HOT TAKE: Apple TV+ is the BEST Streaming Service There Is! This is Why!
An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but Apple TV+ keeps the bad shows away.
That's right. We are going to talk about Apple TV+.
There are approximately, give or take, to give an exact approximation, ONE BILLION different streaming services. Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Amazon, Disney+...the list goes on. All of these networks are churning out new shows at an alarming rate. As is the way when there is mass production of anything, some of the shows soar and some fall flat.
Well...unless you're Apple TV+.
Apple TV+ has literally *no* flat fallers. No face plants. No bombs. No belly flops. They exclusively win.
How? And Why? And What? (Those questions are a free lesson in reporting right there!) It's not that they are putting out fewer shows and movies. They are generating an equal amount of new material, if not more. Statistically, it should be impossible that all of the content they put out becomes a secret smash-hit.
(Did she just say, "Secret"? "Secret smash-hit?")
Why yes, yes I did.
For you see, while Apple TV+ is churning out hits faster than a Puritan-era housewife churns butter (keep it up, Agatha!), the world has not been primed to eat up what the service is putting at the table. This is not to any fault of the consumer. They didn't even know they were invited to dinner.
Allow me to leave this analogy behind in order to better illustrate my point.
When asked about streaming services, Apple TV+ is likely not the first that comes to mind. While the work they are doing is absolutely excellent, it is shadowed behind the gargantuan enormity of Netflix, Hulu, and HBO. There are only so many streaming services one can expect an individual to pay for. Therefore, when people sign up for their subscriptions, they tend to lop it off after the major three, their preference airing on the side of remaining within the popular zeitgeist.
However, this lack of attention is, in my opinion, what has allowed the streaming service to flourish. It's like how you can't park when someone is watching you try to park (Just me? I'm projecting? Okay...but you get the idea). The relative anonymity of Apple TV+ has allowed them to put faith in the artists they work with, be selective about the content they create, and endow everything with a level of consistent well-crafted excellence that the other services cannot measure up to.
Apple is not known for its streaming service, but it is known for its everything else. Apple revolutionized the way we interact with technology. MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, iWatches: the modern world would not exist without Apple technology- at the very least not the modern world the way we see it today.
It is no wonder that people will think of the iPhone before thinking of Apple TV+. If you had a friend who was messing up the group chat because they didn't have a Netflix phone, it would be the same way. When the eyes, finances, and success of the company are not attached to the creative content, the service actually has room to be more creative. They are able to trust their artists and take risks because they are not solely relying on content to turn a profit.
HBO, for example, produces some of the most famously incredible shows in the modern world. (Game of Thrones, anyone?) However, their capital is based almost exclusively on the reception of the content they produce. Therefore, while they can spend the time and money to weave a cinematic masterpiece such as Euphoria, they also need room to indulge the money-grab, And Just Like That fans. (I'm just saying...Apple TV+ has not done a reboot yet.)
Apple TV+ doesn't need to convince pre-established fandoms to check out their material. They don't need to make sure that there is something there for everyone. They are allowed to hand-select content they think is good and spend time cultivating an experience. They have the luxury of time to hand pick artists and ideas that they know they are able to trust. Overall, with the financial backing of the technological giant behind the streaming service, Apple TV+ is able to take intelligent risks that other companies are not at liberty to take.
I'm not saying that other companies don't take risks. They ABSOLUTELY do. Apple TV+ simply has the time, space, and money to make sure they take only the most intelligent risks. For every time a service like Netflix takes a chance on an incredible show like Squid Game, they also need to make sure they generate 100 ALARMINGLY predictable rom-coms (Set it Up is one of my favorite movies of all time, so LITERALLY no shade, but you get what I'm saying!)
Conversely, Apple has the ability to focus all of their energy on the pitches they believe in and the shows they are passionate about. They are not trying to push content for the sake of pushing content. For example, a show like Calls is a stand alone masterpiece on Apple TV+, and there is not a reboot in sight to cover it up if it failed.
Calls is an Apple TV+ show that LITERALLY has no pictures on the screen. There is text. There are lights. There are displays and voiceovers, but there is really nothing to watch on the screen. It is absolutely brilliant and unlike anything seen on any other network.
Is it incredibly popular? No. That is exactly the point. Apple TV+ is able to take a risk on a show such as Calls without desperately trying to promote it or generate other shows to carry over an audience in the hopes of their clicking on Calls after they are done. They trust their artists to create great things because they have the money and time to do so.
ON THAT NOTE:
Apple TV+ is not desperate. I know I keep bringing up reboots, but I think it's an important point. Other streaming services are absolutely desperate to grab an audience. They resort to intrigue, scandal, and attention grabbing tropes. Every movie becomes a series and every television show has the potential to be rebooted at one time or another.
However, with this fruit-moniquered service, they can put their weight behind shows that don't have the flash and grab that are generally associated with American television.
Ted Lasso is an excellent example of this. The much-beloved show about kindness, mental health, and football in London (so...soccer for the people who couldn't put that together), got turned down by almost every other network. This show stands apart from the rest because it is just about being nice, and, typically, that is not what most shows we see here are - but there is so much heart behind the series that it can be felt by every viewer.
While the first season was not wildly popular, Apple TV+ did not freak out and begin cries to cancel it. Instead, they trusted the work and the heart. Now, the second season has swept in award show nominations. They have the ability to wait on the work they believe in to flourish.
The passion and belief in each project can be seen through the thoughtful quality of work that goes into everything they produce. In doing research for The Morning Show, the team helped to uncover a real harassment case that happened at a real news studio. The work and dedication that goes into every series shines through. They do not cut corners in the name of palatability and spectacle. They dive in deep, understanding that their audience, whoever they have, will notice and respect this.
THAT'S ANOTHER THING.
Apple TV+ genuinely feels like the last bastion of the entertainment industry that trusts its audience. They do not pander.
It's surprising that some of the shows coming out today on other networks and services don't have scoliosis, because of how low they are stooping to placate and mindlessly entertain their viewership. This service, however, dedicates itself to doing exclusively exceptional work which, in turn, attracts viewers to the quality.
People enjoy thinking. They want to be given a level to rise to. Apple TV+ trusts its viewers to respond to the unique content that their artists are putting out, and they trust that the high quality of the work will attract people when it is time.
Ultimately, Apple TV+ is the upcoming indie band of the streaming services world. Those that have subscriptions (such as myself) wander around pretentiously asking, "OMG, YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF THEM BEFORE?" They are not rushing to create a meaningless mass of content which will shower them in instant fame. They are building themselves up, slowly, with high quality content, raising the bar of media that we internationally consume.
In summation, Apple TV+ slaps, and every show on there is amazing. Check it out.
