The apple platform has renewed fictions such as ‘Fundación’ or ‘The Mosquito Coast’ which, despite being very expensive, have not managed to become mass successes.
While Netflix started 2023 with the surprising cancellation of ‘1899’ (whose data did not seem to be within the platform’s failure standards) and HBO Max is immersed in a turbulent stage in which its executives have adopted aggressive cost-saving strategies costs that have also led to many cancellations (among them, that of ‘Westworld’), there is another platform that seems like an oasis for series fans, a promised land where nothing is canceled and where the viewer can begin to see a story knowing, almost with certainty, that it will have an end. We talk about Apple TV + which, for now, seems not to have such a sharp scythe of cancellations (and has titles like ‘Slow Horses’ or ‘Separation’ among the best series of 2022). But, like any oasis, it may just be a mirage.
After several forays into non-fiction, including turning James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke into its own entity format, Apple announced in June 2017 its intention to move toward producing original series. And he did it with two projects: ‘The Morning Show’ with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon and the new stage of the anthology ‘Amazing Stories’ by Steven Spielberg. Curiously, while one would become the banner of the house and its first series to get a Golden Globe nomination, the other has the sad honor of being one of its few bets that have not been renewed beyond a first seasonalthough as it is an anthology of independent episodes, the term “cancellation” does not fit so much.
The other three proposals for Apple TV + that did not achieve continuity after its first season were ‘Little Voice’, a musical drama created by Sara Bareilles and produced by JJ Abrams, ‘Mr. Corman’, a dramedy created by and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and more recently ‘Shantaram’, an adaptation of the novel of the same name that saw the return of Charlie Hunnam as a television biker. However, apart from these specific cases, the apple platform has so far been characterized by having a lot of patience with the fictions it launched. Examples of series that have not generated much noise but have continued to have two or three seasons there are many.
Apple TV +: at the stroke of a checkbook
If in 2017 it was when Apple announced its intentions, in November 2019 they materialized with the premiere of four series. Along with ‘The Morning Show’, now renewed for a third season, came ‘For all mankind’, with the fourth commissioned, as well as ‘Dickinson’ and ‘See’ which have already concluded after three seasons each. And we could say that the latter, a post-apocalyptic science fiction story starring Jason Momoa, is a paradigmatic example of Apple TV+ strategy. Starting from a high concept and of two relevant names in the industry, Momoa in front of the camera and Steven Knight (‘Peaky Blinders’) behind, it was called to be “his particular Game of Thrones”; that series that swept away and put the new platform on the map.
Unfortunately for Apple TV+, ‘See’ did not achieve much relevance, neither among critics nor among the public, but to the surprise of many, the platform decided to continue it until the end of its life cycle, instead of canceling it, even though it was a high-cost production. Because If the Apple TV+ policy has been characterized by something, it has been the enormous investment to attract relevant names from Hollywood and not spare a penny on the bill for the series. There you have, for example, Octavia Spencer starring in ‘Truth Be Told’, M. Night Shyamalan behind ‘Servant’ (one of the best suspense series of the moment) or Justin Theroux in front of ‘The Mosquito Coast’, although not all of these series have been hits on a large scale. Or that ‘Foundation’ be renewed, very expensive, with hardly any repercussions. Nor is it just his business: precisely other fighters in the streaming wars such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video also began to have relevance in the news portals and in the nominations for awards at the hit of a checkbook. Then, success also requires a certain amount of luck, which Apple TV+ has had, for example, with ‘Ted Lasso’ or ‘Mythic Quest’, for many two of the best comedy series of the 21st century.
So will the “goodness” of Apple TV+ last?
Today, Apple TV + seems like a safe place for the viewer, the kind of platform with a certain integrity that will not cancel your favorite series at the first opportunity. And in a way, yes, it is. But, Is it always going to be like this or is it just the strategy that it follows in an initial phase of consolidating its brand? We cannot forget that, in its first years as a streaming platform, Netflix had a very similar philosophy: not only did they cancel a few series, but they presented themselves as saviors of some lost causes of the (evil) open networks. Netflix was once that promised land, but over time, business and profitability have shown a less than ideal reality.
Thus, it is possible to have some suspicion regarding Apple TV + since it is still a younger platform that is still trying to court its subscribers, but, for now, we can enjoy this stage without great disappointments. Of the 18 new series that premiered in 2022 (figure without counting children’s and animation), only the aforementioned ‘Shantaram’ was canceled, although in addition to the renewed ones there are several that were miniseries and a few others still pending decision, such as ‘Suspicion’, ‘Roar’, ‘Shining Girls’ and the Spanish ‘Now and Then’. The fate of these series, but especially those that are yet to come in the new television year, will continue to show us the path of Apple TV+; if it remains the platform that pampers its products the most or if, finally, it surrenders to the fiercest business like anyone else.
Source: Fotogramas
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
