Apple TV+ is on the brink of a potential cultural moment, with Severance Season 2 getting a level of attention that few Apple shows ever get. Here’s why this could make TV+ more successful than ever before.
Severance Season 2 Could Be Apple TV+’s Next Ted Lasso Moment
Apple’s marketing team has been having quite a bit of fun this week, as seen by the presence of ‘Lumen employees’ at New York City’s Grand Central Terminal. It’s clear the company is trying to make the most of the unique opportunity brought by Severance’s return.
Not only did the first season of the show attract a huge audience, but the long wait between seasons and rave reviews have sparked significant discussion for Severance’s return. This is the kind of buzz that Apple TV+ rarely gets.
The streaming service has been around for over five years, but it’s still struggling to become more culturally relevant. Ted Lasso was the first big exception, the show that truly ‘broke through,’ and it looks like Severance could be the second. However, this time, success could last.
Apple’s Strong Catalog Can Now Keep Viewers Engaged, Not Push Them Away
One of Apple TV+’s biggest perceived shortcomings since its launch has been its lack of a robust catalog. Every streaming service licenses content and creates original programming to fill their libraries. Apple took a different approach, focusing entirely on original content, which made it difficult to retain subscribers for a long time.
Ted Lasso was a huge hit, not just for Apple but for any streaming service. The problem was that Apple gained a lot of customers but then had little to offer to keep them around. After Lasso ended in the spring of 2023, Apple TV+ lacked attractive content to lure in ongoing subscriptions.
But in the almost two years since then, Apple TV+ has significantly expanded its library. It’s also been on a hot streak with both new and returning shows and the platform’s new content has been especially impressive.
Users who sign up for Apple TV+ to follow Mark S. and crew on their latest Severance adventure will find plenty of other Apple content to enjoy as well. Here are some key additions to the service since the end of Ted Lasso Season 3, Apple’s last big cultural moment:
- Silo Seasons 1 & 2
- The excellent second season of Shrinking
- Slow Horses Seasons 3 & 4
- Bad Monkey, another great series from Bill Lawrence
- Presumed Innocent
- Dark Matter
- Masters of the Air
- Disclaimer, a star-studded miniseries
- The Morning Show Season 3
- Pachinko Season 2
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
And much more
In other words, if Severance Season 2 really becomes a hit on the scale of Ted Lasso, Apple will have plenty of content to keep customers around once it ends. Maybe, just maybe, Apple TV+ will finally become the big success its high-quality content, like Severance, deserves.
What do you think Apple TV+ should do to achieve true success? Let us know in the comments.
