Apple TV Sets Four Straight Weeks of Major Premieres Starting Sept. 16

Slow Horses returns Sept. 16, keeping its annual release streak. The British espionage series, based on Mick Herron's novels, follows the Slough House crew led by Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb. Apple's official summary describes a darkly funny espionage drama about British intelligence agents serving in an MI5 dumping ground due to career-ending mistakes. Led by the brilliant but irascible Jackson Lamb, they navigate the espionage world's smoke and mirrors to defend England from sinister forces. Reviews cited by 9to5Mac suggest season 6 is a standout, with more dark humor and plot twists.

On Sept. 23, Apple TV premieres Brothers, a comedy series pairing Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. The two play fictionalized versions of themselves, and their lifelong friendship is thrown into chaos when they uncover a decades-old secret: they might actually be brothers. After Woody's daughter's wedding falls apart, he loads up the family and heads to Austin for an extended stay at Matthew's ranch. What begins as a healing getaway spirals when Matthew's mother, Ma Mac, played by Holland Taylor, accidentally lets slip the buried secret. As Woody turns the ranch upside down in pursuit of the truth, Matthew juggles a different identity crisis: a potential run for Governor of Texas. Lee Eisenberg, known for his work as writer and producer on The Office, is the showrunner.

The Last First: Winter K2 arrives Oct. 2. The documentary, directed by Amir Bar-Lev, examines extreme mountain climbing and its changing culture through a 2021 expedition. It follows Icelander John Snorri Sigurjónsson and the Pakistani father-son team of Ali and Sajid Sadpara as they set out to be the first to summit K2 in winter, when conditions are cruelest. On the treacherous ascent, they share the mountain with influencer climbers and their film crews, commercial expedition clients, and a Nepalese team no longer content to help Westerners achieve mountaineering glory. The film has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, according to 9to5Mac, and Variety described it as a revealing look at how the climbers risked their lives for an ideal, possibly an addiction, and said it shows the dark side of getting high.

Small Prophets premieres Oct. 7. Unlike nearly every other show Apple offers for streaming, it is not original to the service; Apple licensed the award-winning comedy after it became a hit in the UK earlier this year. The show follows eccentric Michael Sleep, played by Pearce Quigley, who has lived an ordinary life since his darling Clea disappeared seven years ago. He works in a DIY store, visits his dad Brian, played by Sir Michael Palin, and hopes Clea will return. One day Brian shares an old recipe involving rainwater, horse manure and more than a little alchemy. With recipe in hand, Michael sets out, albeit skeptically, to create homunculi, magical spirits that can predict the future, hoping they can answer whether he will ever see Clea again.

Matchbox The Movie premieres Oct. 9. The action-comedy is inspired by the Mattel toys and has the feel of a theatrical release, with big stars and a big budget, but it will premiere exclusively on Apple TV.

Editor's Summary

Apple TV's fall schedule includes four straight weeks of premieres from Sept. 16 to Oct. 9, led by Slow Horses season 6 and the new comedy Brothers. The lineup also features the K2 documentary The Last First, the licensed UK comedy Small Prophets and the Mattel-inspired film Matchbox The Movie. The strategy blends original series, acquired titles and exclusive films.