Although there are more and more Apple TV+ releases, it is more than obvious that we do not have a catalog as complete as that of other platforms like Netflix. However, there are Apple TV+ series that are true hidden gems. And I sincerely believe this, because I am not only referring to acclaimed productions like “Separation”, “For All Mankind” or “Ted Lasso”. And that is it even his less prestigious series are engaging and this is something I checked recently.
I am referring to ‘The Price of Your Life” and “Loot”two “middle class” series on Apple TV+ and which, in the case of the first, was even cancelled after its second season. However, with the others, these are my two great discoveries of the year.
“Pillage”: Proof That Not All Rich People Are Hateful
I didn’t know her much, but I take my hat off to Maya Rudolph, the undisputed star of “Loot” in which she plays billionaire Molly Kovak. And all this without discrediting the “antagonist” Mj Rodríguez in the role of Sofia Salinas, with whom Maya forms an excellent duo in the face of fiction.
Molly is a millionaire in her fifties who, although she has not always had such economic power, is already very accustomed to luxury. Among other things, because she is driven by her eccentric husband, John Novak (played by Adam Scott). In the middle of a birthday party, the woman discovers her husband with a lover in his own house and this leads to a public divorce and millionairesince a large part of John’s fortune ended up in Molly’s hands.
Without really knowing what to do with her money, she discovers that she has a charity in her name and that its goal is to help the homeless in the city of Los Angeles. There, she meets Sofía, who leads the NGO team and whom Molly will try to convince that she can be useful.
With her inseparable advisor and almost adopted son Nicholas (Joel Kim Booster), Molly shows us in each episode how Money doesn’t buy happiness, even if it helps. Especially to others, since over the course of the two seasons broadcast we see to what extent the billionaire’s money becomes more and more important.
Simple, fun and addictive. That’s how I rate this series, while qualifying the last point. And it is one of those easy-to-watch series that doesn’t require any commitment. Just half an hour per chapter, it keeps you wanting more, but if for some reason you can’t see the next one, it also doesn’t leave you trapped in despair and wanting to see the next one.
The “booty” already consists of 20 episodes available on Apple TV+belonging to its two seasons (10 each). This last series ended its broadcast on May 29 and this week it was announced that it was officially renewed for a third season, which could begin filming this year. Of course, the broadcast of these new chapters is not expected until at least 2025.
“The Price of Your Life”, easy to digest and with a plot that surprises more and more
A mysterious machine suddenly appears in a small town’s grocery store. It gives each “player” personalized cards telling them what their life’s purpose is. There may already be those who are interested in this, but the red light didn’t even go on for me when I heard about this series in 2023, when it premiered.
However, when I finished “Loot” and found myself without a simple series to watch before bed, I came across Apple TV+ and thought: Why not? And what a good thing I did, because it gave me similar feelings to “Loot”.
And if at that time it was Maya Rudolph who sparked my interest, here they are Chris O’Dowd and Josh Segarra those who do. The first is Dusty, the protagonist. The second is Giorgio, an unbearable secondary character, but if you get hooked on the series you will discover that he is the best.
The plots of the youngest also have their relevance. In the image, we see Djouliet Amara and Sammy Fourla (Trina and Jacob in the series)
“The Big Door Prize”, as this series was originally called, has this starting point of the mysterious machine. No one knows exactly how it got there and although many, like Dusty, are hesitant to use it, they eventually discover how. The entire town begins to change its life based on what the machine deems to be its life potential. He tells some people they are magicians, others they are superstars and still others they are even worse things like liars.
For some people, the machine fulfills an old aspiration they have inside them. For others, not so much, but that doesn’t matter. The whole town goes crazy for Morpho, that’s what the happy little machine is called and, I insist, no one knows how it got there and it’s a key point in a plot moment.
The best thing about “The Price of Your Life” is that it’s one of those shows that goes from less to more and in its second season it ends up arousing a real interest that, due to the development of the plots, was a little more buried in the first part. Like “Loot”, there are 20 episodes of about half an hour divided into two seasons (10 and 10 each).
Of course, there is no happy ending to my particular story with “The Price of Your Life,” since there will be no new episodes. It’s unclear whether this is due to a ratings issue or if there is some other ulterior motive for its non-renewal. And while the series leaves many loose ends, it also leaves loose ends that, sadly, will never be resolved. I (we) will always have the M.O. Walsh novel it’s based on.
Images and videos | Apple TV+
In Applesfera | Apple TV+ and its premieres: the next series, films and documentaries that we will see in its catalog
In Applesfera | Apple TV Pro with M4 processor more powerful than a PS5: a patent reveals this great secret project
