Apple TV+ is a strange old streaming service that spends tons of Apple's infinite money on incredibly expensive prestige TVs and movies and then hides it all as best it can. In recent months, it occurred to the company that maybe it would be good if people saw the products it makes and added the service as an option on Amazon Prime, and now it's offering a completely free weekend to To attract them. It just so happens that there is also a lot of confusion about when it actually starts.
It's reportedly not set up to require you to cancel once the free weekend is over on January 5th, which is good. I say supposedly because at the moment we are unable to offer anything other than the standard seven day free trial, which does You have to cancel. This is also worth mentioning Apple's own press release about the offerIt is described as running from January 3rd to 5th, but the embedded video says it is from January 4th to 5th. We contacted Apple for clarification, but it didn't provide much clarity. It's expected to start sometime in the evening in the ET zones, but perhaps earlier in the PT zones and then beyond, “the timing just depends on the area.”
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If you may When it works, there's a lot of great stuff to watch on the streamer, truly some of the best TV shows in recent years. My personal favorite is siloan adaptation of the Wool novels set in a post-apocalyptic underground bunker. Then there is For all humanitya wonderful alternate-timeline historical drama set in a world where Russia defeats America in the moon landing and the resulting space race. Both are gripping dramas.
Then there is Severance payBen Stiller and Adam Scott's incredible twist on a workplace comedy where all is clearly not well, Bill “Peels“Lawrence’s Comedy Ted Lasso It follows an American coach of a British soccer team and is actually Bill Lawrence's comedy-drama-cum-murder-crime Bad monkeywith Vince Vaughn finally finding a platform to shine on.
There are also a lot of other science fiction films invasion, Dark matter, Foundation, constellationand the Godzilla spin-off show Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Other highly rated shows include: Slow horses with Gary Oldman, Bad sisters with the amazing Sharon Horgan, and Disclaimer starring Cate Blanchett.
A much One of the above shows has been canceled, such is the cruel nature of the world for spending hundreds of millions on TV shows that never have a chance of finding an audience, but none are as brutal as Taika Waititi's reimagining of Terry Gilliams Time bandits. But you know, if you're only planning on browsing the archives for a single weekend, you might as well watch something that looks entertaining.
Um, Apple has also made some films.
Is there a catch? Sure, of course. To do this, you need to sign up for an Apple ID. That means it's a massive database game by the megacorporation that aims to collect large amounts of email addresses in order to bombard them with more whiners. But of course it is, and we are all able to unsubscribe or use a temporary email address.
Regardless of whether it actually starts on Friday or Saturday (we'll update accordingly), it seems like a pretty decent deal. If you want it one show, choose what to focus on Silo. And Severance pay. And For all humanity.
Updated: March 1, 2025, 10:32 a.m. ET: Based on Apple's response to our questions, some vague details have been added about when the offer will begin in the US.
