Apple TV+ has one key component to make excellent sci-fi -- money

AppleInsider

A range of interviews with Apple TV+ creators reveal a common truth for the streamer, that money makes good sci-fi, and Apple has plenty of it.

'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters'

Apple may not spend as much as its biggest rivals on streaming, like Disney and Amazon, but it has some of the biggest sci-fi shows on television today. "For All Mankind" and "Foundation" are examples of shows that bleed technical quality in portraying science fiction.

According to a range of interviews from Inverse, Apple's ability to take on sci-fi with open minds and open wallets is what makes Apple TV+ stand out among other streamers. Producers and writers agree that sci-fi has often been a difficult pitch to studios, as they can be high-budget with limited reach, but this hasn't been an issue with Apple.

"As a lover of sci-fi and as a lover of stories on a big epic scale, I'm so happy that Apple is doing it and they're doing it right," Matt Shakman, an executive producer on "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters," says. "They do it correctly in terms of being able to bring these worlds to life. It takes a lot of resources and a lot of talented people, and thankfully, Apple is putting their support behind that."

The foundation of Apple, and by extension the legacy of Steve Jobs, lies in sci-fi concepts like futurism and the advancement of technology. That company ethos, in turn, seems to be what contributes to so many sci-fi epics getting the green light, like "Severance" or "Monarch."

"When you talk to the people at Apple, they're science fiction fans already," Ron Moore, creator of "For All Mankind," says. "They're people that have an affinity for this kind of material and speculative fiction and technology. They're always thinking about the future, and they were informed by science fiction in their youths. I think that goes all the way back to Steve Jobs."

Apple's willingness to hire talent and take on big budget spectacles sets the company apart from other streaming services. Ron Moore concludes that Apple TV+ is "a good place to do this kind of programming."



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mortarman81mm

While Apple may have the money to fund epic sci-fi programming, I've found that all too often the scripts and acting are uneven. They really need to be a bit more selective in determining which studios they're going to trust with their money. While I'm a huge fan of 'For All Mankind', and 'Monarch', there are definitely moments when the writing, acting, or both have fallen down and (unfortunately) undermined a moment in an episode. And I won't even get started on 'Foundation'...   


It won't stop me from watching because, on balance, I think the productions are super enjoyable, but it does mar the overall quality of the shows.

13485

mortarman81mm said:

While Apple may have the money to fund epic sci-fi programming, I've found that all too often the scripts and acting are uneven. They really need to be a bit more selective in determining which studios they're going to trust with their money. While I'm a huge fan of 'For All Mankind', and 'Monarch', there are definitely moments when the writing, acting, or both have fallen down and (unfortunately) undermined a moment in an episode. And I won't even get started on 'Foundation'...   


It won't stop me from watching because, on balance, I think the productions are super enjoyable, but it does mar the overall quality of the shows.

I think I agree with everything. I watch Monsters because I find the CGI excellent, even if the acting/scripts are laughable. For All Mankind ran out of ideas long ago and is now more soapy than ever. And Joel Kinnaman is hereby being nominated for the Worst Beard & Aging Makeup on Major TV. I find Foundation has very creative, almost beautiful, visuals, but I think condensing a few thousand pages of Asimov is proving too hard--others warned of this a couple of years ago, but I thought it might work. Wrong. The long time between seasons hasn't helped. 

I'll watch it because I like sci-fi, but there are problems.

mortarman81mm

13485 said:
I think I agree with everything. I watch Monsters because I find the CGI excellent, even if the acting/scripts are laughable. For All Mankind ran out of ideas long ago and is now more soapy than ever. And Joel Kinnaman is hereby being nominated for the Worst Beard & Aging Makeup on Major TV. I find Foundation has very creative, almost beautiful, visuals, but I think condensing a few thousand pages of Asimov is proving too hard--others warned of this a couple of years ago, but I thought it might work. Wrong. The long time between seasons hasn't helped. 

I'll watch it because I like sci-fi, but there are problems.

LOL! I concur about the makeup for Joel Kinnamen - it is pretty awful...

As for "Foundation", having read the complete series a few times, I was VERY skeptical, but then I was also skeptical of "Lord of the Rings" but Peter Jackson pulled it off so I held out hope. I think the fundamental problem with "Foundation" is the timeline is so sweeping, covering such a massive span of time and space, it inherently invites discontinuities and disjointedness because the storyline is very complex. Trying to meld the small of psychohistory (it's development) with the large (the events it actually predicts and the political effects of those predictions) is a challenge that I believe could be met, but it would require an extremely patient viewer and a commitment to multiple seasons to really tell the story in toto.   

inspiredcode

Sci-Fi shows use more Mac Pros then your average show to create too.

mrstep

13485 said:

mortarman81mm said:

While Apple may have the money to fund epic sci-fi programming, I've found that all too often the scripts and acting are uneven. They really need to be a bit more selective in determining which studios they're going to trust with their money. While I'm a huge fan of 'For All Mankind', and 'Monarch', there are definitely moments when the writing, acting, or both have fallen down and (unfortunately) undermined a moment in an episode. And I won't even get started on 'Foundation'...   


It won't stop me from watching because, on balance, I think the productions are super enjoyable, but it does mar the overall quality of the shows.

I think I agree with everything. I watch Monsters because I find the CGI excellent, even if the acting/scripts are laughable. For All Mankind ran out of ideas long ago and is now more soapy than ever. And Joel Kinnaman is hereby being nominated for the Worst Beard & Aging Makeup on Major TV. I find Foundation has very creative, almost beautiful, visuals, but I think condensing a few thousand pages of Asimov is proving too hard--others warned of this a couple of years ago, but I thought it might work. Wrong. The long time between seasons hasn't helped. 

I'll watch it because I like sci-fi, but there are problems.

Invasion has some of the worst acting I've ever seen, and while the plot is often weak, it's still much stronger than See. So... I'll still watch those over Amazon when that starts running ads in January.  

edited December 2023

stevegee

well then (wishing) Apple to pick up The Orville and bathe it in the kind of money Hulu doesn’t have. 

joedawson

Really only Apple you say?  What about Netflix Rebel Moon, Stranger Things, The Adam Project, Spiderhead and you could argue black mirror. Also Disney did take over Orville and it only died because Seth MacFarlane was unwilling to allow others to write for the show and he lacked the time to write all episodes and do other things. And fair enough it is his show but not a Disney lack of support problem.  In addition Disney has loads of other Si-Fi content as also Paramount+ has.

So saying it is JUST Apple is really not taking into consideration all of the landscape and how much the others have also done.  

I am happy Apple is doing work in this area but to say they are the only one spending on Si-Fi wouldn't really be the full picture.

mike wuerthele

JoeDawson said:

Really only Apple you say?  What about Netflix Rebel Moon, Stranger Things, The Adam Project, Spiderhead and you could argue black mirror. Also Disney did take over Orville and it only died because Seth MacFarlane was unwilling to allow others to write for the show and he lacked the time to write all episodes and do other things. And fair enough it is his show but not a Disney lack of support problem.  In addition Disney has loads of other Si-Fi content as also Paramount+ has.

So saying it is JUST Apple is really not taking into consideration all of the landscape and how much the others have also done.  

I am happy Apple is doing work in this area but to say they are the only one spending on Si-Fi wouldn't really be the full picture.

Nobody said “only Apple.” Paragraph two addresses Disney and Amazon 

edited December 2023

entropys

I would like to see either a Horatio Hornblower series for the napoleonic Royal Navy rah rah,  or an Honor Harrington series if you want it in spaceships. Although the failures of the government of the peeps ( the peoples’ republic of Haven) might upset certain political sensitivities.

edited December 2023