Apple has made every program and movie on its subscription service Apple TV+ free this weekend, ending on Sunday, Jan. 5. It’s a move that the company hasn’t made before but the timing is impeccable: the breadth of content, its high quality and its range add up to much more than a weekend of glorious TV to watch.
Ted Lasso on Apple TV+.
AppleThe timing is also clever because one of the service’s biggest hits, Severance, is about to launch its second series.
Apple TV+ Free Weekend How To Watch
There are lots of ways to see Apple TV+ content. If you have an Apple TV box attached to your TV, that’s about the best experience. The interface is designed to serve up Apple TV+ shows effortlessly, and the remote control on the latest Apple TV models is sublimely easy to use. Just sign in with your Apple Account.
If you don’t have that hardware, you can still watch on your TV if it has access to the Apple TV app. Ones that do include screens from Samsung, LG, Sony, Vizio and TCL. Again, once you’ve signed in with your Apple Account, it’ll all be there for you.
The Apple TV app is also on Roku and Amazon Fire Stick, for instance, and gaming consoles.
Needless to say, you can also watch on other devices besides your TV. The Apple TV app is available for the Mac, iPhone and iPad (though not Apple Watch, that would be ridiculous) so you can stream shows there, or go to www.tv.apple.com.
Apple TV+ Free Weekend: What To Watch
One of the first Apple TV+ shows remains among the most successful: Ted Lasso. The comedy following Ted Lasso’s uncomfortable relocation to a failing British soccer team is hilarious, touching and heart-warming. There are three seasons to be lapped up.
Severance has been another big hit, and the timing of this offer indicates Apple’s hope: binge-watch season one and you’ll just have to sign up to catch the second series which starts on Jan. 17.
The amazing Slow Horses on Apple TV+.
AppleFor me, the biggest standout of the entire range is Slow Horses, a brilliant spy thriller with a dark and comic edge is stunningly good. It follows a wayward bunch of failed spies, exiled from MI5 to the execrable Slough House. The team leader is the heavy-drinking, greasy-haired, unstoppably flatulent Jackson Lamb. The cast is uniformly excellent, especially Gary Oldman and the wonderful Saskia Reeves. Miss it at your peril.
Bad Sisters, a dark comedy about five Irish sisters is also a definite must-watch.
And then there are all the movies, from George Clooney and Brad Pitt in Wolfs, to the seasonal musical Spirited, to Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon and the recent Fly Me to the Moon.
And definitely don’t miss the understated comedy On The Rocks with Bill Murray.
Honestly, there’s way too much for just one weekend—which is what Apple is counting on, of course. Note that if with certain new purchases, like an iPhone, iPad or Apple TV box, you also get three months’ free Apple TV+.
Happy watching.