Anna Konkle in The after party on Apple TV+

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Apple TV+

For most people, subscribing to every streaming service available isn’t an option. That’s just not it. They’re too expensive, there are too many and it’s just a lot of work to keep track of so many options, apps and interfaces. Some people pick and choose, while others use the rotation method (duty #1 for a few months to catch up, then duty #2 for a few months to look at their stuff, and so on).

Apple TV+ is free this weekend for anyone with an Apple ID. It is a service that, despite some successes, has not developed as many had imagined – Ted Lasso in particular. I’m not here to tell you to choose this service over another or to even pay for it. But I’m here to give you a little advice on what might be worth taking advantage of this free weekend to catch since they’re giving it away.

Some things (apart from Ted Lasso) have already gotten a lot of good press. Severance pay is a spooky, beautifully crafted drama/sci-fi story about the rigors of office life that starts all over again in a few weeks, so now might be the perfect time to catch up. Pachinko is a truly moving saga based on the novel of the same name by Min Jin Lee. My current favorite show, if I had to name one, is shrinkagea very funny and often very emotional story about a cast of great characters, many of them therapists – it also features my favorite Harrison Ford performance in many years. Bad sistersthe first season, in particular, is a delicious and fabulously directed story about devoted siblings defeating a terrible, terrible husband.

Other favorites from TV critics I know: Dickinson, Slow horses, For all humanity, siloand this year’s Cate Blanchett drama Disclaimer. And there are also films: Koda After all, it won best film at the 2022 Oscars.

But maybe you’re feeling like, “Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard about all of these things.” Let me highlight some other Apple offerings that haven’t gotten quite as much attention that you might like.

• The after party: This series stars a cast of comical murderers – the first season featured people like Sam Richardson, Ben Schwartz, John Early, Ike Barinholtz, Tiya Sircar and Ilana Glazer – in a true crime story set at a high school reunion. Each episode is set in a different genre (musical, action film, romantic comedy). It’s a lot of fun, and if you enjoy comic book crime fiction as much as I do, it might be right up your alley.

• Platonic: I was a big fan of this series starring Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne as best friends who get back together after a long period of no contact. It’s really funny, but also gives a nice sense of actual platonic friendships (it’s not about whether they’ll kiss) and their complications. If you want your comedies to be proud and cheerfully funny, rather than ponderous and conceptual, give this a try.
• Sharper: This film is a thriller that I don’t think anyone but me has seen – but again, it was right up my alley. It’s a twisted story about New York con artists starring Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan and Justice Smith. There are reversals and betrayals and oh, it was kind of fun.
• Flora and son: This film is about a single mother, played by Eve Hewson, who takes guitar lessons remotely from a laid-back man, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It was written and directed by John Carney, who also produced the film Once And singing street, So you are in good hands. He just has a flair for handling big musical moments and I really enjoyed how this one ended.
• Boy state And Girl state: Boy state And Girl state are twin documentaries about leadership programs for high school students, and both are compelling and sobering, especially when viewed side by side.

This article also appeared in NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour newsletter. Sign up for the newsletter So you don’t miss the next one, you’ll also receive weekly recommendations about what makes us happy.

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