Apple TV is determined to jump into the original streaming content game, and it has invested a rumored $1 billion into the venture. The company, which until now has been known for its computer hardware and software, will be butting heads with Netflix, HBO, Hulu, YouTube and Amazon as early as March 2019 and by summer 2019 at the latest.
What will the technology giant offer viewers during its first season? While we don’t have a lot of solid details regarding content, we do have a few hints about a lot of programs, from dramas to documentaries to sci-fi thrillers.
Here’s a rundown of everything we know about Apple TV’s upcoming programming.
‘See’: A Futuristic Drama Starring Jason Momoa
One of the shows with the biggest hype is a futuristic drama called See, which will star Game of Thrones heartthrob Jason Momoa as Baba Voss, a fearless warrior and leader (sound familiar?).
The eight-episode series, created by Chernin Entertainment and Endeavor Content, will be directed by Oscar-nominated Steven Knight — the guy behind Peaky Blinders and Dirty Pretty Things — and written by Francis Lawrence of Hunger Games fame.
‘Vital Signs’: A Biographical Drama Based on Dr. Dre
Originally created for Apple Music, Vital Signs is a dramatic interpretation of rapper and businessman Dr. Dre's life as a six-part series, with each part focusing on a different aspect of his personality (ego, innocence, etc.).
The show, which includes stars like Ian McShane (Deadwood), Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and Michael K. Williams (The Wire), was the first original Apple content to be announced way back in 2016, and filming has already wrapped. No one is quite sure why the release is delayed, but rumor has it that either the show has been scrapped or that Apple plans to release all of its shows together in spring 2019.
‘Dickinson’: A Historical Comedy Starring Hailee Steinfeld
Apple TV has ordered a half-hour series called Dickinson, a historical comedy based on the life of shy, brilliant 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson. The series will star singer and actor Hailee Steinfeld, who first wowed audiences with her Oscar-nominated role in True Grit.
The show, which will center on themes about society, gender, family and fitting in, will be written by Alena Smith (The Affair) and directed by David Gordon Green (Eastbound & Down).
Oprah Winfrey Content Partnership
Apple is keeping mum on this project, along with so many others, but here's what we do know: It's partnered with media mogul and inspirational superstar Oprah Winfrey to make content for a project.
All we know so far is that Apple has a "unique, multi-year content partnership" with Winfrey, who will “create original programs that embrace her incomparable ability to connect with audiences around the world.”
It's not clear if Oprah will even appear in the content she's creating for Apple, but she has a long history of success from her own show as well as OWN.
A Morning News Drama Starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston
A lot of Apple TV's billion-dollar budget is likely going to this 20-episode drama, starring Hollywood A-listers Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston. The actors are also co-writing the as-yet-unnamed show and getting a reported $1.25 million each per episode for their efforts.
The fictional drama will be heavily inspired by the book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV by Brian Stelter, and it will follow the anchorwomen through the ups and downs of hosting a morning news show. Bates Motel alum Kerry Ehrin will act as showrunner.
‘Little Voices’: A Comedy Drama Produced by J.J. Abrams and Sara Bareilles
One of the most anticipated Apple TV shows is Little Voices, named after singer Sarah Bareilles' first album. Produced by Bareilles and director J.J. Abrams, the 10-episode half-hour comedy drama will follow a group of struggling musicians in New York.
Or, as Variety put it, it will be a “love letter to the diverse musicality of New York which explores the universal journey of finding your authentic voice in your early 20s.”
The show will feature original music by Bareilles and will be written and directed by Jessie Nelson (I Am Sam).
A Drama About Hilde Lysiak
in 2016, 9-year-old journalist Hilde Lysiak made national headlines by scooping local journalists on a story about a murder in her neighborhood — by publishing a story about it on her neighborhood news publication, Orange Street News. Now, she and her sister, Izzy, run the publication and speak out about the importance of children having a voice.
The family already has a book deal with Scholastic, and now they have a television deal with Apple TV to turn their story into a 10-episode mystery/drama. The story is said to center on Lysiak investigating a local cold case.
A Psychological Thriller Produced by M. Night Shyamalan
One of the more controversial shows on Apple's docket is a yet-to-be-named psychological thriller produced by M. Night Shyamalan. Shyamalan is famous for hits like The Sixth Sense and Unbroken, but he's also infamous for some terrible movies, like The Happening and Lady in the Water.
We don't know much yet about this half-hour series, except that Shyamalan is only expected to direct the first episode and the rest are written by Tony Basgallop (Inside Man, What Remains).
‘Central Park’: An Animated Musical Comedy
We are super-excited about 26-episode half-hour series Central Park, mostly because it's created by three people we love: Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith of Bob’s Burgers fame and Josh Gad (Frozen, The Book of Mormon). There aren't many details yet, but it's about a group of Central Park caretakers who have to save the park.
In addition to Gad, the show is overflowing with talented voice actors, including Kristen Bell, Titus Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Stanley Tucci (Monk), Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton), Daveed Diggs (Hamilton) and Kathryn Hahn (Crossing Jordan).
‘Foundation’: A Sci-Fi Series
Apple TV has hired two of science fiction's heavy hitters to adapt Isaac Asimov's famous trilogy Foundation into a television series. The story follows a group of artists and engineers who are working together to preserve and accelerate humanity's knowledge before a new Dark Ages begins.
The show will be produced and run by David S. Goyer (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) and Josh Friedman, who is working on the upcoming Avatar sequel as well as the Terminator reboot.
‘Shantaram’: A Drama Written by Eric Warren Singer
After a long and troubled history in Hollywood, the film rights to the bestselling book Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts look like they will finally be used — by Apple TV. After interest was voiced by both Russell Crowe and Johnny Depp, the story has landed in the hands of writer and producer Eric Warren Singer (American Hustle). There's no word yet on any members of the cast or on any other details.
The story is a drama that takes place in Bombay, where an escaped Australian convict hides out in the slums of the city but soon finds himself entangled in various aspects of city life and with various colorful characters.
‘Little America’: An Anthology Series About Immigrants
Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, famous for their work on Oscar-nominated The Big Sick, have signed on to the Apple TV party with a new anthology series called Little America, based on the true stories of immigrants from the Epic magazine series. The funny couple will co-write the half-hour series along with Alan Yang (Master of None).
Aziz Ansari, the other Master of None creator, will also serve as a producer.
‘Are You Sleeping’: A Crime Thriller Starring Octavia Spencer
Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Kathleen Barber, Are You Sleeping is a psychological thriller about a woman who starts a true-crime cold-case podcast but gets pulled into the story in ways that she could never have guessed.
A 10-episode first season has been ordered for the show, and we know it will star the amazing Octavia Spencer (The Help, Hidden Figures). Other cast members include Michael Beach (Third Watch), Ron Cephas Jones (Luke Cage), Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Elizabeth Perkins (Weeds), Mekhi Phifer (ER), Tracie Thoms (Rent) and Haneefah Wood (Zoe Ever After).
The series will be adapted for the screen by Nichelle D. Tramble (The Good Wife, Justified).
‘Swagger’: A Drama Based on Kevin Durant’s Early Life
Next in the Apple TV lineup is a drama series based on the early life and career of NBA basketball star Kevin Durant. We don't know any of the cast members yet, but we do know that it will be written and directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood, who wrote the Notorious B.I.G. biopic Notorious.
According to Variety, “it will explore the world of Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball and the lives of the players, their families and coaches.”
A Damien Chazelle Drama
We have almost no information on this except that it's happening: Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle has been hired to write and direct the entire first season of a drama. We don't yet know what it is or who's in it or what it's about.
What we do know is that Chazelle, who wrote and directed both Whiplash and La La Land, is currently working on a Neil Armstrong biopic called First Man, so he probably doesn't have a good start yet on whatever this project is.
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