Page 26 - iPhone Life Magazine - Spring 2020

ORIGINAL CONTENT like Friends have earned. Disney Plus
& COMPARISONS TO
OTHER STREAMING
SERVICES
Content is where the rubber meets
the road. Apple doesn’t have a multi-
year library of award-winning content
unlike Disney, HBO, Netfl ix, and
Amazon. Almost all of Apple’s shows
are brand new, though they have
brought on some established players
like Oprah, Steven Spielberg, Jennifer
Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve
Carell, and Jason Momoa. But at
launch, these names are just a promise
of quality content, not a guarantee. In
many ways, Apple TV Plus is like a pro-
fessional sports team with a big bank-
roll. It has recruited famous,
experienced players, but that doesn’t
necessarily mean the players will have
chemistry and deliver a championship.
Netfl ix, HBO, and even the new
Disney Plus offer decades worth of
award-winning content. Think about
all of the awards and fans Game of
Thrones, House of Cards, and shows
“APPLE TV PLUS IS LIKE A
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAM WITH
A BIG BANKROLL. IT HAS RECRUITED
FAMOUS, EXPERIENCED PLAYERS,
BUT THAT DOESN’T NECESSARILY
MEAN THE PLAYERS WILL HAVE
CHEMISTRY AND DELIVER A
CHAMPIONSHIP.”
24 iPhone Life Spring 2020
breakdowns in the very fi rst episode.
also starts off with both existing and
new content from proven franchises
like Star Wars and Marvel, making it a
safe bet if you had to choose one ser-
vice. But the good news is, you don’t
have to choose one, especially since
Apple TV Plus is free for recent Apple
hardware customers for a year.
Here are my impressions of some of
Apple’s early shows. There are some
spoilers here; you’ve been warned.
The Morning Show: Like most of
America, I like Reese Witherspoon,
Jennifer Aniston, and Steve Carrell,
so somebody thought they should all
be in the same show. While they all
have a strong comedy background, The
Morning Show isn’t a comedy. If you’re
expecting jokes, you’ll be disappointed.
Instead, they deal with serious topics
ripped from the headlines, like fake
news and sexual misconduct. In fact,
all three of those stars have emotional
Come to think of it, every real-life morn-
ing show has more humor than this
show, but if you can look past that, the
performances are strong. I’m already
hooked.
See: It’s hard to accept the premise
that in this future dystopian world, no-
body can see except two infants. I tried
to like it, but it was a little too derivative
and far-fetched to take seriously. But
Jason Momoa was in Game of Thrones
and Aquaman, so maybe far-fetched is
his thing.
Dickinson: Believe it or not, this period
piece about Emily Dickinson is not just
about poetry. It is a comedy about a
strong, independent woman who was
ahead of her time. Hailee Steinfeld is
famous as a singer/songwriter/actress,
particularly among the younger crowd,
but she is a believable outsider in this
period piece. Plus, I like that a younger
generation might fi nd their next hero in
an author and not an Instagram model.
For All Mankind: At New York Comic
Con, one month before Apple TV Plus
premiered, I was able to see an ear-
ly screening of For All Mankind and
observe a panel featuring the actors,
creators, and producers. I went into the
event expecting this show to be yet
another dystopian view of an alternate
timeline, similar to Amazon’s The Man