The Apple TV+ streaming service got its start in November 2019, and while it has not been as prolific as some of the other big-name streamers, it has put out a fair number of originals during its short tenure and made its mark. It is probably best known as the home for Ted Lasso and the star-powered The Morning Show, but Apple TV+ has developed a reputation for quality sci fi and fantasy entries as well. The streamer has also done a good job of supporting its originals so far, but it has been putting a notable amount of money into its content, and the Peak TV Crunch could start to take its toll in the coming year or so.
Original and High-Quality Content has Helped the Service
Three of the first four scripted shows released by Apple TV+ were genre entries, starting with For All Mankind and See and followed shortly thereafter by Servant. That rate of genre content to non-genre would not continue, but the streamer has continued to put out notable sci fi and fantasy shows over the past four years. And it has focused less on recognized franchises as it has given the greenlight to several new properties powered by their creators/producers or stars. For All Mankind came from Ronald D. Moore, Servant had M. Night Shyamalan’s name attached, and See had Jason Momoa in the lead role, and none of those were based on existing franchises. And while Foundation and Silo brought some notable name recognition, they are among the few genre entries that are known properties, and mostly just among sci fi fans.
Apple TV+ has not been guilty of the output overload we have seen from venues like Netflix, or even Prime Video and Max. But it has a respectable number of shows in its lineup, and the streamer has not been afraid to take chances on new properties or to open up the wallet to cover the production costs. Shows like For All Mankind, See, Foundation, Invasion, and more display high production values and that has been part of their appeal as they help establish Apple TV+ as a contender in original content. In addition For All Mankind has received high marks for quality content beyond special effects along with Silo, Severance, and Foundation (largely for its much-improved second season). The streamer has played the game well so far by shelling out the money and producing buzz-worthy content, but as the competition gets mired in cost-cutting due to their overreaches, how long before the same happens with Apple TV+?
Subscriptions Will Need to Increase to Justify the Spending
There are reports that the first two seasons of See ran up a bill of $240 million (Momoa’s salary probably took a good chunk of that), and I’m sure that For All Mankind is costly because it has some notable actors along with nearly flawless sfx. But the word is that Foundation Season 1 cost $45 million which is $4.5 million per episode, about on par with a standard broadcast network drama. The second season of that show almost certainly cost more, but Apple TV+ may be finding ways to keep costs under control which will be important for the service to avoid succumbing to the Peak TV Crunch.
While overspending and a glut of content has hurt other streamers like Paramount+, Max, Disney+, and more (Netflix will be paying its toll before long as well), Apple TV+ has at least regulated its output, and perhaps also learned how to keep costs under control as well. And if the streamer can continue to do that while continuing to put out quality content, perhaps it can avoid the worst of the backlash from the Peak TV overreach. But it does need to build up its viewership (none of its sci fi TV entries have made it into the Nielsen Top 10 yet), and it does not have a very extensive content catalog beyond its originals to help draw subscribers. The fact that this service is part of the monolithic Apple corporation can possibly carry it for a few more years (just like Amazon props up Prime Video), but subscriptions will need to justify costs at some point.
A Look at the Apple TV+ Sci Fi and Fantasy Shows
As mentioned above, Apple TV+ has put out a fair number of genre entries during its short tenure, and it has tended to support its originals. Through the 2022-23 season, the streamer has cancelled only 18% of its sci fi/fantasy shows after their first or second season, which is one of the lowest cancellation rates across all of the streaming services. It is too soon to tell how closely Apple TV+ will stick to the 3-4 season trend we have seen from other streamers, but See ended after three seasons and Servant after four (both with their final seasons announced in advance). The showrunner for Foundation has eight seasons planned, which is ambitious for a streaming original, so we will have to see how that plays out. It is possible that Silo could be looking at an extended run and that For All Mankind could go to a fifth season or more. But first we will have to see if the streamer will be required to make some sacrifices to the Peak TV gods.
Below is the list of all the sci fi and fantasy shows put out by Apple TV+ since it kicked off in the 2019-20 season.
| Series | Start | Seasons | Cancelled/Ended |
| Amazing Stories | 2019-20 | 1 | Y |
| The Essex Serpent (Mini-Series) | 2021-22 | 1 | Y |
| Extrapolations | 2022-23 | 1 | N |
| For All Mankind | 2019-20 | 4 | N |
| Foundation | 2021-22 | 2 | N |
| Hello Tomorrow! | 2022-23 | 1 | N |
| Invasion | 2021-22 | 2 | N |
| Lisey’s Story (Mini-Series) | 2020-21 | 1 | Y |
| See | 2019-20 | 3 | Y |
| Servant | 2019-20 | 4 | Y |
| Severance | 2021-22 | 2 | N |
| Shining Girls | 2021-22 | 1 | Y |
| Silo | 2022-23 | 2 | N |
Be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates. And for the latest news and discussions on sci fi and fantasy television, follow r/SciFiTV
Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the premieres for all the upcoming genre entries at this link.
