Image via Apple TV
Published Mar 19, 2026, 4:53 PM EDT
Michael Block is a 14 time GLAM Award nominated writer, producer, and host of the podcast Block Talk. Throughout his time in the entertainment industry, he has worked on and off Broadway as a stage manager, written several produced plays, critiqued hundreds of theatrical performances, drag and cabaret shows, and has produced events randing from drag competitoons to variety concerts!
On Block Talk, he interviews nightlife personalities, covers the wide world of entertainment through features, ranking episodes, and recaps ALL of Drag Race, as well as Dragula and Survivor. He has interviewed hundreds of RuGirls that span the globe at DragCon NYC, DragCon LA, and DragCon UK.
In his free time, he makes one-of-a-kind jewelry and gift baskets with his mom. He is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.
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Audiences love miniseries because, in one single season, a fully realized, well-rounded story. Though there may be a desire for more, a great miniseries satisfies that desire. Whether network or streamer, multi-night run or single-seated binge, we revere the masterpiece miniseries.
Apple TV has been a leader in exceptional content, and in the world of miniseries, they've released some masterpieces. From a pulse-pounding historical drama to a shocking story ripped, Apple TV's greatest miniseries are so good, they have no notes. Here are the titles that are tens across the board.
'Before' (2024)
Image via Apple TV+Billy Crystal is one of the greatest comedians in the history of Hollywood, so it's rare to see him stretch his dramatic legs. But in 2024, he did so in Sarah Thorp's Before. The series sees Crystal as Eli, a child psychiatrist recently widowed by his wife's suicide. He encounters a haunted, troubled boy named Noah (Jacobi Jupe), a boy with violent tendencies, who shows up on his doorstep and appears to have a mysterious, dangerous connection to Eli's past. A story about grief, secrets, and supernatural elements, Before is an intriguing watch over 10 tight episodes.
Though it did receive mixed reviews, the truth is, if you enjoy supernatural thrillers, Before delivers. A compelling approach to grief and guilt, Before's strongest attribute is the mysterious tone that builds as the story unfolds. Further, it's Crystal's solemn side. Through quiet intrigue, his stripped performance helps bring the material to the best place it can be. As long as you can dismiss your preconceived notion of the beloved funny man, his entry into the horror realm is the shock you never saw coming.
'Black Bird' (2022)
Image via Apple TVTrue-crime series have always been popular, but thanks to the podcast boom, they're more popular than ever. Whether inspired by a podcast or a book, companies continue to race to dramatize the story. In 2022, Apple TV tried its hand with the enthralling Black Bird. Based on the 2010 autobiographical novel In with the Devil: a Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption, the six-part series follows Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton), a charming former football star sentenced to 10 years in prison who is offered freedom if he can elicit a confession from suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser), who is suspected of killing up to 40 women. A slow-burning, tense "cat-and-mouse" drama, Black Bird is a chilling psychological thriller that is nothing short of an acting masterclass.
One of the generation's shining rising stars, Egerton brings his A-game to the series. There's an intensity in his performance, brought forth from the high-stakes objective. His scenes against Hauser are dynamic. Psychological manipulation is often frowned upon, but given the way the justice system works, Black Bird shows how it can be used for good. A brilliant character-driven drama, this series also marked Ray Liotta's final performance. Developed by Dennis Lehane, the atmospheric, claustrophobic prison setting adds a dark layer that makes the story haunting. With a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, Black Bird earned all the praise it received.
'Defending Jacob' (2020)
Image via Apple TVBefore we were completely gobsmacked by Adolescence, Apple TV invited audiences to a crime thriller with similar themes, Defending Jacob. Based on the novel by William Landry, Andy Barber (Chris Evans), an assistant district attorney whose life unravels when his teenage son, Jacob (Jaeden Martell), is accused of murdering a classmate, forcing the family to confront searing questions about loyalty, justice, and whether they truly know each other. As Andy defends his son against damning evidence, the investigation brings secrets about a "murder gene" in their family to light. A captivating story with a shocking end, Defending Jacob is as unsettling as it is emotionally relatable.
Unlike other crime thrillers, Defending Jacob takes its time to allow the story to unfold, leaving room for a character-driven narrative. Thankfully, with a brilliant ensemble, led by Evans and carried through by the sensational Michelle Dockery, Defending Jacob flourishes. Morten Tyldum's direction creates a chilling atmosphere and a sense of confinement through the nature of the situation. Like the book, Tyldum works the non-linear storytelling mechanic to keep you on your toes. Layered in melodrama, Defending Jacob is a riveting watch worth every minute.
'Disclaimer' (2024)
Image via Apple TVIf you're a fan of brilliant actors, chances are you'll be immediately sat for any project featuring Cate Blanchett. Luckily for you, Blanchett is absolutely mesmerizing in the haunting drama, Disclaimer. A psychological erotic thriller inspired by Renée Knight's novel, Disclaimer tells the story of Catherine Ravenscroft (Blanchett), a renowned documentarian whose life unravels when she discovers she is the protagonist of a novel that exposes a dark, hidden secret from a vacation 20 years earlier. Seeking revenge, the book's author, Stephen Brigstocke (Kevin Kline), aims to destroy her reputation and family, forcing her to confront a past incident involving a young man's death. Filled with shocking twists and turns, with an ending that will leave you stunned, Disclaimer is how you masterfully tell a thrilling story.
Meticulously crafted by Alfonso Cuarón, Disclaimer uses stunning cinematography across two timelines, infusing the past to inform the present. Cuarón brilliantly paces the series by giving you the necessary insight into Catherine, then and now, blending the saga from the holiday in Italy, when young Catherine (Leila George) encounters Jonathan (Louis Partridge), and back home in London, 20 years later, when the truth emerges. There is not a single weak link in the cast. Blanchett is engrossing as a woman desperately trying to keep the past hidden. As her husband and son, Robert and Nicholas, Sacha Baron Cohen and Kodi Smit-McPhee convey a full range of emotions as they deal with the turmoil they didn't ask for. A complex adult thriller, Disclaimer delivers a satisfying ending.
Collider Exclusive · Oscar Best Picture Quiz
Which Oscar Best Picture
Is Your Perfect Movie?
Parasite · Everything Everywhere · Oppenheimer · Birdman · No Country
Five Oscar Best Picture winners. Five completely different visions of what cinema can be — and what it can do to you. One of them is the film that was made for the way your mind works. Ten questions will figure out which one.
🪜Parasite
🌀Everything Everywhere
☢️Oppenheimer
🐦Birdman
🪙No Country for Old Men
FIND YOUR FILM →
01
What kind of film experience do you actually want? The best movies don't just entertain — they leave something behind.
ASomething that pulls the rug out — that makes me think I'm watching one kind of film and then reveals I'm watching another entirely. BSomething overwhelming — funny, sad, absurd, and genuinely moving, all at once. CSomething grand and weighty — a film that makes me feel the full scale of what I'm watching. DSomething formally daring — a film that pushes what cinema can even do. ESomething lean and relentless — pure tension with no wasted frame.
NEXT QUESTION →
02
Which idea grabs you most in a film? Great films are driven by a central obsession. What's yours?
AClass, inequality, and what people are willing to do when desperation meets opportunity. BIdentity, family, and the chaos of trying to hold your life together when everything is falling apart. CGenius, moral responsibility, and the catastrophic weight of a decision you can never take back. DEgo, legacy, and the terror of becoming irrelevant while you're still alive to watch it happen. EEvil, chance, and whether moral order actually exists or if we just tell ourselves it does.
NEXT QUESTION →
03
How do you like your story told? Form is content. The way a story is shaped changes what it means.
AGenre-twisting — I want it to start in one lane and migrate into something completely different. BMaximalist and genre-blending — comedy, action, drama, sci-fi, all in one ride. CEpic and non-linear — cutting between timelines, building a mosaic of cause and consequence. DA single unbroken flow — I want to feel like I'm living it in real time, no cuts to safety. ESpare and precise — every scene doing exactly what it needs to do and nothing more.
NEXT QUESTION →
04
What makes a truly great antagonist? The opposition defines the protagonist. What kind of opposition fascinates you?
AA system — invisible, structural, and almost impossible to fight because it has no single face. BThe self — the ways we sabotage, abandon, and fail the people we love most. CHistory — the unstoppable momentum of events that no single person can stop or redirect. DThe industry — the machinery of culture that chews up talent and spits out irrelevance. EPure, implacable evil — a force so certain of itself it becomes almost philosophical.
NEXT QUESTION →
05
What do you want from a film's ending? The final note is the one that lingers. What do you want it to sound like?
AShock and inevitability — a conclusion that recontextualises everything that came before it. BEarned emotion — I want to cry, laugh, and feel genuinely hopeful, even if the world is a mess. CDevastation and grandeur — an ending that makes me sit in silence for a few minutes after. DAmbiguity — something that leaves enough open that I'm still thinking about it days later. EBleakness — an honest refusal to pretend the world is tidier than it actually is.
NEXT QUESTION →
06
Which setting pulls you in most? Where a film takes place shapes everything — mood, stakes, what's even possible.
AA gleaming modern city with a hidden underside — beauty masking rot, wealth masking desperation. BA collapsing suburban life that opens onto something infinite — the multiverse of a single ordinary person. CThe corridors of power and science at a world-historical turning point — where decisions echo for decades. DThe grimy, alive chaos of New York and Hollywood — fame as both destination and trap. EVast, indifferent landscape — desert and highway where violence arrives without warning or reason.
NEXT QUESTION →
07
What cinematic craft impresses you most? Every great film has a signature — a technical or artistic element that makes it unmistakable.
AProduction design and mise-en-scène — every frame composed to carry meaning beneath the surface. BEditing and tonal control — the ability to move between registers without losing the audience. CScore and sound design — music that becomes inseparable from the dread and awe of what you're watching. DCinematography as performance — the camera not recording events but participating in them. ESilence and restraint — what's left unsaid and unshown doing more work than any dialogue could.
NEXT QUESTION →
08
What kind of main character do you root for? The protagonist is the lens. Who you choose to follow says something about you.
ASomeone smart and resourceful who makes increasingly dangerous decisions under pressure. BSomeone overwhelmed and ordinary who turns out to be capable of something extraordinary. CA brilliant, tortured figure whose gifts and flaws are inseparable from each other. DA self-destructive artist whose ego is both their superpower and their undoing. EA quiet, principled person trying to make sense of a world that has stopped making sense.
NEXT QUESTION →
09
How do you feel about a film that takes its time? Pace is a choice. Some films sprint; others let tension accumulate slowly, deliberately.
AI love a slow build when I know the payoff is going to be seismic — patience for a devastating reveal. BGive me relentless momentum — I want to feel breathless and emotionally spent by the end. CEpic runtime doesn't scare me — if the material demands three hours, give me three hours. DI want it to feel propulsive even when nothing is technically happening — restless energy throughout. EDeliberate and unhurried — I want dread to accumulate in the spaces between the action.
NEXT QUESTION →
10
What do you want to feel walking out of the cinema? The best films leave a mark. What kind of mark do you want?
AUnsettled — like I've just seen something I can't fully explain but can't stop thinking about. BMoved and energised — like the film reminded me what actually matters and gave me something to hold onto. CHumbled — like I've been in the presence of something genuinely important and overwhelming. DExhilarated — like I've just seen cinema doing something it's never quite done before. EHaunted — like a cold, quiet dread that stays with me for days.
REVEAL MY FILM →
The Academy Has Decided Your Perfect Film Is…
Your answers have pointed to one Oscar Best Picture winner above all others. This is the film that was made for the way your mind works.
Parasite
You are drawn to films that operate on multiple levels simultaneously — that begin in one genre and quietly, brilliantly migrate into another. Bong Joon-ho's Parasite is a film about class, desire, and the architecture of inequality that manages to be darkly funny, deeply suspenseful, and genuinely shocking across a single extraordinary running time. Your instinct is for cinema that hides its true intentions until the moment it's ready to reveal them. Parasite is exactly that — a film that rewards close attention and punishes assumptions, right up to its devastating final image.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
You want it all — and this film gives you all of it. The Daniels' Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the most maximalist films ever made: action comedy, multiverse sci-fi, family drama, existential crisis, and a genuinely earned emotional core that sneaks up on you amid the chaos. You are someone who responds to ambition, who doesn't want cinema to choose between being entertaining and being meaningful. This film refuses that choice entirely. It is overwhelming by design, and its overwhelming nature is precisely the point — because the feeling of being crushed by infinite possibility is exactly what it's about.
Oppenheimer
You are drawn to cinema on a grand scale — films that understand history not as a backdrop but as a force, and that place their characters inside that force and watch what happens. Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is a film about the terrifying gap between what we can do and what we should do, told with the full weight of one of the most consequential moments in human history behind it. You want your films to feel important without feeling self-important — to earn their ambition through sheer craft and the gravity of their subject. Oppenheimer does exactly that. It is enormous, complicated, and refuses easy comfort.
Birdman
You are drawn to films that foreground their own construction — that make the how of the filmmaking part of the what it's about. Alejandro González Iñárritu's Birdman, shot to appear as a single continuous take, is cinema examining itself through the cracked mirror of a fading actor's ego. You respond to formal daring, to the feeling that a film is doing something that probably shouldn't be possible. Michael Keaton's performance and Emmanuel Lubezki's restless camera create something genuinely unlike anything else — a film that is simultaneously about creativity, relevance, self-destruction, and the impossibility of ever truly knowing if your work means anything at all.
No Country for Old Men
You are drawn to cinema that trusts silence, that refuses to explain itself, and that treats dread as a form of meaning. The Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men is a film about the arrival of a new kind of evil — implacable, arbitrary, and utterly indifferent to the moral frameworks we use to make sense of the world. It is one of the most formally controlled films ever made, and its controlled restraint is what makes it so terrifying. You want your films to haunt you, not comfort you. You are not interested in resolution if resolution would be dishonest. No Country for Old Men is honest in a way that most cinema never dares to be.
↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ
'Dope Thief' (2025)
Image via Apple TVIn 2025, Peter Craig brought Dennis Tafoya's book, Dope Thief, in miraculous fashion. Childhood friends Ray (Brian Tyree Henry) and Manny (Wagner Moura) in Philadelphia impersonate DEA agents to rob drug dealers. Their scheme turns chaotic when they unknowingly rob a major cartel's meth lab, forcing them to survive against dangerous criminals and real federal agents. With a gritty atmosphere, the character-driven drama brings the intensity of a high-stakes adrenaline rush that's destined to go wrong. A nail-biting crime thriller, Dope Thief explores loyalty, survival, and the consequences of crime through a violent lens.
The eight-part series is deeply human. There is an enriching character study of two individuals, though morally grey, who fight for what they believe is right, all to save their strained relationship. Even though karma catches up to their scheme, their journey together is enhanced by the kinetic energy unleashed by Wagner and Henry. Through a balance of high-octane action with dark comedy, both actors find moments of levity against the heist. Behind them is a stellar ensemble that includes Marin Ireland as Mina, a veteran DEA agent posing as a drug cook, Ving Rhames as Bart Driscoll, Ray's cancer-stricken father and a notorious dealer, and Kate Mulgrew as Theresa Bowers, Bart's girlfriend and Ray's adoptive mother. A truly riveting ride, you'll be hooked after episode one, thanks to the direction by none other than Ridley Scott.
'Lessons in Chemistry' (2023)
Image via Apple TVPeriod pieces tend to be crowd-pleasers. There's something captivating about being transported to a time beyond our own. So, when a period drama goes beyond its means to bring profound themes to the forefront, it allows the series to soar. Such was the case for Lessons in Chemistry. Based on the novel by Bonnie Garmus, the eight-episode series tells the story of Elizabeth Zott (Brie Larson), a 1950s aspiring scientist forced out of her lab by systemic sexism. She reluctantly takes a job hosting a TV cooking show, Supper at Six, using the platform to teach housewives science and, in the process, challenge the traditional domestic, social, and gender roles of the era. With a charming and robust performance from Larson, Lessons in Chemistry is compelling, skillfully adapting the novel through high-quality production.
The 1950s come alive in this series, with every element of the production design expertly curated. Balancing the brightly dressed backdrop with the serious conversations enriches the social issues without compromising the series' mission. By illuminating feminist themes, it captures a brilliant, resilient woman navigating systemic sexism with charm and authenticity. Larson is at her finest as Elizabeth. Her nuanced performance isn't subtle. She presents a powerful voice for hot-button topics that continue to resonate. The ingredients of Lessons in Chemistry come together for a masterpiece dish.
'Manhunt' (2024)
Image via Apple TVThere have been countless films and series about Abraham Lincoln, but the story after the fatal shot is just as compelling as the man who was assassinated. Lifted from Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson, the historical drama captures the intense 12-day hunt for John Wilkes Booth (Anthony Boyle), the assassin who gunned down President Lincoln (Hamish Linklater). Led by the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton (Tobias Menzies), the seven-episode conspiracy drama showcases the pursuit while dealing with political turmoil. A wonderfully chaotic and tense thriller, Manhunt exposes a broader, multi-level plot beyond just one actor who had solely owned the villain moniker.
A different type of cat-and-mouse story, Manhunt smartly digs into little-known details of the manhunt and its immediate aftermath. After the surrender of the Confederates, the country's fragility was exposed, making the hunt for Booth of such great stakes. What Manhunt does smartly is keep historical accuracy front and center while drawing on the parallels felt in our current politically charged divide. Menzies is at his best in this series. He's transcendent, giving casual students of history a profound respect for the little-remembered man. Further, Boyle's take on Booth is quite hypnotic. If you are a history buff, this masterpiece will satisfy your itch.
'Masters of the Air' (2024)
The beauty of a miniseries, compared to a feature-length film, lies in its ability to expand the source material without compromising its integrity. With Masters of the Air, creators John Shiban and John Orloff took Donald L. Miller's book and took detailed care of it. The series follows the actions of the 100th Bomb Group, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber unit in the Eighth Air Force in eastern England during World War II. A mesmerizing narrative about the friendships and intense trauma of airmen in the European theater, the story chronicles American airmen flying dangerous B-17 bomber missions over Nazi Germany. An intense series about battle, brotherhood, and the psychological toll of high-altitude warfare, Masters of the Air was truly thrilling television.
The only miniseries not produced by HBO, Masters of Air completes the trilogy that features Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Through a cinematic scope, this sweeping epic brings bravery to 25,000 feet high in the sky. Masters of the Air, with personal stories straight from the cockpit, delivers a vivid, big-budget look at World War II with historical accuracy through a compelling narrative. Shining a light on a moment rarely dramatized, Masters of the Air becomes a flawless series thanks to its top-notch cast, including Austin Butler, Barry Keoghan, Callum Turner, and Anthony Boyle. If you're feeling ambitious, sit back and relax with all three series. You'll end with a show that is truly the cherry on top.
'The Shrink Next Door' (2021)
Image via Apple TVWhen you look at the top-billed stars, you might expect The Shrink Next Door to be a laugh-out-loud comedy. It's far from it. Instead, Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell star in a ripped-from-the-headlines story that's far too wild to be true. And yet, it is. Based on the podcast of the same name, The Shrink Next Door is a dark dramedy about the decades-long, exploitative relationship between psychiatrist Dr. Isaac "Ike" Herschkopf (Rudd) and his patient, Marty Markowitz (Ferrell). The story dives deep into the manipulation Marty experienced as Ike took over Marty's life, business, and Hampton's home. With extraordinary boundaries crossed, the series brings manipulation to a whole new level.
Developed by Georgia Pritchett, The Shrink Next Door is equally entertaining as it is sensationally gripping. A genuine cautionary tale about friendship and the distinction between work and pleasure, the eight-episode story is one you’ll be unable to stop watching once you start. Like a train wreck in real time, the series is masterfully acted by Ferrell and Rudd, who use their comedic chops and established relationship to find the necessary lightness amongst the darkness. Additionally, Casey Wilson as Ike's wife, Bonnie Herschkopf, and Kathryn Hahn as Marty's sister, Phyllis Shapiro, are just as dynamic. Had this quartet not led the series, the tone would have been quite different and potentially less successful. A truly stranger-than-fiction story, The Shrink Next Door is one of the greatest Apple TV products, miniseries or long-running show.
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