Since
it
launched
in
2019,
Apple
TV
Plus
has
won
awards
and
generated
hits,
but
it
still
sits
in
an
odd
spot
in
the
streaming
landscape.
It’s
not
as
big
as
competitors
like
Netflix
or
Disney
Plus,
nor
is
it
as
prolific.
Instead,
the
service
seems
intent
on
focusing
on
quality
over
quantity,
which
has
led
to
some
likening
it
to
the
HBO
of
old
(you
know,
when
it
was
still
called
HBO).
In
reality,
Apple
TV
Plus
has
a
somewhat
scattershot
library
that
includes
everything
from
Charlie
Brown
to
Martin
Scorsese.
Some
of
it
is
great;
some
of
it
is
Argylle.
But
there’s
one
place
where
the
service
is
really
nailing
it:
science
fiction.
For
whatever
reason,
the
lineup
of
sci-fi
shows
on
Apple
TV
Plus
has
steadily
grown
over
the
years,
not
just
in
terms
of
size
and
quality
but
also
tone
and
scope.
The
genre
has
become
one
of
the
service’s
strongest
selling
points.
Here’s
a
quick
rundown
of
some
of
what’s
currently
available:
Many
of
these
shows
have
multiple
seasons
or
at
least
have
been
renewed,
and
they’re
split
pretty
evenly
between
original
series
and
adaptations.
Some
are
huge
in
scale
(Foundation),
some
are
creepy
as
hell
(Severance),
and
some
are
fun
and
playful
(Hello
Tomorrow).
Not
all
of
these
are
excellent,
but
put
them
together,
and
you
have
a
strong
and
diverse
lineup.
Constellation.Image:
Apple
More
recently,
the
service
has
edged
toward
a
darker
tone.
First
there
was
the
debut
of
Constellation
earlier
this
year,
which
starred
Noomi
Rapace
as
an
astronaut
who
returned
to
an
Earth
that’s
very
different
than
the
one
she
left.
And
now
we
have
Dark
Matter
based
on
the
novel
by
Blake
Crouch,
which
premieres
on
May
8th.
It’s
a
multiversal
story
about
a
physicist
played
by
Joel
Edgerton
who
gets
kidnapped
by
a
parallel
version
of
himself.
So
far,
I’ve
watched
the
first
two
episodes,
and
it
manages
to
merge
the
tone
of
a
tense
thriller
with
the
mind-bending
nature
of
time
travel,
creating
the
kind
of
story
that
intentionally
makes
you
feel
unmoored.
Also,
there
are
some
very
large
and
impressive
cubes.
It’s
also
the
kind
of
show
that
is
necessary
to
make
Apple’s
lineup
distinct.
This
isn’t
a
place
to
find
the
biggest
franchises,
which
is
where
the
competition
excels
with
heavy
hitters
like
Star
Wars
and
Star
Trek
and
Doctor
Who.
Instead,
the
service’s
sci-fi
bona
fides
have
come
from
largely
unexpected
and
original
shows,
like
a
workplace
thriller
about
scary
numbers
and
baby
goats
or
an
alien
invasion
story
that
isn’t
afraid
to
take
its
time.
Maybe
the
most
exciting
thing
about
Apple’s
foray
into
sci-fi
is
that
it
clearly
isn’t
slowing
down
—
in
fact,
things
really
seem
to
be
ramping
up.
In
addition
to
new
seasons
and
spinoffs
(seriously,
where
is
season
2
of
Severance
already?),
there
are
also
a
number
of
all-new
shows
in
the
works.
And
again,
it’s
a
mix.
There
are
adaptations
of
Martha
Wells’
The
Murderbot
Diaries
and
William
Gibson’s
Neuromancer
coming,
alongside
a
series
where
Rashida
Jones
solves
mysteries
with
an
emotional
support
robot.
That
focus
on
singular
stories
may
change
in
the
future.
Already,
Apple
TV
Plus
seems
to
be
shifting
into
its
spinoff
era:
Monarch
and
For
All
Mankind
are
getting
both
more
seasons
and
new
shows
to
expand
them
into
larger
franchises.
(Monarch,
of
course,
already
exists
within
a
mostly
theatrical
franchise
dubbed
the
“monsterverse.”)
But
hopefully
the
service
doesn’t
push
too
far
into
the
franchise
model,
which
can
stifle
even
the
biggest
properties.
It
also
goes
against
what
has
made
Apple’s
sci-fi
offerings
so
exciting
in
the
first
place:
in
a
genre
full
of
the
familiar,
these
shows
offer
some
welcome
surprise.
And
they
might
help
finally
give
Apple
TV
Plus
the
identity
it’s
lacking.
Original author: Andrew Webster
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