Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty
It’s never been easier to miss out on new television shows in our overcrowded, borderline suffocating streaming era. As with movies, it seems like the most effective way a series can grab our attention and stay on the air for more than two seasons is if it’s attached to an existing IP. Hence, why we’re getting yet another cursed extension of the Harry Potter universe and a Batman spinoff that’s brazenly Sopranos-coded from HBO. (I refuse to call the streamer “Max” until I absolutely have to!)
Undoubtedly, the shows that escape my radar most frequently are on Apple TV+, where the Emmy-hoarding Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, Severance and Major League Soccer stream. Since its launch in 2019, I’ve found the streamer’s ever-expanding library deeply fascinating and equally perplexing. That is, when I can remember a single title other than the programs I just mentioned.
In fact, a couple of weeks ago, I spent a good 10 minutes trying to recall the name of a relatively new series on the streaming service, starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Stephan James. I actually enjoyed the show and could give you a detailed summary of the plot. However, with a figurative gun to my head, I couldn’t tell you the name, except that it has two syllables.