The best shows on Apple TV+ right now (September 2023)

Despite mixed response to its first season along with an almost two-year wait, Invasion is back for its second season. The sci-fi series chronicles what happens after an alien invasion hits Earth. The story, however, is told from the perspective of different people from around the world.

With criticism suggesting that the first season was “10 episodes of setup,” fans are hopeful that season 2 will provide the big payoff for which they have been waiting. If you’re into the sci-fi genre and looking for something new to check out, Invasion might be worth your time, particularly since you have to binge all 10 episodes of season 1 in anticipation of season 2. Notable is the standout performance by Sam Neill (Jurassic Park franchise) as the gruff sheriff investigating strange crop formations.

Up for a good murder mystery? When old friends and classmates gather for a high school reunion in the first season, things get downright criminal. Delivering a unique visual style, the investigation proceeds as Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) attempts to get the story of what happened that night from the perspectives of each attendee. A classic whodunnit with a comedic twist, the star-studded cast for season 1 also includes Sam Richardson, Zoe Chao, Ben Schwartz, Ike Barinholtz, Ilana Glazer, and Dave Franco.

Season 2 has some returning characters, including Haddish’s Dinner, Richardson’s Aniq, and Chao’s Zoe. But it focuses on an entirely new story, with a new murder mystery to solve. Like season 1, every episode is told from the perspective of a different person, and in the style of a specific genre, from classic romance to an old-timey Western.

Stylized as H/jack, Hijack stars Idris Elba (Luther: The Fallen Sun) as a talented business negotiator who finds himself in the midst of the biggest negotiation of his life: trying to reason with a group of individuals who have hijacked a plane flying from Dubai to London. Though his skills are in dealing with the less intense corporate world, Sam (Elba) manages to keep his cool and takes on the leadership role, doing his best to ensure the safety of all passengers aboard the fight.

Dubbed a tense, high-octane thriller, the story flips back and forth between what’s happening on the plane and with authorities on the ground struggling to figure out if there even is an issue and if so, what, who’s responsible, and what can they do about it. Hijack is told 24-style in real-time through the six-hour flight (though it’s seven episodes long). It’s a gripping series that starts off slow but builds to a massive climax. The series also stars Emmy winner Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife).

Even though it’s yet another postapocalyptic, dystopian series, Silo draws you in with its unique and compelling story and A-list cast. Earth has supposedly become nothing more than a vast wasteland, and the only survivors reside in a massive silo built more than 100 floors high. No one knows why the silo was built or even by whom. But they are told it’s dangerous and deadly to step outside. The protective community abides by strict rules and the same kind of corrupted politics and socioeconomic classes that existed in the outside world. Any signs of the world before, called relics, are strictly prohibited.

The story, based on the sci-fi books by Hugh Howey, centers around Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson, Dune), a young engineer who decides to investigate the truth when her boyfriend, who was looking into various theories, mysteriously falls to his death. Silo touches on themes of power, control, perception, and manipulation. Is the silo really protecting people from dangerous conditions outside its doors, or is this all just an elaborate demonstration of smoke and mirrors?

A take on the early life of primatologist and anthropologist Dr. Jane Goodall, the title character in Jane is a 9-year-old girl with a mission to save endangered animals. Together with her best friend David and a chimpanzee named Greybeard, the imaginative trio embarks on various adventures around the world, with the goal of protecting animals of all kinds. She idolized her namesake, Dr. Goodall, and lives by the mantra that understanding is necessary to care, and to care means helping.

Jane’s premise is inspired by Dr. Goodall’s own life and will be an entertaining watch for animal-loving families that want to educate their kids about the importance of the environment and the animals that live within our world.