If you’re hunting for the best TV shows on Apple TV+, you’ve likely noticed that Apple doesn’t care about having the biggest library—they care about having the highest bitrate. In 2026, Apple TV+ has become the unofficial home for “boutique” television: shows that look like $100 million movies and sound like they were mixed for a theater. When you start a series here, you aren’t just getting “content”; you’re getting a high-spec cinematic experience that actually justifies your 4K TV.
Finding the best TV shows on Apple TV+ is about looking for that specific surgical craft. We’re talking about high-concept sci-fi that respects physics, historical epics with tactile production design, and thrillers where the blocking does more work than the script. We’ve skipped the massive hits we’ve already covered in our other guides—so no Severance, Slow Horses, or Silo here. Instead, we’re digging into the 10 elite series that represent the absolute peak of the platform’s current lineup.
Best for: Viewers who want prestige streaming series with elite production value, high-bitrate visual quality, and “pro-level” directing across sci-fi and drama.
Common cinephile pain points this list solves: “Mid-tier” digital looks / Shows that feel like they were made for a phone screen / Overstuffed seasons / Missing out on the best-looking sci-fi of the decade.
Related Lists: Apple TV+ Movies That Are Quietly Great / The Best Movies on Apple TV+ Right Now / Shows That Hook You From Episode One / Perfect Shows for a Weekend Binge
What to watch for
When you jump into Apple TV+ originals, pay close attention to the spatial awareness and tactile sets. Apple tends to fund shows that use physical builds rather than just green screens, and it shows in how the actors interact with the light. Look for environmental sound design—the best 2026 series on this platform use audio to create a 360-degree world, making the silence as intense as the action.
10 best TV shows on Apple TV+
1. Foundation (2021– ) 🇺🇸🇬🇧
Director/Creator: David S. Goyer (Based on Isaac Asimov)
Plot: A brilliant mathematician predicts the inevitable fall of a galactic empire, leading a group of exiles on a century-spanning journey to preserve the knowledge of humanity.
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
Why it’s a must-watch: It is the best TV show on Apple TV+ for pure visual scale. The cinematography and VFX integration are so far ahead of everything else on television that it feels like a religious experience in 4K HDR. The blocking in the Imperial Palace is standard-setting for showing the cold, geometric power of a monarchy.
2. Pachinko (2022– ) 🇺🇸🇰🇷🇯🇵
Director/Creator: Soo Hugh (Based on Min Jin Lee)
Plot: A sweeping, multi-generational saga follows a Korean family through four generations as they migrate to Japan, fighting for identity and survival against the tides of history.
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
Why it’s a must-watch: This is visually authored historical drama. The show uses incredible transitions to jump between different time periods, often using matching blocking to show how trauma and hope echo across decades. The production design and naturalistic lighting make the past feel heavy and lived-in.
3. For All Mankind (2019– ) 🇺🇸
Director/Creator: Ronald D. Moore / Matt Wolpert / Ben Nedivi
Plot: In an alternate history where the Soviet Union reached the moon first, the global space race never ended, leading to a much faster—and more dangerous—technological evolution.
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
Why it’s a must-watch: It features pro-level tactical sci-fi. The show treats the physics of space travel with surgical realism, building tension out of mechanical failure and orbital mechanics. The pacing of the decade-jumps is handled with real discipline, showing the consequences of every choice over a long-form timeline.
4. Masters of the Air (2024) 🇺🇸
Director/Creator: John Orloff (Produced by Spielberg/Hanks)
Plot: During World War II, the men of the 100th Bomb Group—the “Bloody Hundredth”—conduct dangerous bombing raids over Nazi Germany, facing extreme cold, lack of oxygen, and the terror of air combat.
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
Why it’s a must-watch: It is claustrophobic action engineering. Most of the action takes place inside the cramped cockpits of B-17 bombers, using surgical sound design and tight blocking to show the physical toll of the missions. It captures the “spatial dread” of the sky with a technical brilliance we haven’t seen since Band of Brothers.
5. Drops of God (2023– ) 🇫🇷🇯🇵
Director/Creator: Quoc Dang Tran
Plot: The daughter of a legendary wine authority discovers that in order to claim her inheritance, she must compete in a series of sensory tests against her father’s brilliant protégé.
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
Why it’s a must-watch: It is a sensory masterpiece. The show uses creative visual metaphors and rhythmic editing to represent the taste and smell of wine, turning a quiet competition into a high-stakes psychological thriller. It’s a visually stunning series that proves you can build massive tension through the most subtle human senses.
6. Bad Sisters (2022– ) 🇮🇪
Director/Creator: Sharon Horgan / Brett Baer / Dave Finkel
Plot: Five sisters find themselves at the center of a life insurance investigation after their abusive brother-in-law dies, with the series flashing back to show their increasingly desperate attempts to protect each other.
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
Why it’s a must-watch: This is surgical tonal control. It manages to be a pitch-black comedy, a touching family drama, and a high-tension mystery all at once. The blocking in the ensemble scenes perfectly captures the chaotic bond between the sisters, making the binge-worthy engine run on pure character chemistry.
7. Presumed Innocent (2024) 🇺🇸
Director/Creator: David E. Kelley (Directed by Greg Yaitanes / Anne Sewitsky)
Plot: A horrific murder upends the Chicago Prosecuting Attorney’s office when one of its own is suspected of the crime, following the accused as he fights to keep his family and life together.
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
Why it’s a must-watch: It features clinical, high-contrast cinematography. The lighting in the courtroom and office scenes is cold and unforgiving, mirroring the protagonist’s mounting paranoia. The surgical dialogue rhythm and Jake Gyllenhaal’s physical performance turn a legal drama into a high-octane psychological thriller.
8. Dark Matter (2024– ) 🇺🇸
Director/Creator: Blake Crouch
Plot: A physicist is kidnapped into an alternate version of his life, embarking on a harrowing journey through the multiverse to get back to his true family and save them from his own double.
IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
Why it’s a must-watch: It’s high-concept sci-fi with a grounded heart. The show uses architectural production design—specifically the “Box” and the different versions of Chicago—to build a persistent sense of displacement. The pacing is relentless, focusing on the “rules” of the multiverse to build genuine, earned tension.
9. Pachinko (2022– ) 🇺🇸🇰🇷🇯🇵
Director/Creator: Soo Hugh (Based on Min Jin Lee)
Plot: A sweeping saga follows a Korean immigrant family across four generations, tracking their hopes, dreams, and struggle for identity from early 20th-century Korea to 1980s Japan.
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
Why it’s a must-watch: It features visually authored storytelling. The use of natural light, wide landscapes, and tight close-ups creates a grimy but beautiful world. The ensemble blocking and silence are used to convey the weight of history and unspoken trauma. It is one of the most technically perfect series ever made.
10. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023– ) 🇺🇸
Director/Creator: Chris Black / Matt Fraction
Plot: Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco, two siblings investigate their father’s connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch.
IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
Why it’s a must-watch: It features elite VFX scale with a pro-level script. Unlike most monster movies, the show prioritizes spatial awareness and character blocking, making the Titans feel like geographical events rather than just big pixels. The use of different film stocks for the 1950s sequences is a gorgeous bit of visual authorship.
What to watch next
Next category: TV Shows You’ll Finish Faster Than You Expect (because once you’ve cleared these Apple TV+ essentials, you’ll want some high-momentum seasons that you can crush in a single weekend).
FAQ: Best TV Shows on Apple TV+ (2026)
Q: Is Apple TV+ worth it for just the TV shows?
A: Generally, yes. Apple focuses on a “quality over quantity” model, meaning while they have fewer shows than Netflix, almost every original has a high production value and a strong directorial voice.
Q: What are the best sci-fi shows on Apple TV+?
A: Foundation, For All Mankind, and Severance are considered the “Big Three” for sci-fi fans who want smart, high-spec storytelling.
Q: Does Apple TV+ have any good comedies?
A: Yes. Ted Lasso and Bad Sisters are the biggest hits, but Shrinking and Mythic Quest are also high-craft favorites for cinephiles.