Apple TV+ Announces, Renews, and Unveils Release Dates for Eight Series in Total

Apple TV+ had a busy Sunday as it announced one new series, renewed two shows, and unveiled release dates for five more. From executive producer Steven Spielberg, anthology series Amazing Stories arrives March 6. Chris Evans-starrer thriller Defending Jacob will premiere April 24. Apple's first international series, Trying, from the UK is set to release May 1. And lastly, docu-series Home, about innovative homes, and Dear..., which profiles celebrities, debut April 17 and June 5, respectively. Video game dev series Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet and mystery series Home Before Dark were renewed for season 2. And lastly, Apple announced animated musical comedy Central Park from Bob's Burgers creator.

The eight announcements were made by Apple TV+ at the 2020 Television Critics Association (winter) press tour in California, which finished its near two-week run on Sunday.

The release date for Spielberg's Amazing Stories was accompanied with a first-look photo for one of the episodes, “The Rift”, which has been directed by Mark Mylod (Succession, Game of Thrones) and stars Kerry Lynne Bishé, Whitney Coleman, Trisha Mashburn, Austin Stowell, Edward Burns, and Juliana Canfield. Amazing Stories comes from showrunners Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (Once Upon a Time). Other episodes will star the likes of Dylan O'Brien (Maze Runner), Victoria Pedretti (You), Josh Holloway (Lost), Sasha Alexander (Shameless), and the late Robert Forster.

Kerry Lynne Bishé in Amazing Stories “The Rift”
Photo Credit: Apple

A miniseries, Defending Jacob is based on the 2012 New York Times best-selling novel of the same name by William Landay that unfolds around a shocking crime that rocks a small Massachusetts town, and follows an assistant district attorney who finds himself torn between his sworn duty to uphold justice and his unconditional love for his son. Evans stars alongside Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell, Cherry Jones, Pablo Schreiber, Betty Gabriel, and Sakina Jaffrey. First three episodes release April 24, with new episodes weekly thereafter every Friday.

In the British series Trying, produced by BBC Studios and written by Andy Wolton, a couple — played by Rafe Spall and Esther Smith — struggle to conceive. Trying has a total of eight half-hour episodes, out May 1. BAFTA winner Imelda Staunton also stars.

The docu-series Home has a total of nine episodes and will look at “the boundary-pushing imagination of the visionaries who dared to dream and build the world's most innovative homes.” Home is part of the 2020 SXSW Film Festival lineup. It premieres April 17. Executive produced by Emmy winner R.J. Cutler, Dear... has 10 episodes and will profile the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Gloria Steinem, Spike Lee, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Yara Shahidi, Stevie Wonder, Aly Raisman, Misty Copeland, and Big Bird

As for the two Apple TV+ series that have gotten a second season, Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet follows a team of video game developers as they navigate the challenges of running a popular video game, co-created and starring Rob McElhenney; while Home Before Dark is inspired by the reporting of young investigative journalist Hilde Lysiak, directed and executive produced by Jon M. Chu. Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet season 1 drops February 7, and Home Before Dark season 1 arrives April 3.

Central Park to premiere in summer 2020
Photo Credit: Apple

That leaves Central Park, which comes from Loren Bouchard, executive producer Josh Gad (Frozen), and executive producer Nora Smith (Bob's Burgers). It's about “the Tillermans, a family that lives in Central Park. Owen, the park manager, and Paige, his journalist wife, raise their kids Molly and Cole in the world's most famous park, while fending off hotel heiress Bitsy Brandenham and her long suffering assistant Helen, who would love nothing more than to turn the park into condos.” Voice cast includes Gad, Leslie Odom Jr., Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Tituss Burgess, Daveed Diggs, and Stanley Tucci. Central Park premieres in summer 2020 on Apple TV+.