The 10 best originals on Apple TV + in 2022
Since its launch in 2019, Apple TV + has steadily built up a high-quality original library. Its selection may be smaller than that of other streaming services, but it's more carefully curated. Here are the best original movies and series on Apple TV +.
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In this section:
State of the boys
Filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine Capture Microcosm of America's Political System in Documentary State of the boys. The film documents the Boys State program in Texas, which brings together more than 1 teens to form a bogus government, including creating political parties, running campaigns and running elections.
Moss and McBaine combine the personal profiles of several attendees with an overview of the week's events. They highlight the divisiveness of modern politics while also finding sympathy and nuance in their portrayal of enthusiastic and impressionable high school students.
Central Parc
Exuberant animated series Central Parc, from the producers of Bob's Burgers, presents original musical numbers that make each episode a Broadway-worthy production. Central Parc follows the Tillermans, who live in Central Park in New York City, where Father Owen (voiced by Leslie Odom Jr.) is the park manager. Owen deals with the daily events and crises of the park, while his wife and two children go through their own individual struggles. It's a sweet, adorable, and super funny cartoon for adults and kids alike, with several eye-catching and memorable tunes in each episode.
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Dickinson
A comedy series about famous morbid poet Emily Dickinson seems like a counterintuitive idea, but Dickinson finds humor in the life of his main character, while taking his artistry seriously. Hailee Steinfeld plays Emily as a young woman still exploring her own voice and identity, often stifled by XNUMXth century gender and sexuality norms.
Creator Alena Smith adds playful meta-touches to the series, dramatizing Emily's poems in a variety of ways and making connections with writers and activists from Emily's day and beyond. The show maintains its conscious humor while offering sharp social commentary.
Bullfinch
In the post-apocalyptic drama Bullfinch, Tom Hanks is the only human actor on screen, playing the film's main character, an engineer who is one of the few survivors of the end of civilization. Finch is slowly dying from exposure to deadly radiation, but his main concern is making sure his dog is taken care of after he leaves. So he builds a goofy robot named Jeff (played via motion capture by Caleb Landry Jones), and the eccentric trio embark on a road trip across the United States. Bullfinch is a heartwarming drama about friendship and hope, with some wacky robot antics along the way.
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On the rocks
Filmmaker Sofia Coppola takes a laid-back approach to comedy On the rocks, starring Rashida Jones as a novelist who suspects her businessman husband (played by Marlon Wayans) may be having an affair. Bill Murray plays the role of the fluffy father who returns in the protagonist's life to help him uncover the truth. There is not much more to On the rocks as Jones and Murray around New York City, but Coppola captures a perfect, low-key comedic vibe between two intelligent and emotionally guarded people who never had the closeness either one or the other would have hoped for.
Schmigadoon!
Both a tribute and a parody of old-fashioned musicals, Schmigadoon! stars Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key as a couple who stumble through a mystical village full of residents who sing and dance. Melissa and Josh are on a retreat as a couple in an attempt to resolve their relationship issues when they find themselves trapped in the town of Schmigadoon, forced to perform in lavish musical numbers.
The show's creators meticulously replicate the style and tone of musicals like Carousel et Oklahoma!, skillfully mocking their inspirations while adding to the musical tradition.
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The narrowing next door
Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd star in the miniseries The narrowing next door, a sort of absurd true crime story inspired by the podcast of the same name. The real crime genre is full of murders and kidnappings, but The narrowing next door talks about a different kind of crime, fraud and long-term embezzlement led by a soft-spoken psychiatrist (Rudd) who manipulates his naive and confident patient (Ferrell).
The show combines a dry wit with a melancholy character study of a lonely man who places too much trust in the one person who seems to show him compassion and understanding.
Swan song
Mahershala Ali stars in two lead roles in dark sci-fi movie Swan song. Ali plays an artist with terminal cancer, who agrees to undergo an experimental procedure to clone himself, then let the healthy clone resume life undetected. The story of the near future is a meditation on identity, grief, guilt, and other serious considerations, still embedded in the emotions of the almost identical main characters. Ali delivers nuanced performances in both versions of the character, aided by the sensitive support turns of Awkwafina, Naomie Harris and Glenn Close.
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Ted lasso
The biggest hit show on Apple TV + to date, Ted lasso is a heartwarming comedy series about an American college football coach who becomes the unlikely choice to lead a professional football team in England. Jason Sudeikis co-created the series and plays the title character, an upbeat and deceptively wise mustached mentor for a team of misfits. With a set full of charming characters, Ted lasso celebrates positivity and inclusion without shying away from complex challenges and emotions.
Wolf walkers
Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon continues exploration of Celtic folklore with stunning feature film Wolf walkers. Set in XNUMXth century Ireland, Wolf walkers follows a young girl who discovers a secret pack of shapeshifters in the forest outside her town. She must protect these so-called Wolf Walkers, who can turn from humans to wolves, from being hunted and killed by intolerant local leaders. The film combines beautiful storybook-style animation with vibrant characters and a gripping adventure story.
