The Streaming Wars are upon us, as November is dominated by clashing platforms – new ones in particular – trying to get a leg up on one another in terms of original content.
Both Apple TV+ and Disney+ launch this month with multiple original series under their names and with big names signed on as well. Elsewhere, in the realm of TV, we have the return of a few fan favorites and the release of one of the more highly anticipated series of the years on HBO.
While movies are the larger conversation this month with such a wide breadth of quality to dig through, television remains stable, even if some of the Apple TV+ shows didn’t do quite as well critically as many may have hoped.
“The Morning Show”
Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carrell
What You Need to Know: Positioned as the crown jewel of the launch of the latest streaming service Apple TV+, reviews of “The Morning Show,” so far, have been…less than stellar for the Jennifer Aniston-led production. This is unfortunate, considering the cast is superb, with talents such as Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carrell, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw all on board. Beyond just the talent involved, it was nice to see Aniston on a television series again. Created by Jay Carson, the show certainly is timely and the cast will be a definite pull but we’ll have to wait and see if the names alone will be enough to get people to sign up for yet another streaming service, especially if reviews surrounding it remain lackluster. Our critic wrote “…“The Morning Show” is in desperate need of more thoughtful and nuanced writers ”
Release Date: Season 1 premiered November 1 on Apple TV+
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA7D4_qU9jo
“See”
Cast: Jason Momoa, Alfre Woodward, Sylvia Hoeks
What You Need to Know: To give Apple Tv+ some credit before continuing to talk about the somewhat diminishing returns of the quality of their products (thus far), they certainly have built some terrific casts for their series. We already saw the A-list actors signed up for “The Morning Show” and their dystopian science fiction series “See” is no different. Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard star in the series written by Steven Knight (who wrote and directed this year’s “Serenity”) and directed by the “Hunger Games” helmer Francis Lawrence, the series takes elements of films we’ve seen before and restructures them. Despite all of this, our critic found little to commend, calling it a “…high-concept drudge that treats total nonsense like a life and death struggle the fate of the whole universe rests upon.”
Release Date: Season 1 premiered November 1 on Apple TV+
“Dickinson”
Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Jane Krakowski, Anna Baryshnikov
What You Need to Know: We can’t say that, at this point, Apple TV+ has really established a tone. From high stakes workplace drama and off the wall science fiction to one of their other debuts, a black comedy take on the life of Emily Dickinson created by Alena Smith. Labeled also as a coming of age story and starring the always great Hailee Steinfeld with the equally amazing Jane Krakowski as her mother, there’s so much here that should make for an odd if enjoyable television series, especially as it bucks at the notion of following any sort of template for your typical period drama. It’s likely the greatest incentive in getting the streaming service.
Release Date: Season 1 premiered November 1st on Apple TV+
“For All Mankind”
Cast: Joel Kinnaman, Wrenn Schmidt, Jodi Balfour
What You Need to Know: The showrunner of the “Battlestar Galactica” reboot and “Outlander,” Ronald D. Moore, takes to the stars in his latest series for Apple TV+ with “For All Mankind.” Starring Joel Kinnaman in yet another role where he’s just fine, the series doesn’t quite rise to the bar ofMoore’s best, with a premise that diverges from its tone early into the series and never quite manages to bring it all together again. Our critic described as playing like a “cover song,” and went on to say “…the first two episodes feel like Apple trying to show off how much they’re willing to spend on making these programs look like the next big thing.” As evidenced by some of the products above, the money didn’t make much of a difference.
Release Date: Season 1 premiered November 1 on Apple TV+
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3RjayAF0b4
“His Dark Materials”
Cast: Dafne Keen, Ruth Wilson, James McAvoy
What You Need to Know: We’ve already witnessed what can happen when someone tries to adapt the fantasy classic “His Dark Materials” written by Philip Pullman in the 2007 film “The Golden Compass,” which, being kind, is a misguided mess. So the trepidation, as well as hesitant excitement by fans of the novels, is well earned. However, adapted by Jack Thorne, the trailers for the “His Dark Materials” TV series have hinted at a stronger throughline for the series, sticking closer to the elements of the books with the television format giving the elaborate story room to breathe. That plus a cast which includes everyone from Lin-Manuel Miranda to Ruth Wilson and the first leading role for powerhouse Dafne Keen following her breakout role in “Logan” and the worry about the outcome begins to lessen.
Release Date: Season 1 premieres November 4 on HBO
“Jack Ryan”
Cast: John Krasinski, Wendell Pierce, Noomi Rapace
What You Need to Know: On its own, unless you were a fan of the books, Amazon’s “Jack Ryan” isn’t particularly alluring. Add Noomi Rapace to your second season though, and perhaps I’ll have to look a little further. Season 2 finds the titular character once again behind enemy lines, this time in Venezuela. John Krasinski may have hit it big with “A Quiet Place” but before the sequel arrives, fans will have the chance to enjoy the actor as he works his more dramatic muscles. If you didn’t watch Season 1 though, there’s not much that will draw you in for the second, though Amazon certainly hopes so after they dropped Season 2 prematurely on Halloween.
Release Date: Season 1 premiered early on October 31 on Amazon Prime Video
