood out to you the most this year? Share your favorites in the comments — it's always interesting to know what clicked with you.
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