The first word on Apple TV Plus’ new science fiction show Constellation is that Apple has had another hit after the success of Masters of the airits most successful debut to date – that show had more viewers in its opening weekend than any other Apple TV Plus series, the streamer says.
Apple doesn’t have the vast selection of programs that rival streamers offer, but it is developing a reputation for quality. Like my colleagues, I’ve often raved about the best Apple TV shows, and I currently have a new favorite: Criminal record, which stars Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo in a hard-hitting police drama. And it seems like it Constellation could be my next Apple date with the TV.
Constellation has been compared to True Detective: Nightland (which I also love), as well as plenty of other sci-fi series on the streamer. It’s a disturbing story about an astronaut who returns to Earth after an orbital disaster and discovers that everything has changed. Early reviews suggest it is both spacious and creepy. But you won’t be able to watch it until February 21, so if you need a sci-fi fix, Apple TV Plus has plenty more where that came from.
For all humanity
If this isn’t the best sci-fi show on TV right now, I’ll eat an Apollo rocket. For all humanity is an alternate history drama in which the US did not win the space race, and over four seasons it has taken us from the test pilots of the 1950s to weapons on the moon to the most daring heist in human history, a heist that takes place above the human encampments from Mars.
It’s an astonishingly ambitious show that largely delivers – although the aging make-up in the fourth series sometimes breaks the spell – and is notable for its diversity. Just like in real life, women and other marginalized people are crucial here and their stories are just as important as those of the space-clad astronauts. By giving the fourth season the full five stars, rich said it is “one of the smartest shows on TV”. It’s also one of the most entertaining.
Silo
Based on the best-selling Wool trilogy, Silo is set in a distant future where we all live underground, as predicted by British jazz muppet Jamiroquai in his hit Virtual Insanity. But the madness here is real, because there is something sinister going on in the Silo where offenders are sent outside to die a gruesome death. Or are they? Rebecca Ferguson is fantastic as the newly appointed agent who dares to ask questions that others would rather not have, and the dystopian world of Silo is as convincing as it is claustrophobic. The first season was a lot of fun and had a fantastic cliffhanger ending. Silo season two should hopefully be released in late 2024.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
If you haven’t yet experienced the Monsterverse, this is an excellent introduction. Kurt Russell is having a great time in this fantastic fantasy that, according to The gate, has “action, humor, horror, intrigue and even a little romance” – and MONSTERS. But this isn’t a monstrous mash-up that prioritizes big fights over character or plot: there’s some human drama in there too, so the show doesn’t slump too much when Godzilla isn’t on screen. Not everyone liked the human stuff – some people just want to see the world burn or be trampled – but like the LA times put it this way: ‘Where the American movies on the big screen can be a noisy, dark slog, the dramatic equivalent of a gigantic, lumbering dinosaur, Monarch remains smooth and fun.”
Foundation
Reports suggest that the third season of Foundation almost didn’t happen due to the significant cost – bringing Isaac Asimov’s sci-fi epic to the screen in such a style isn’t cheap. But the results have been spectacular, and after a somewhat slow start in season one, the second season achieved a rare critical rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. If Collider to put it this way: “the overall trajectory that the Foundation is taking feels grimly exciting. It’s occasionally heady storytelling, but it’s great to see it done so uncompromisingly”, while rich gave it four stars and said, “This is science fiction worth investing time into”.
Disconnection
One of the strangest shows on Apple TV Plus – which means it’s very strange indeed – Disconnection is a strange, claustrophobic, hallucinogenic and often surprisingly emotional story focused on a single life-changing invention. The titular severance package, which permanently separates the personal you and the work you. When the characters go to their very strange office jobs, they have no memory of their lives outside of work; when they leave at the end of the day, they leave their work memories behind. Filming of Disconnection season two began in October 2022, but was held up by the writers’ strike; we hope to see it later this year.