‘Chief of War’ Is Back as Apple TV+’s Most-Watched Show This Week: Here Is the Rest of the Top 10

Apple TV+ keeps pumping out series that mix big-name talent with ambitious ideas, from prestige dramas and workplace sagas to sci-fi epics and breezy comedies. If you’re figuring out what to queue up next, this week’s lineup spans alien invasions, spy games, soccer shenanigans, and more—each with casts and creators who bring serious chops.

Below is a quick guide to what each show is about and who’s behind it. We’ve kept things clean and useful: plots, key actors and roles, plus notable creators, writers, and directors—so you can jump straight to what fits your mood.

10. ‘Slow Horses’ (2022–)

‘Slow Horses’ adapts Mick Herron’s Slough House novels, following a team of sidelined MI5 agents stuck doing drudge work under the irreverent, razor-sharp Jackson Lamb. When high-stakes threats hit London, the misfits are dragged into operations that pit them against rivals and their own agency’s politics.

Developed for television by Will Smith, the series stars Gary Oldman (Jackson Lamb), Jack Lowden (River Cartwright), Kristin Scott Thomas (Diana Taverner), Saskia Reeves (Catherine Standish), Rosalind Eleazar (Louisa Guy), Christopher Chung (Roddy Ho), and Jonathan Pryce (David Cartwright). Early episodes were directed by James Hawes, with See-Saw Films producing and subsequent seasons drawing on later novels in the series.

9. ‘Shrinking’ (2023–)

‘Shrinking’ follows therapist Jimmy Laird, who—reeling from a personal loss—starts telling his patients exactly what he thinks, setting off a chain of breakthroughs and complications at work and at home. The story blends ethical dilemmas with found family dynamics among colleagues and neighbors.

Created by Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein, and Jason Segel, the series stars Segel (Jimmy), Harrison Ford (Dr. Paul Rhoades), and Jessica Williams (Gaby), alongside Christa Miller (Liz), Michael Urie (Brian), and Lukita Maxwell (Alice). James Ponsoldt directed the pilot, and the writers build patient-of-the-week cases into longer arcs about mentorship, grief, and professional boundaries.

8. ‘Acapulco’ (2021–)

In ‘Acapulco’, a present-day narrator looks back at his younger self’s first job at the glamorous Las Colinas resort in the 1980s, where rules of service meet dreams of upward mobility. The bilingual comedy charts crushes, class divides, and workplace mishaps as friendships and ambitions collide.

Created by Austin Winsberg, Eduardo Cisneros, and Jason Shuman, the show stars Eugenio Derbez as older Máximo Gallardo and Enrique Arrizon as young Máximo. The ensemble includes Fernando Carsa (Memo), Camila Perez (Julia), Regina Reynoso (Sara), Raphael Alejandro (Hugo), and Chord Overstreet (Chad). Directors across the seasons maintain a bright, nostalgic palette while threading serialized arcs through stand-alone escapades.

7. ‘Severance’ (2022–)

‘Severance’ imagines a workplace where employees undergo a procedure that splits their memories between work and home, creating separate personae on each side of the elevator doors. As one department starts to question Lumon Industries’ cryptic rituals, their carefully engineered boundaries begin to crack.

Created by Dan Erickson, the series is directed in large part by Ben Stiller with contributions from Aoife McArdle. The cast features Adam Scott (Mark), Britt Lower (Helly R.), John Turturro (Irving), Christopher Walken (Burt), Patricia Arquette (Harmony Cobel), Tramell Tillman (Mr. Milchick), Zach Cherry (Dylan), and Dichen Lachman (Ms. Casey). The production leans on retro-futurist design, meticulous sound, and tightly structured scripts.

6. ‘The Morning Show’ (2019–)

Set inside the UBA network, ‘The Morning Show’ depicts the power struggles behind a flagship morning broadcast as anchors, producers, and executives grapple with scandals, succession, and shifting media economics. The newsroom becomes a battleground for personal reinvention and corporate strategy.

Developed by Kerry Ehrin and inspired by Brian Stelter’s book ‘Top of the Morning’, the series stars Jennifer Aniston (Alex Levy), Reese Witherspoon (Bradley Jackson), Billy Crudup (Cory Ellison), Mark Duplass (Chip Black), Nestor Carbonell (Yanko Flores), Karen Pittman (Mia Jordan), with later seasons featuring Julianna Margulies (Laura Peterson), Jon Hamm (Paul Marks), and Nicole Beharie (Chris Hunter). Mimi Leder directs key episodes, and executive producers include Aniston and Witherspoon.

5. ‘Ted Lasso’ (2020–2023)

‘Ted Lasso’ follows an American college football coach hired to manage English soccer club AFC Richmond, navigating team dynamics, hostile fans, and culture shock. The story weaves training-ground conflicts with off-pitch lives, from ownership shake-ups to locker-room leadership and rivalries.

Co-created by Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Joe Kelly, and Brendan Hunt, the series stars Sudeikis (Ted Lasso), Hannah Waddingham (Rebecca Welton), Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent), Juno Temple (Keeley Jones), Nick Mohammed (Nate Shelley), Brendan Hunt (Coach Beard), Jeremy Swift (Higgins), Phil Dunster (Jamie Tartt), and Toheeb Jimoh (Sam Obisanya). Episodes are directed by filmmakers including M.J. Delaney and Declan Lowney, with Doozer and Warner Bros. Television producing.

4. ‘Invasion’ (2021–)

‘Invasion’ tracks an extraterrestrial threat as it unfolds across the globe, following separate, ground-level perspectives that gradually intersect. Among them: Aneesha Malik, a New York–area doctor protecting her family; Trevante Cole, a U.S. soldier pulled into the conflict; and Mitsuki, a Japanese aerospace engineer who pursues a risky communications breakthrough.

Created by Simon Kinberg and David Weil, the ensemble includes Golshifteh Farahani (Aneesha), Shamier Anderson (Trevante), Shioli Kutsuna (Mitsuki), and Billy Barratt (Casper), with Sam Neill appearing early on. Directors such as Jakob Verbruggen help shape the show’s multi-country scope, marrying character-driven arcs with large-scale visual effects.

3. ‘Platonic’ (2023–)

‘Platonic’ centers on Sylvia and Will, former best friends who reconnect in Los Angeles after years apart, only to find their renewed friendship upending families, careers, and social circles. The comedy digs into midlife pivots, co-parenting, and creative burnout while keeping the focus on a messy, chemistry-driven friendship.

Created by Nick Stoller and Francesca Delbanco, the series stars Rose Byrne (Sylvia) and Seth Rogen (Will), with Luke Macfarlane as Sylvia’s husband, Charlie. Stoller directs multiple episodes, bringing his sharp timing from previous collaborations with Byrne and Rogen, while the writers’ room balances workplace and home-life storylines across the ensemble.

2. ‘Foundation’ (2021–)

Based on Isaac Asimov’s landmark novels, ‘Foundation’ follows mathematician Hari Seldon and his science of psychohistory, a method for predicting the fall of a vast Galactic Empire. As exile looms, Seldon’s followers attempt to preserve knowledge and shorten an age of chaos, while the cloned rulers—Brother Day, Brother Dusk, and Brother Dawn—cling to power under the guidance of Demerzel.

Developed for television by David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman, the series stars Jared Harris (Hari Seldon), Lee Pace (Brother Day), Lou Llobell (Gaal Dornick), Leah Harvey (Salvor Hardin), and Laura Birn (Demerzel). Large-scale production design, location work, and episodes directed by filmmakers such as Alex Graves deliver the sprawling empire, while Skydance Television produces.

1. ‘Chief of War’ (2025)

Set in the late 18th century, ‘Chief of War’ dramatizes the struggle to unify the Hawaiian Islands, told from an Indigenous perspective with dialogue in both ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and English. The series explores rivalries among island leaders, shifting alliances with foreign powers, and the cultural upheavals that followed first contact.

Jason Momoa leads the cast and serves as an executive producer, co-creating the series with Thomas Paʻa Sibbett. Early episodes are directed by Justin Chon, and the production emphasizes authentic representation—on screen and behind the camera—with Native Hawaiian and Polynesian performers and advisors shaping the language, costumes, and protocols.

Tell us which Apple TV+ show you’re pressing play on first this week—share your picks in the comments!