One of the most exciting streaming services to monitor for new TV shows and movies is Apple TV Plus, which focuses a lot more on quality than quantity. In fact, as What to Watch's streaming expert, I do keep a close eye on what Apple has coming up, and it's recently begun announcing its 2025 slate.
After having a relatively quiet November and December, Apple TV Plus is apparently set to have as big a 2025 as it did in 2024, and it's announcing and renewing TV shows at a record pace.
To give you some ideas as to the shows you should keep an eye out for in 2025 (and a movie, which I'm personally really interested in), I rounded up some of the new shows that Apple has announced so far.
These are the series which I'm most excited for, maybe for their premise or star power or the names behind the camera.
A few stipulations, before you get concerned that something is missing: this is only for new Originals (so no returning shows), and ones which have a confirmed release date from Apple itself. I'm looking forward to Foundation season 3 as much as the next person, but at the time of writing in mid-December 2024, Apple hasn't said when that's coming out yet.
Prime Target
We start with something that feels like a show Netflix would make: Prime Target is an espionage thriller about an unsuspecting but smart worker thrown into a conspiracy.
Debuting early in the year on Wednesday, January 22 (a day in the week Apple usually saves for its comedies), Prime Target stars Leo Woodall and Quintessa Swindell.
The former plays a math student who's almost created a code which could give him access to every computer in the world. He's pursued by an unknown force trying to stop him but an NSA agent joins forces with him to unwrap the conspiracy.
The Gorge
My sole movie on this list was added because it fits into a genre I really like: creature action-horror feature. It was directed by Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson ands tars Anya Taylor Joy and Miles Teller.
The Gorge is about two snipers, who are positioned in towers in opposite sides of a massive gorge in order to stop a mysterious creature from coming out. They're not meant to make contact but that slowly changes as they befriend each other, however that makes their job even harder.
So you've got monsters, you've got mystery (what's in the gorge?) and some character drama too. Sounds like a recipe for something fun, but there's more.
Most of Apple TV Plus' admittedly-sparse movie output is awards-bait, and the rest are iffy action or comedy series. This promises to be a bit different from the rest as, as far as I can tell, it's Apple's first horror
Dope Thief
Apple has another crime drama coming in the form of Dope Thief, which looks a lot less espionage-y and a lot more like a gritty crime thriller.
Starring Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura, Dope Thief is about two criminals who rob an unremarkable house by posing as DEA agents. Except this house isn't unremarkable, and it's actually a base for a huge drug ring.
The two friends must try to survive this dangerous mistake while, maybe, learning something in the process.
That's an interesting premise for a series already, especially with Apple keeping vague the stakes and nemesis. I'm also drawn to the show by the fact that Ridley Scott directed an episode, and that established writer Peter Craig is the showrunner.
The Studio
Apple is apparently taking aim at its rival, the studio movie business, in The Studio which comes out on Wednesday, March 26.
The Studio is about the fictional Continental Studios struggling to stay relevant. Not helping matters is the fact that the studio is in a constant power struggle, their artists are all nightmares to work for and the corporate powers that be just want to make a lot of money.
Enter Matt Remick, played by Seth Rogen. When he's appointed as head of the studio he needs to turn it into a success, any way he can.
This show is billed as a comedy, and so the combination of genre and star power draws me to it (Olivia Wilde, Rebecca Hall, Steve Buscemi, Ike Barinholtz, Martin Scorcese, Ron Howard Catherine O'Hara, Bryan Cranston, Chase Sui Wonders and Kathryn Hahn all appear in first-look images, though it's not clear if they play themselves or someone else). Plus, as a movie fan, I always like watching comedies about the making of movies.
Your Friends & Neighbors
Jon Hamm leads his latest TV show on Friday, April 11 with Apple's Your Friends & Neighbors, a brand-new drama which Apple's synopsis suggests could also be a thriller.
Your Friends & Neighbors is about a man who's down on his luck, played by Hamm. He used to be a hedge fund manager and he used to be married, but now he's none of those things.
In order to continue living a life of luxury he begins robbing homes in his fancy neighborhood, however he gains a lot more than he bargained for when he begins to discover dangerous secrets.
It sounds like a neat premise for a drama thriller, particularly if these heists are elaborate! Amanda Peet and Olivia Munn also star.
Government Cheese
Starting less than one week after our last show is Government Cheese, so the two might go hand-in-hand in your weekly watching playlist. At debuts on Wednesday, April 16.
Starring David Oyelowo, Government Cheese is about a man called Hampton who's released from prison. He tries to reunite with his family, but they've become very tight-knit since his incarceration, and he has to try hard to return to the fold.
The show is ostensibly a comedy, with the laughs apparently coming from Hampton's family who have dreams that are much bigger than their means. It's set in 1969 and what draws me to this show is its air of mid-20th-century suburbia which, by modern standards, is ripe for comedy.
Plus, judging by the first-look images, it seems to be a lot more slapt
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