dramas

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on dramas:

3 reasons to watch Steve McQueen’s WWII epic Blitz on Apple TV+

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A still showing Saoirse Ronan and Elliott Heffernan in the
Saoirse Ronan and Elliott Heffernan star in Steve McQueen's Blitz.
Photo: Apple TV+

Ready for a cinematic experience that transports you to the heart of London during one of its darkest hours? Consider director Steve McQueen’s Blitz, a surprisingly moving period piece now streaming on Apple TV+. As you’ll see in our Blitz review, if you’ve got holiday downtime to spare, this makes a good diversion.

The gripping film offers a powerful glimpse into the resilience of the human spirit during World War II’s London Blitz. It was a relentless bombing campaign associated with Germany’s aggressive “blitzkrieg” strategy. Here are three reasons why you should watch Steve McQueen’s Blitz.

Shrinking and Disclaimer stay hits for Apple TV+

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Harrison Ford and Jason Segel in Shrinking season 2
Harrison Ford and Jason Segel in Shrinking on Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple TV+

The Apple TV+ dramedy Shrinking stayed among the top 10 most popular streaming series for another week, according to two ratings companies. And the sexy drama Disclaimer continues to pull in a large audience, too.

Both have been among the most-watched series on streaming since they debuted.

Shrinking season 3 is on!

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“Shrinking” season two on Apple TV+
“Shrinking” season three is happening.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ reportedly renewed its comedy/drama Shrinking for season three on Thursday, continuing the teamup between Jason Segel and Harrison Ford.

Season two is streaming now. And with the new announcement, fans can enjoy it without any worries it’ll end with a cliffhanger that never gets resolved.

Shrinking season 2 finds humor in a therapist who needs a therapist [Now streaming!]

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Shrinking Season 2 on Apple TV+
The Emmy-nominated comedy drama Shrinking returned for season two on October 16, 2024 on Apple TV+.
Image: Apple

Season two of the hit Apple TV+ comedy/drama Shrinking premieres in October, with Jason Segel and Harrison Ford once again starring as therapists with problems of their own. A trailer previews the new season, with Segel’s character making progress dealing with his daughter, his crusty mentor and all his other issues.

UPDATE: The wait is over for Shrinking Season 2. It started streaming Wednesday on Apple TV+. And critics like the new episodes even more than season one, with the sophomore season of the show earning a 94% approval rating from the review-aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.

Slow Horses off and running for unprecedented sixth season on Apple TV+

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Slow Horses season 6
Four seasons of "Slow Horses are streaming, season 5 is on the way and season 6 is already approved.
Photo: Apple TV+

The acclaimed Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning spy drama series Slow Horses, starring Academy Award winner Gary Oldman, gallops toward a green-lighted sixth season even as season 4 just concluded October 9, Apple TV+ said Tuesday. This continues a trend. Season 5 won approval right after the season 3 finale — well before season 4 aired. And it also makes Slow Horses the streamer’s longest-running show by number of seasons. Though admittedly, at six episodes apiece, they’re not long seasons.

“Audiences around the world have fallen in love with the Slow Horses, and I’m delighted that Gary Oldman will be leading this star-studded cast on another acerbic and action-packed adventure,” said Jay Hunt, creative director, Europe, Apple TV+.

Wolfs immediately becomes most popular film on streaming

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George Clooney and Brad Pitt star in Wolfs streaming on Apple TV+
George Clooney and Brad Pitt star in “Wolfs,” now drawing a crowd on Apple TV+.
Image: Apple TV+

The Apple TV+ team-up between George Clooney and Brad Pitt hit number one on a ratings company’s popularity chart the first week the film is available to stream.

It’s not surprising: the two superstars could probably take the leads in Uncle Wiggly and the Runaway Cheese and it would be a hit.

Apple TV+ greenlights season 2 of Colin Farrell’s gritty detective series Sugar

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Get ready for gritty detective series in Colin Farrell's 'Sugar'
Colin Farrell stars as a private investigator in Sugar, a neo-noir thriller returning for season two.
Image: Apple TV+

The mystery that unfolded in the Apple TV+ series Sugar will continue with season two. The streaming service approved more episodes of the dark, gritty tale Wednesday. Highlights of the first season include a brilliant performance by Colin Farrell, as well as what was called “one of the greatest plot twists in recent TV history.”

“It has been incredibly exciting to see audiences around the world embrace Sugar, and we are thrilled to return for a second season,” said executive producers Audrey Chon and Simon Kinberg in a press release.

Spy thriller Slow Horses season 4 pulls in a huge audience week after week

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Gary Oldman in Slow Horses Season 4 streaming on Apple TV+
This, believe it or not, is Gary Oldman starring in Slow Horses.
Photo: Apple TV+

Season 4 of Slow Horses stayed at the top of a rating’s company’s popularity chart for the second week. This darkly funny espionage drama starring Gary Oldman follows a team of British intelligence agents who’ve all made career-ending mistakes yet are somehow always in the center of the action. New episodes stream each Wednesday on Apple TV+.

Plus, Apple’s crime comedy Bad Monkey starring Vince Vaughn held onto popularity, too.

Burning London separates mother and son in Steve McQueen’s epic Blitz [Apple TV+ trailer]

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A still showing Saoirse Ronan and Elliott Heffernan in the
Saoirse Ronan and Elliott Heffernan star in Steve McQueen's Blitz.
Photo: Apple TV+

As bombs rain down on London during World War II, a mother sends her young son to safety in the countryside — only to learn he’s actually lost in the city’s fiery mayhem. His journey and her frantic search unfold in a new trailer dropped Thursday for new Apple Original Film Blitz, written and directed by Academy Award winner Sir Steve McQueen.

Saoirse Ronan stars as the mother in desperate search for her son in the film, set to premiere in theaters November 1 and stream on Apple TV+ November 22. Watch the trailer below.

Presumed Innocent is the most popular series on streaming … again

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Jake Gyllenhaal and Renate Reinsve in Presumed Innocent, now streaming on Apple TV+.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Renate Reinsve in Presumed Innocent on Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple TV+

The Apple TV+ crime drama Presumed Innocent has been among the most watched shows on streaming since launching in mid-June, according to analysts. Season one of the series — which stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a man who might, or might not, have murdered the woman he’s having an affair with — recently wrapped up, and the opportunity to bingewatch all the episodes pushed the show to become the most viewed on any streaming platform, according to analysts.

Plus, the reimagining of Time Bandits found a big audience, and Natalie Portman’s Lady in the Lake had another strong week.

Catch a scary glimpse of Severance season 2, coming in January

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Severance season 2 trailer
This glimpse of Adam Scott carrying balloons down a Lumon Industries hallway appeared during the WWDC24 keynote.
Photo: Apple TV+

Just as we thought when Apple put out a Severance teaser Tuesday in Morse code saying nothing but “tomorrow,” word of a season 2 air date arrived Wednesday, along with a spooky teaser trailer. But our wishful thinking that the air date would come in fall 2024 was just that. It’s actually slated for January 17, 2025. And in the meantime, the short trailer below is worth a watch. It brings eerie Severance vibes.

Apple TV+ Morse code video hints at big Severance season 2 news

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Severance Morse code teaser video
The WWDC24 keynote featured an Apple TV+ reel with Severance season two footage of Adam Scott walking down a Lumon Industries hallway with balloons.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ dropped an odd Severance Morse code teaser video Tuesday that simply spells out “tomorrow,” suggesting news about the workplace thriller’s second season will arrive Wednesday. We expect an air date announcement for fall 2024, and perhaps more.

Apple offered a scant first look at the upcoming season of the hit show during the WWDC24 keynote in June. But other than that, fans of the funny and disturbing workplace thriller have had little to go on — until now (or until tomorrow, that is).

F1 teaser trailer puts you in driver’s seat with Brad Pitt

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Brad Pitt and Damson Idris in the teaser trailer for Apple's F1 Formula 1 racing film.
Brad Pitt and Damson Idris are two of the stars of Apple's F1 Formula 1 racing film.
Photo: Warner Bros.

A revving engine drowns out the thunderous sound of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” in the first teaser trailer for F1, Brad Pitt’s upcoming Apple TV+ film about Formula One racing.

You’ll hear precious little dialogue in the trailer, released Sunday by Warner Bros. Pictures. Instead, the promo spot focuses on harrowing racetrack footage shot during actual Grand Prix weekends in collaboration with Formula One teams.

3 reasons to watch Sugar on Apple TV+ … and 1 reason not to

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Colin Farrell stars in Sugar on Apple TV+
Colin Farrell is a big reason "Sugar" was an hit with fans.
Photo: Apple TV+

Sugar, Colin Farrell’s homage to classic film noir detective movies on Apple TV+, is well worth watching for anyone who enjoys top-notch acting, a mystery wrapped in an enigma, and a really huge twist.

But go in knowing that the drama series gets darker and darker as it goes along.

Dark Matter season 2 is possible

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'Dark Matter' is a multiverse mystery on Apple TV+
The writer and one of the stars of "Dark Matter" seem interested in making season 2.
Photo: Apple TV+

Blake Crouch, who wrote the bestselling novel Dark Matter that was adapted into a hit Apple TV+ series, said this week he’s open to the idea of making season 2.

The sci-fi thriller’s season one finale premiered Wednesday.

Pop that cork for season 2 of wine-soaked Drops of God on Apple TV+

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Drops of God season two
The search for the world's greatest wine continues.
Photo: Apple TV+

Season two of hit multilingual wine-tasting drama Drops of God is headed your way on Apple TV+, Apple said Tuesday. It acquired streaming rights to it much like it did with season one of the international production.

Fans of the show appreciate its adaptation from the New York Times bestselling Japanese manga series of the same name. The award-winning Tadashi Agi created and wrote it, and Shu Okimoto illustrated it.

Apple TV+ drama Fancy Dance brings back Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone

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Fancy Dance trailer
Lily Gladstone makes a dramatic return to the big and small screens with "Fancy Dance."
Photo: Apple TV+

Academy Award nominee Lily Gladstone will follow up Killers of the Flower Moon with a powerful new family drama on Apple TV+, if the trailer the streamer dropped Wednesday for Fancy Dance is any indication.

Fancy Dance premieres in select theaters June 21 and streams on Apple TV+ June 28.

iPhone alarm on Challengers soundtrack drives people nuts

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iPhone in Challengers soundtrack
From left, Mike Faist, Zendaya and Chris O'Connor star in the film, along with a very annoying iPhone alarm.
Photo: Amazon MGM Studios

Tennis love-triangle movie Challengers looks like a contender so far in theaters, but one co-star is getting panned — the iPhone alarm on the sports drama’s soundtrack. Social media shows viewers and listeners saying they find it “triggering,” among other rants.

Maybe that’s not the sort of product placement Apple would prefer, but hey … all press is good press, right?

Apple TV+ commits to Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 with Godzilla and Kong

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'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters' episode 10 -- Kong
Kong is likely be a star of "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" season two.
Photo: Apple

The hit series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is officially getting a season two. In addition, Apple TV+ struck a deal with Legendary Entertainment that will result in multiple spinoff series based on the franchise.

“We couldn’t be more excited for viewers to not only have the chance to experience even more thrills in season two, but to embark on epic, new journeys in the franchise as we expand Legendary’s Monsterverse,” said Morgan Wandell, head of international development for Apple TV+.

Wild Black Panther caper inspires Apple TV+ series The Big Cigar

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Huey P. Newton in The Big Cigar on Apple TV+. first look
Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton, played by André Holland, fled from the FBi to Cuba.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ unveiled a first look Thursday at The Big Cigar, an upcoming limited drama series starring André Holland as Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton. The show traces his wild escape from the FBI to Cuba.

The Big Cigar debuts on May 17 with the first two episodes, followed by new episodes every Friday through June 14. “It’s all true,” Apple TV+ said. “Mostly.”

Apple TV+ subscribers get 51 new movies, but not for long

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Great Movies on Apple TV+ collection
You're going to be busy in March and April.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ adds movies from time to time — just not usually 50+ at once. But that’s what it did this week with its “Great movies on Apple TV” collection. It includes big-time titles like Mad Max: Fury Road, The Wolf of Wall Street, Titanic and Saving Private Ryan. You can also go old-school comedy with Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and — why not — Old School.

They’re free for subscribers in the United States to stream, but half will be gone at the end of March. The other half will last through April. Another new arrival is Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, but that Apple Original will stick around.

Aliens don’t quit: Invasion rages on with season 3 on Apple TV+

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Sci-fi drama
Maybe this time we'll get a sense of who's actually winning this battle.
Photo: Apple

Sci-fi drama Invasion will return for a third season, Apple TV+ said Tuesday. Apparently, it’s going to take at least 30 episodes — 10 per season — to declare an outcome to mankind’s desperate global battle with alien invaders. (Or maybe more, with a fourth season, if the war drags on.)

The streamer said production on the season three of Invasion will start before the end of February.