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Apple made its debut before members of the Television Critics Association on Sunday, closing out the winter press tour with a half-day of star-studded panels while also solidifying its spring lineup.
The tech giant’s TV+ platform launched on Nov. 1 and has already debuted seven scripted originals, with all but the limited series Truth Be Told picked up for a second season. And on Sunday, Apple used TCA panels to hand out official early renewals for Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet and Home Before Dark before their premieres. Both join the Kumail Nanjiani anthology Little America and M. Night Shyamalan’s Servant as originals scoring early renewals as Apple sends a larger message to the creative community that it has no plans to exit the originals space anytime soon.
Apple — which did not hold an executive session as video heads Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht were traveling internationally and not returning until Monday — instead focused on its upcoming slate with sessions for Little America, Home Before Dark, Visible: Out on Television, Central Park, Mythic Quest and Defending Jacob. Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon — the latter making her second trip to TCA in three days — also held court as they stumped for Emmy consideration and hoped to reset the early narrative about The Morning Show during their 30-minute session.
Outside of the two renewals, Apple’s announcements were focused on setting its spring slate as the company’s rollout plans begin to take shape. Originals, be they scripted dramas and comedies or docuseries, will pick up in February with two series, Mythic Quest (all episodes on Feb. 7) and the LGBTQ doc Visible: Out on Television (Feb. 14, all episodes). The episodic anthology Amazing Stories is set to bow March 6 with its first five episodes, though there was no information about when the remainder of the series from executive producer Steven Spielberg will return.
In April, Apple ramps up its release pattern with three originals — Home Before Dark (April 3, three episodes); the real estate docuseries Home (all episodes); and the Chris Evans vehicle Defending Jacob (April 24, first three episodes). Apple’s first U.K. comedy, Trying, arrives May 1, followed June 5 by the docuseries Dear…, with all episodes of both available at launch. The animated comedy Central Park, from Bob’s Burgers creator Loren Bouchard and featuring a star-studded voice cast, will launch in early summer; a formal premiere date has not been revealed for the comedy that Apple picked up straight-to-series amid competition from both Netflix and Hulu.
Counting Central Park and The Morning Show — both of which landed at the tech giant with two-season orders — Apple has already renewed seven shows, with six of them picked up before their premieres.
Here’s a snapshot of Apple’s release schedule and results:
The Morning Show (Nov. 1): picked up with two-season order
Dickinson (Nov. 1): renewed for season two
For All Mankind (Nov. 1): renewed for season two
See (Nov. 1): renewed for season two
Servant (Nov. 28): renewed before premiere
Truth Be Told (Dec. 6): closed-ended limited series
Little America (Jan. 17): renewed before premiere
Mythic Quest (due Feb. 7): renewed before premiere
Visible: Out on TV (due Feb. 14)
Amazing Stories (due March 6)
Home Before Dark (due April 3): renewed before premiere
Home (due April 17)
Defending Jacob (April 24)
Central Park (due early summer): picked up with two-season order
Trying (due May 1)
Dear… (due June 5)
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