Like millions of others, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, I typically end my day streaming videos. When I'm not watching Netflix or Hulu, you can usually find me watching Disney+. What I don't do very often is watch something on Apple TV+.
Six months in, Apple TV+ remains a work in progress as many expected it would be. In the meantime, anyone who buys a new Apple device gets a year of the premium service for free. The special bundle makes sense and strongly suggests Apple itself knows there's simply not enough content available on Apple TV+ to justify a monthly payment.
Three episodes of Defending Jacob are now available!
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Since Apple TV+ first launched, I've sampled some of its offerings. Like life itself, I've had good and bad experiences with the service.
Little America, See, The Morning Show, and Servant caught my eyes early, and I'm looking forward to the second season for each series. For All Mankind was also well received, although some of the latest episodes left me cold.
Recently, I took a chance on Amazing Stories and Home Before Dark. I'm old enough to (barely) remember Stephen Spielberg's first Amazing Stories series. Like then, I found most of the episodes missed the mark trying to oversell mostly ho-hum stories.
Home Before Dark rubbed me the wrong way for a different reason, though it has received mostly good reviews since its April 3 launch.
The 10-episode drama is based on the real-life of Hilde Lysiak, who, as an 8-year old, started publishing a local newspaper in a small central Pennsylvania town. Her initial claim to fame (besides her age) was being the first in the local media to report on the grisly details about a murder that happened just a few blocks from her home.
The murder and critical events surrounding it occurred 10 minutes from where I live. To say Home Before Dark took great liberties in telling Lysiak's story would be an understatement, and the inaccuracies took me away from the story. As a result, I'll forever question anything Cupertino puts on Apple TV+ that it suggests is based on a true story.
This doesn't mean I've given up entirely on Apple TV+. I plan on spending the weekend watching Defending Jacob, a long-anticipated new drama starring Chris Evans that has finally launched. I'm also looking forward to hearing more about the upcoming Will Ferrell-Paul Rudd comedy, The Shrink Next Door.
Until there's a lot more Apple TV+ content, I would strongly suggest Apple keep the service free for new device buyers on a yearly basis. For now, it's simply not worth $4.99 per month, especially when you compare it to content-packed other streaming offerings such as the Disney+ and upcoming HBO Max.
What do you think?
Are you enjoying Apple TV+? Will you pay for the service once your free trial ends? Let us know below.
