Apple has revealed an exciting 2024 lineup of movies and shows for its streaming service, with the tech giant doubling down on its efforts to be seen as the new home of prestige TV.
Netflix threw down the gauntlet to its streaming rivals when it unveiled its own stacked lineup with its Next on Netflix 2024 trailer last Thursday (February 1). Just a few days later, Apple TV Plus is the first of those rivals looking to show that it has the entertainment-based clout to test the enduring popularity of Netflix – which tops our list of the world's best streaming services – by dropping its own 'Coming in 2024' teaser.
As the above trailer shows, Apple has its own impressive lineup of projects that are due out in 2024. Indeed, with expensive historical epics like Napoleon and returning fan-favorite comedies including The Big Door Prize set to join Apple's streaming platform, there's plenty to look forward to on one of the most underrated services around. I get the impression we'll be updating our best Apple TV Plus shows and best Apple TV Plus movies lists more often than usual this year.
But I digress. Of the productions that Apple showed off in its 'Coming in 2024' teaser, there are four series – sorry, movie fans, there wasn't much big-screen action on show in the sizzle reel – that caught my eye above all others. Here, then, is the quartet I'm most excited for.
Constellation
Release date: February 21
Apple TV Plus has positioned itself as the go-to streamer for all things sci-fi in recent years. Indeed, the platform's burgeoning lineup of genre-specific shows is one of the main reasons people subscribe to it, with the likes of Foundation, Silo, For All Mankind, and Severance captivating viewers with their mind-bending or alternate-history tales.
Constellation looks like it could be the next big sci-fi series to take viewers on a psychological thrill-fueled adventure. Noomi Rapace (Prometheus) plays Jo, an astronaut whose life back on Earth is upended after she's involved in a cataclysmic accident during her latest space expedition.
The cosmically twisty first trailer for Constellation suggests that it'll continue to prove Apple TV Plus is the king of sci-fi shows. I certainly hope that'll be the case, too.
Manhunt
Release date: March 15
Based on James L. Swanson's bestselling novel of the same name, Manhunt is billed as a conspiracy thriller that'll tell the story of one of the best known but least understood crimes in human history: the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Tobias Menzies (The Crown, Game of Thrones) stars as Edwin Stanton, one of Lincoln's closest allies and his Secretary of War, who leads the search for John Wilkes Booth, the man responsible for killing the 16th President of the United States. Anthony Boyle (Tetris, Masters of the Air) portrays Booth, while Hamish Linklater (Midnight Mass) will tackle the role of Lincoln.
Palm Royale
Release date: March 20
Looking for something with more of a comedic and/or period drama slant? Palm Royale, set in Florida in 1969, will be the Apple TV Plus series for you.
Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids), who also executively produced the show, plays Maxine Simmons, a newcomer who attempts to work her way up the class system and earn a place in Palm Beach high society. Along the way, though, she'll realize the high life isn't all it's cracked up to be, and ponder whether it's worth sacrificing who you are in the pursuit of upper-class status.
Wiig leads an all-star ensemble cast that also includes Laura Dern (Jurassic Park), Alison Janney (The West Wing), Ricky Martin (Hercules), Leslie Bibb (Jupiter's Legacy), and Kaia Gerber (Babylon). Speaking of Babylon, I'm getting similar tonal vibes with Palm Royale as I did with Damien Chazelle's 1920s-era flick, as well as The White Lotus, aka one of the best Max shows. Here's hoping it's more of the latter than the former, which didn't exactly set the theatrical world alight in late 2022.
Sugar
Release date: April 5
I knew Sugar would capture my attention as soon as I learned two things about it: first, that it'll star Colin Farrell (The Batman, Banshees of Inisherin), and second, that it's a detective noir series. What more could anyone ask for?
The eight-part drama sees Farrell playing John Sugar, a private detective who's hired to investigate the mysterious disappearance of Olivia Siegel, the granddaughter of a legendary Hollywood producer. As Sugar digs into the case, he soon discovers that the Siegel family is – shock horror – harboring long-buried secrets that might be crucial to solving the case. Kirby Howell-Baptiste (The Sandman) leads a starry supporting cast.
Apple describes Sugar as a "contemporary, unique" take on the postmodern detective narrative – one that might even have snippets of sci-fi laced throughout. Color me extremely intrigued.
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