Some of the best series on Apple TV have gotten great reviews, but none of them get talked about nearly as much as they deserve. That’s why I’ve included three different genres in this weekend’s binge list, based on a best-selling sci-fi novel, a popular wine manga, and a true-crime memoir. The best part is that each of these shows manages to surpass the shadow of their source material on screen.
We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best free movies, and the best movies on Amazon Prime Video.
Dark Matter (2024-present)
Type: Sci-fi, Drama, Thriller
IMDB rating: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
Physicist Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) goes home one night in Chicago when he is kidnapped and wakes up in a completely different version of his life, where he makes very different choices in a critical street years ago. Desperate to return to his real wife Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) and son Charlie (Oakes Fegley), Jason must navigate the confusing maze of alternate realities, while dealing with the most dangerous version of himself imaginable.
Based on the best-selling novel by Blake Crouch, the show combines a mind-bending sci-fi premise with emotion at its core. Edgerton carries the weight of playing multiple versions of one man without losing the thread of who Jason really is. The second season premieres on August 28, so this is the perfect weekend to catch up before it returns.
Stream Dark Matter on Apple TV.
Drops of God (2023-2026)
Type: Drama, Mystery
IMDB rating: 8.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
When legendary wine critic Alexandre Leger dies, his estranged daughter Camille (Fleur Geffrier) learns that she will inherit his incredible collection, but only if she can outdo her co-star Issei (Tomohisa Yamashita) in a brutal series of wine tasting tests. The catch is that Camille has spent years unable to drink alcohol due to a painful childhood memory that she has never fully dealt with.
From France and Japan, the show has transformed the infamous world of winemaking into something intense and cinematic. It received high scores on both Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB in its first season, and season two pushes both into an even bigger mystery, tracing down the origins of the greatest wine ever made. It’s a hidden gem that rewards patience with real emotional value.
Stream Drops of God on Apple TV.
Blackbird (2022)
Type: Crime, Drama, Biography
IMDB rating: 8.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton) was a high school football star turned drug dealer facing a full decade in prison, until the FBI offers him an impossible deal. Transfer to a maximum security prison for the insane, get close to suspected murderer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser), and get him to confess to the murders of eighteen young women before his plea is handed down.
Written by novelist Dennis Lehane, this six-episode limited series turns a real-life story into a slow-moving psychological standoff between two very different types of dangerous men. Hauser’s performance as Hall is surreal, and the late Ray Liotta delivers one of his last screen performances as Jimmy’s ailing father. It’s intense, authentic, and easy to finish in one weekend.
Stream Blackbird on Apple TV.
