Let’s talk about Apple TV+, the streaming service that keeps quietly dropping one gem after another while everyone else is busy arguing about Netflix price hikes. If you’ve been sleeping on some of the best storytelling on TV, it’s time to wake up. Apple TV+ isn’t just Ted Lasso and Severance — as much as we love those. It’s also home to a treasure trove of incredible series that deserve way more hype.
Here are three spectacular shows from Apple’s streamer that, in my opinion, are criminally underrated. If you haven’t watched these yet, congratulations: You’ve just found your next streaming obsession.
1. Drops of God – The most intense wine drama ever
Imagine Succession, but instead of business tycoons, the high-stakes drama revolves around wine. That’s Drops of God, a breathtaking adaptation of the hit manga series.
The show follows Camille, the estranged daughter of a world-renowned wine critic, who must compete against her father’s protégé, Issei, to inherit his wine collection valued at $148 million. The catch? She barely knows anything about wine.
This series is a sensory masterpiece, with cinematography so stunning it’ll make you wish you could taste the visuals. Plus, the rivalry between Camille and Issei is absolutely gripping — think Queen’s Gambit meets Somm. If you love high-stakes competitions, family drama, and a deep dive into the artistry of wine, Drops of God is a must-watch. It’s also been renewed for Season 2.
2. Pachinko – A multigenerational epic that deserves more love
If you haven’t watched Pachinko, you’re missing out on one of the most beautifully crafted TV shows of the decade. Based on Min Jin Lee’s critically acclaimed novel, this sweeping Apple TV+ drama follows four generations of a Korean family navigating life, love, and survival across Korea, Japan, and the U.S.
This show is absolutely gorgeous. Practically every frame looks like a painting, and the storytelling jumps between timelines with such fluidity and emotional weight that it’s impossible not to get pulled in. The performances? Next-level. Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung delivers an unforgettable portrayal of the protagonist Sunja, while Lee Min-ho proves he’s way more than just a K-drama heartthrob.
Pachinko is powerful, poetic, and deeply moving, a show that sticks with you long after the credits roll. The fact that it doesn’t get as much mainstream buzz as it should? A crime against television.
3. Sugar – Colin Farrell + noir mystery = TV perfection
Finally, this next Apple TV+ winner is a modern noir detective thriller starring Colin Farrell. He plays John Sugar, a private investigator diving into a missing-persons case in Los Angeles. But things aren’t as straightforward as they seem.
Farrell’s Sugar is a guy who looks, on the surface, to be a sort of classic Hollywood gumshoe type, a la Sam Spade. Sugar loves nice suits, old movies, and classic cars, and as far as his work goes, he does one thing and one thing only: Find people who’ve gone missing, whether that’s on behalf of a yakuza client in Japan or a big-time Hollywood producer in LA. However, you early on start to feel like something’s a little … off about this show.
Sugar’s hand, for example, will sometimes start violently twitching out of the blue. He never takes guns anywhere, even into dangerous situations. He can drink as much alcohol as he wants, and he never gets drunk. He can also fight with the brutal efficiency of John Wick, and for some reason he has to take some kind of medicine that he injects into his neck. All of that is a preamble for the twist that Apple delivers late in the series, a curveball that I actually felt was the wildest plot twist on anything I have literally ever seen.
The Bottom Line
Apple TV+ keeps serving up some of the best, most unique storytelling on TV, and it’s time these underrated gems got their due. Whether you’re in the mood for high-stakes family drama, a sweeping historical epic, or a stylish noir mystery, these three shows are absolute must-watches. Especially after this week, it being finale week for Severance and all, I suspect many of you will be looking around for something new to binge from the streamer.
So, what are you waiting for? Grab some popcorn (or a glass of wine if you’re watching Drops of God), and dive in.
