Apple TV+ is redefining the streaming experience by producing some of the finest shows of the modern era. While Netflix continues to dominate the streaming landscape, Apple TV+ is steadily curating a selection of award-winning content, including hits like Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, and Slow Horses.
The streaming platform’s library features critically acclaimed sci-fi series, highly praised comedies, and compelling dramas. So, to show you some of its best offerings, here are ten Apple TV+ shows that are better than Netflix.
Silo (2023-Present)
Apple TV+ continues its strong run of dystopian narratives with Silo, which earned a 92% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes — significantly outperforming Netflix’s recent offerings like 3 Body Problem (79%) and The Silent Sea (80%). Based on Hugh Howey’s book trilogy, this sci-fi series depicts a subterranean bunker where humanity has taken refuge after an apocalypse, earning particular praise for its production design and world-building that reportedly cost $150 million for the first season.
Starring Rebecca Ferguson as engineer Juliette Nichols, Silo delights us with its rousing storytelling and maintains a rare consistency in quality throughout its ten episodes, earning an average of 83% episode rating on IMDB. The show unfolds a complex premise that has driven solid viewer engagement, with Deadline reporting it as one of Apple TV+’s most-watched drama series of 2023. Silo’s unexpected twists and turns emerge organically from its carefully orchestrated plot, creating a sophisticated viewing experience that helped secure its swift renewal for a second season which is currently airing.
Foundation (2021-Present)
Foundation received mixed reviews as an adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s expansive book series, yet it stands as a “flawed masterpiece” that illustrates the advantages of Apple TV+’s focused, high-budget approach to science fiction. The series follows math professor Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) and his loyal followers, who are exiled for predicting the impending collapse of the galactic empire.
While the show’s ambitious scope sometimes clashes with fans’ expectations, its production values and visual effects rival theatrical releases. The series meticulously crafts its futuristic universe – from the gleaming towers of Trantor to the distant colonies of the galaxy – with a patient, methodical approach that demonstrates Apple TV+’s willingness to invest in sophisticated science fiction.
Though criticism arises from its deviations from the source material, the streaming platform effectively adapts the story for a modern audience with a cinematic grandeur and attention to detail that elevates it above the often rushed and prematurely canceled sci-fi fare that is common these days. Foundation has had two seasons, with the third season set to be released sometime in 2025.
Mythic Quest (2020-Present)
Mythic Quest has carved out its own distinct space in comedy television, earning an overall 98% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes – surpassing many of Netflix’s recent workplace comedies, including Nobody Wants This (94%), Space Force (59%) and God’s Favorite Idiot (33%). Set in a fictional game studio behind a hit MMORPG, the show has garnered particular praise from the gaming industry itself, with IGN highlighting how it captures authentic gaming culture.
Led by Rob McElhenney alongside Danny Pudi, David Hornsby, and Charlotte Nicdao, the comedy series has maintained consistent critical acclaim across its run, with positive reviews for its writing and genuine understanding of its subject matter. The show’s portrayal of the gaming industry and character-driven humor have earned it a dedicated following, with Apple TV+ reporting steady viewership growth season over season. Mythic Quest was renewed for a fourth season and is set to air in January 2025.
Bad Sisters (2022-Present)
Apple TV+ has once again raised the bar with Bad Sisters, with Season 1 earning a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score that puts it ahead of similar dark comedies on other platforms. This Irish series about the five Garvey sisters has been receiving particular acclaim for its clever writing and realistic character development.
The story follows four sisters who plot against their brother-in-law, John Paul (Claes Bang), for abusing their sister Grace (Anne-Marie Duff). Creator Sharon Horgan’s pitch-black humor elevates the series beyond typical family dramas, with critics praising how it “manages to be both a clever murder mystery and a hilarious farcical comedy.”
Set against Dublin’s landscape, Bad Sisters has established itself as one of Apple TV+’s most compelling offerings, earning both Emmy nominations and a Peabody Award. The show’s success led to its swift renewal, with season 2 premiering in November and the season finale releasing on December 25.
The Morning Show (2019-Present)
The Morning Show has emerged as one of Apple TV+’s most decorated series, leading this year’s Emmy race with 16 nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series – a remarkable achievement for a show that started with mixed reviews in 2019. While the series has divided critics, with some calling it “utterly baffling” and others hailing it as “must-watch TV,” the drama’s ability to maintain viewership (it’s been viewed about 5 times more than the average Apple TV+ show as per TVision) and generate discussion has made it one of the streaming platform’s most compelling offerings.
Starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon alongside Billy Crudup, the series has evolved beyond its initial #MeToo storyline into increasingly ambitious territory. The third season particularly showcases this evolution, tackling everything from space exploration to global politics, though critics note it sometimes stumbles under the weight of its own ambitions.
Despite its occasionally “loopy plotting” and melodramatic tendencies, the drama has maintained strong viewership and critical attention. The Morning Show‘s success has helped establish Apple TV+ as a major player in prestige television, contributing to the platform’s record-breaking 72 Emmy nominations this year.
Black Bird (2022)
From the brilliant mind of Dennis Lehane, known for Shutter Island and Mystic River, comes one of Apple TV+’s most acclaimed series, earning a remarkable 98% critics score and a 5/5 audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Based on James Keene’s memoir, this six-episode psychological thriller follows Jimmy Keene’s dangerous mission to elicit a confession from suspected serial killer Larry Hall in exchange for freedom from his ten-year sentence.
Black Bird distinguishes itself through its methodical pacing and rich character development, with critics particularly praising how it transcends typical true crime conventions to become something more akin to HBO’s The Night Of (2016). Paul Walter Hauser delivers a Golden Globe-winning performance as Larry Hall with his chilling, high-pitched delivery and unsettling on-screen presence.
Taron Egerton showcases unprecedented dramatic range as Jimmy Keene. The series also marked one of Ray Liotta’s final performances as Big Jim Keene, Jimmy’s father, adding particular poignancy to the story.
Ted Lasso (2020-2023)
Ted Lasso, which centers around an optimistic American college football coach hired to manage an English Premier League soccer team despite no experience in the sport, has arguably transformed Apple TV+ from an optional streaming service into a necessity. The show’s second season premiere generated 38.7x more audience demand than the average US television series—a stunning 20-fold increase from its first season debut.
The series achieved what few comedies have in Emmy history, becoming only the eighth series in 74 years to win Outstanding Comedy Series for both its first and second seasons. What started as a seemingly simple fish-out-of-water story evolved into Apple TV+’s crown jewel, consistently breaking its own records.
The show’s third and final season earned 21 Emmy nominations, making it the most Emmy-nominated comedy for the third consecutive year. While Netflix and other streamers struggled to maintain consistent quality across seasons, Ted Lasso actually improved its critical reception, with its Rotten Tomatoes critic’s score rising from 92% in Season 1 to 98% in Season 2.
Slow Horses (2022-Present)
Apple showed remarkable confidence in its gritty espionage drama Slow Horses, about disgraced MI5 agents relegated to a bureaucratic purgatory, when it ordered the renewal of third and fourth seasons of the show right before season 2 was set to premiere. The series delivered and has proven to be one of the streaming platform’s shrewdest investments, outperforming genre competitors with a near-perfect 98% average critic score across its four seasons.
While Netflix’s spy offerings like Treason (72% average critics score) and The Night Agent (74% average critics score) lean heavily on action sequences, Slow Horses distinguishes itself through its Le Carré-inspired complexity and sardonic British wit, earning particular praise for its blend of tension and dark humor. Adding to its charm is the theme song by Mick Jagger, Strange Game, which complements the show’s unique style.
Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Jackson Lamb, the slovenly yet brilliant head of Slough House, has earned international praise, with The Guardian calling it “grimy perfection.” Season 3’s premiere doubled the viewership of Season 1, making it Apple TV+’s fastest-growing returning drama. The series has maintained its momentum through each season, with critics noting how it elevates standard spy thriller tropes.
Severance (2022-Present)
Severance, a psychological thriller about employees who undergo a procedure to surgically separate their work and personal memories, has emerged as Apple TV+’s most successful series, earning a rare 97% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes—outperforming similar high-concept shows like Netflix’s Black Mirror (83%) and 1899 (77%).
The thriller’s innovative premise and execution earned it 14 Emmy nominations, with critics particularly praising how it explores workplace dystopia in ways that “make Kafka seem like an optimist.” Ben Stiller’s direction and Adam Scott’s lead performance have gathered widespread approval from critics.
While other streaming platforms have attempted similar high-concept workplace dramas, Severance stands apart through its meticulous world-building and philosophical depth, earning comparisons to Stanley Kubrick’s work. Severance was renewed for a second season, which is set to premiere in January 2025.
For All Mankind (2019-Present)
Apple TV+’s alternate history masterpiece about a never-ending space race has positioned itself as the platform’s most in-demand original series, surpassing even Ted Lasso with 24.03 times the average series demand. Created by Ronald D. Moore, known for his work on the Battlestar Galactica (2003) reboot, this ambitious period drama imagines a world where the Soviet Union beats America to the moon, triggering decades of accelerated space exploration that takes humanity from lunar bases to Mars colonies by the 1990s.
While other streaming platforms struggle to maintain consistent quality in their sci-fi offerings, For All Mankind has earned comparisons to the best Cold War thrillers and Apollo 13 (1995 film). The sci-fi drama uniquely incorporates historical figures, including Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Wernher von Braun, alongside other fictional characters and explores nuanced themes like the militarization of space and social progress.
The series has proven so successful that Apple has already announced a spinoff series titled Star City, focusing on the Soviet space program, cementing For All Mankind’s position as the benchmark against which other streaming sci-fi series are measured.