5 Apple TV Plus shows with 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes to watch now
'Slow Horses,' 'Pachinko,' and more critically acclaimed shows to add to your watchlist
Summer may be winding down, but Apple TV Plus continues to heat up with new seasons of its critically acclaimed TV shows. These past few months have seen new episodes of its generation-spanning family drama "Pachinko," its darkly humorous spy thriller "Slow Horses," and more great television arriving on one of the best streaming services.
To make things easy, we've rounded up the best shows on Apple TV Plus to check out, all with verified fresh critics scores of 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes. That's already a high bar to clear, but some of these entries do it easily, even earning a rare 100% rating. While everyone's tastes are different, these scores give you a good barometer of the quality of a series.
So without further ado, here are the five best shows on Apple TV Plus with 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes that you should add to your watch list.
'Slow Horses'
Based on Mick Herron's novel of the same name, "Slow Horses" is a British spy thriller that follows a dysfunctional team of MI5 agents who have been exiled to a department known as Slough House, where the agency sidelines its failed or disgraced operatives. With their grumpy and obnoxious boss Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) at the helm, the crew tackles mundane, low-stakes assignments while often stumbling upon high-stakes conspiracies and dangerous plots that put their abilities and loyalty to the test.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Stream it on Apple TV Plus
'Sunny'
Created by Katie Robbins and produced by A24 for Apple TV Plus, "Sunny" follows Suzie (Rashida Jones), a woman living in a near-future Japan grappling with the sudden loss of her husband and son after a mysterious plane crash. Overwhelmed by grief and despair, Suzie isolates herself from those around her and turns to alcohol as she struggles to cope with her tragic new reality.
But things start looking up after a roboticist (Jun Kunimura) gives her a strange robot named Sunny (voiced by Joanna Sotomura) that her husband programmed. The robot's AI is designed to mimic his personality, which opens up a whole other emotional can of worms, and begins revealing clues about his disappearance that don't add up, leading her to question whether she really knew her husband as well as she thought.
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Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Stream it on Apple TV Plus
'Pachinko'
"Pachinko" is easily one of the best Apple TV Plus shows right now, with both critics and viewers captivated by its compelling storytelling. The first season earned an impressive 97% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, but the second season upped the ante with a rare 100%.
This adaptation of Min Jin Lee's bestselling novel is a sweeping, multi-generational saga of the Korean family led by matriarch Kim Sunja (Yuh-Jung Youn). A fling with wealthy businessman Koh Hansu (Lee Min-ho) changes the trajectory of Sunja's life forever, and she must face perilous choices to protect her family. The storyline jumps between decades as the family immigrates to Japan and navigates living as second-class citizens during and after World War II, with Sunja's sons later finding success in the vilified pachinko business.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Stream it on Apple TV Plus
'Women in Blue'
Set in the ultra-conservative Mexico of the 1970s, this 10-part drama centers on four very different women who join the nation's first female police force. They soon learn their team is little more than a publicity stunt to keep the public's focus off a woman-killing maniac on the loose.
As it turns out, catching a serial killer is easier than confronting the blatant misogyny from the men around them. "Women in Blue" has earned a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics hailing it as a "thrilling and satisfying ride" with "four talented lead actresses who are very watchable."
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%
Stream it on Apple TV Plus
'Severance'
Often compared to "Black Mirror", "Severance" is a psychological thriller that revolves around the mysterious Lumon Industries, a biotech corporation that's invented a mysterious medical procedure known as "severance."
Employees who undergo the operation split their consciousness between their time at work and outside of it. Each persona lives a separate life, with no memory of the other—an unsettling and dystopian take on the concept of work/life balance. When Mark (Adam Scott) and his colleagues Dylan (Zach Cherry) and Irving (John Turturro) welcome a new team member, Helly (Britt Lower), her arrival triggers a deep dive into unraveling Lumon's secrets.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stream it on Apple TV Plus
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Alyse Stanley is a news editor at Tom’s Guide overseeing weekend coverage and writing about the latest in tech, gaming and entertainment. Prior to joining Tom’s Guide, Alyse worked as an editor for the Washington Post’s sunsetted video game section, Launcher. She previously led Gizmodo’s weekend news desk, where she covered breaking tech news — everything from the latest spec rumors and gadget launches to social media policy and cybersecurity threats. She has also written game reviews and features as a freelance reporter for outlets like Polygon, Unwinnable, and Rock, Paper, Shotgun. She’s a big fan of horror movies, cartoons, and miniature painting.