Apple TV+ doesn’t officially launch until November 1st, but the new streaming service is already handing out Season 2 orders for a handful of shows.THRreports that the post-apocalyptic dramaSeestarringJason Momoa, the YA-leaningDickinsonstarringHailee Steinfeld, the anthology seriesLittle America, and theHilde LysiakdramaHome Before Darkhave all been quietly renewed. Meanwhile,DeadlinereportsFor All Mankind, starringJoel Kinnaman, has also gotten the Season 2 go-ahead.
In fact, production is already underway onDickinsonSeason 2 afterthe first trailersfor the show caught the internet’s attention. The half-hour series chronicles the life of poet Emily Dickinson, but with a kind of Millennial twist — treating her as a genuine teenager. ThinkSofia Coppola’sMarie Antoinette. As forSee, THR reports that Apple spent a whopping $240 million for two seasons of the series, which takes place in a far future in which all of humanity has gone blind.Francis Lawrence, the filmmaker who helmed the final threeHunger Gamesmovies, took creative lead on the show’s first season, but it’s unclear how significantly he’ll be involved with Season 2 as THR notes a “change at the top” may be imminent.
Little America, meanwhile, is an anthology series executive produced byKumail NanjianiandEmily V. Gordon, among others, that takes a look at the lives of immigrants in America. AndHome Before Darkis a mystery drama series based on the life of young journalist Hilde Lysiak withJon M. Chuas an executive producer. Rounding out this quintet of renewals isFor All Mankindfrom series creatorRonald D. Moore(Star Trek: The Next Generation,Battlestar Galactica). The series offers an alternative look at the Space Race of the mid-20th century, beginning with America’s response to the Soviet Union reaching the moon first.
The streaming service’s most high-profile series,The Morning ShowstarringJennifer Aniston,Reese Witherspoon, andSteve Carell, was picked up for two seasons at the onset, costing a reported $300 million for two seasons—largely due to the $2 million-per-episode fees that Witherspoon and Aniston rightfully negotiated.
There are even more Apple TV+ shows on the horizon, likeM. Night Shyamalan’sServantand theOctavia Spencer-frontedTruth Be Told, but THR notes that the new iteration ofAmazing Storieswas originally supposed to be part of this initial launch. However, creative differences with the show’s original creative team ofBryan FullerandHart Hansonled to significant delays. The duo reportedly wanted to craft an “edgy’ vision for the series, while Apple preferred something more aspirational. They were replaced byOnce Upon a TimealumsEdward KitsisandAdam Horowitz.
So we’ll see how audiences respond to Apple TV+’s first original programming when all is revealed on November 1st, but for now the streaming service is getting a jump on what it believes will be its most successful new shows.
