2024 was a fruitful year for Apple TV+: several hit series, projects from major auteurs like Alfonso Cuarón and Martin Scorsese, Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. This and more in the year-end review for the streaming service.
We sum up the year for one of our favorite streaming services — Apple TV+.
A Bit of Statistics
In 2024, Apple TV+ released 67 projects. Among them:
- 8 original films: “Argylle: Super Spy”, “Blitz”, “Sacred Dance”, “Fly Me to the Moon”, “Killers of the Flower Moon”, “Napoleon” (there is also a director's cut, but we count it as one film), “The Instigators”, “Wolfs”;
- 25 new series: “Bad Monkey”, “The Past”, “Constellation”, “Criminal Record”, “Dark Matter”, “Disclaimer”, “Franklin”, “Lady in the Lake”, “The New Look”, “Land of Women”, “Manhunt”, “Masters of the Air”, “Me”, “Midnight Family”, “Palm Royale”, “Presumed Innocent”, “Sugar”, “Sunny”, “The Big Cigar”, “The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin”, “The New Look: Revolution of Style”, “Time Bandits”, “Where Is Wanda?”, “Women in Blue”, “Would You Do It?”;
- 10 returning series: “Acapulco” (Season 3), “The Garvey Sisters” (Season 2), “Jane” (Season 2), “The Woman in the Wall” (Season 2), “The Long Road” (Season 2), “Shrinking” (Season 2), “Silo” (Season 2), “Slow Horses” (Season 4), “The Premonition” (Season 2), “Trying” (Season 4);
- 24 documentary projects and animated series: from the continuation of Eugene Levy's show to a film about Steve Martin.
Blunder of the Year — The Announced and Then Canceled Sequel to “Wolfs”
At first it was love at first sight, news about the most-watched film on the streaming service and an announcement of an inevitable sequel. Then the sequel was quietly shelved, and the original director Jon Watts spoke unflatteringly about the streaming service's bosses. We'll likely never know exactly what went wrong, but the fact remains — this is the biggest disappointment of the year.
Best Film of the Year According to Apple TV+ Russia Subscribers — “Killers of the Flower Moon”
An outstanding film in every respect, Martin Scorsese's masterpiece made waves back in 2023 when it had a limited theatrical release just in time for Oscar consideration. But it only joined the Apple TV+ catalog in 2024, where “Killers of the Flower Moon” had virtually no real competition — the Hollywood maestro's release was so strong, as confirmed by subscribers of the Telegram channel Apple TV+ Russia. And even in our editorial vote for the best film of last year, Scorsese's film came out on top.
Best New Series of the Year According to Apple TV+ Russia Subscribers — “Dark Matter”
Apple TV+ has almost become synonymous with sci-fi. It's here that the most interesting, bold, and striking science fiction series have been released in recent years. So it's no surprise that the best series of 2024 was named a sci-fi series in which Joel Edgerton's character explores the multiverse, confronts other versions of himself, and ponders the phenomenon of “Schrödinger's cat.”
Apple TV+ continues to delight with intelligent sci-fi, releasing the series “Dark Matter” about Joel Edgerton fighting Joel Edgertons for the right to live with Jennifer Connelly and simple
Open materialSecond place in the vote went to the legal drama with Jake Gyllenhaal “Presumed Innocent”, and third place to “Sugar”, a cinephile neo-noir with Colin Farrell.
The table with all voting stages is available at the link:
New Series That Won't Get a Continuation
We won't talk about miniseries for obvious reasons, but let's recall projects that had potential for continuation but won't get it.
First and foremost, this is the series with Rashida Jones, a melancholic sci-fi thriller with elements of black comedy. Perhaps this crazy mix of genres didn't appeal to everyone (although critics rated the series even higher than “Dark Matter,” which got a continuation). Perhaps Apple TV+ bosses weren't pleased with the show's viewership statistics. Either way, we say goodbye to the cute robot who is quick-witted and will stand up for its owner.
“Sunny” is a new Apple TV+ series about a grief-stricken woman and her robot. We tell you why this quirky mix of comedy, thriller, and a story in the spirit of “Tokyo Police” is truly
Open material
also go to rest, despite the potential to be a long-running series. Its concept of time travel and visits to various important events in world history was too suitable for that. The series was liked by critics but didn't quite captivate the audience (only 50% on Rotten Tomatoes), which, combined with expensive (rumored) production, didn't help the project get the green light for a new season.
From the fate of the main character's parents to various historical figures – we tell you how the new “Time Bandits” differs from Terry Gilliam's timeless classic.
Open material
“Constellation” with Noomi Rapace as an astronaut turned out to be a typical middle-of-the-road show. It doesn't reach for the stars, it feels derivative, but on the other hand, you don't want to outright criticize it either. This feeling is reinforced by the project's ratings from critics (71% on RT) and audiences (63% on RT). Western journalists say that the reason for the cancellation could be the simple oversaturation of Apple TV+'s catalog with sci-fi projects.
More International Projects
Obviously, Apple TV+'s strategy is aimed not only at launching premium shows with Hollywood stars like “Presumed Innocent” and “Sugar,” but also at reaching an international audience. In this regard, more and more non-English language series are appearing in the streaming catalog.
If last year we were particularly thrilled by the Franco-Japanese project “Drops of God”, then in 2024 we watched the German series “Where Is Wanda?”, the Spanish projects “Would You Do It?” and “Midnight Family”, the Mexican crime drama “Women in Blue”, and the French “The New Look”.
This trend can only be welcomed, as European authors are often bolder in their decisions and offer more original stories. And with the support of a media giant like Apple, they have a chance to reach a larger audience.
“Moved from Series to Series” of the Year — Brett Goldstein
The star of “Ted Lasso,” Brett Goldstein, who is known to be generated by neural networks, ended up in another streaming hit this year, namely “Shrinking.” The actor changed his role and was no longer the brutal, albeit vulnerable inside, character we were used to seeing; he played a character responsible for the death of Jason Segel's character's wife. Interestingly, Goldstein will appear in another Apple TV+ project next year, for which he himself wrote the script.
By analogy, we can note Cristo Fernández from the same “Ted Lasso,” who this year joined the cast of the series “Acapulco,” where he played the fiancé of the main character's daughter.
Cinephilia of the Year — “Sugar”
No other project in 2024 could boast as many references and homages as the series “Sugar.” It's as if they compiled an encyclopedia of the noir genre for beginners and those who want to get closer to this direction of classic Hollywood.
We wrote a separate article about all the films that were mentioned in one way or another in “Sugar”:
Scale of the Year — “Silo”
For the second season of “Silo” with Rebecca Ferguson, the creators built the second largest aquarium in all of the UK. This approach is truly impressive. No wonder Apple TV+ is placing such big bets on the series, having already renewed it for seasons 3 and 4, which will be the final ones for the show.
Multiverse of the Year — “Shrinking”
While “Dark Matter” presented a quasi-scientific interpretation of the concept of “multiverse,” the series “Shrinking” gave viewers a cinephile multiverse. The fact is that in the second season, the show featured Cobie Smulders from “How I Met Your Mother,” the very sitcom from which the lead actor Jason Segel also comes. Ironically, in the cult show, their characters barely interacted, so they were given a chance to make up for lost time in another project.
Golden Globe Nominees from Apple TV+
On January 5, 2025, the winners in television categories will be determined at the Golden Globes. Among the “Apple” projects, “Slow Horses” and “Disclaimer” have the best chances.
- Best Television Series (Drama)
“Slow Horses”
- Best Television Film, Series, or Miniseries
“Disclaimer”
- Best Actor in a Drama Series
Gary Oldman (“Slow Horses”)
Jake Gyllenhaal (“Presumed Innocent”)
- Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy
Jason Segel (“Shrinking”)
- Best Supporting Actor
Harrison Ford (“Shrinking”)
Jack Lowden (“Slow Horses”)
- Best Actress in a Miniseries/Anthology/Television Film
Cate Blanchett (“Disclaimer”)
- Best Actor in a Miniseries/Anthology/Television Film
Kevin Kline (“Disclaimer”)
That was 2024 on Apple TV+. And in 2025, we can expect the long-awaited continuation of “Severance,” the star-studded series “The Studio” from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, Scott Derrickson's thriller “The Gorge” with Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy, and much more. So it will be interesting.
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