If you're hoping for a quiet weekend at home as 2025 begins, Apple TV+ is ready to help. The streamer is making all of its shows and movies free to watch from Jan. 3-5, creating the perfect time to figure out whether you need to add another streaming subscription to your collection. Apple doesn't endeavor to make its streaming library anywhere near as all-encompassing as Prime or Netflix, but it does offer quite a few compelling series. Here are a few of the options.
This Mass.-set show was one of the streamer's earliest offerings, and it's still worth a revisit. It follows the story of Emily Dickinson (Hailee Steinfeld) as a young woman in Amherst as she writes, ponders the nature of life, and pursues true love with her best friend Sue (Ella Hunt), who happens to be married to Emily's brother. But don't picture a stodgy biopic: "Dickinson" puts a decidedly modern spin on the character, with Death an active character portrayed by the rapper Wiz Khalifa and Dickinson herself prone to a vivid fantasy life. Plus, "The Bear" star Ayo Edebiri wrote for it and appears in the third season.
"Severance"
Adam Scott stars in this near-future drama, in which he plays a man who's been "severed": The part of his brain that experiences his workday is distinct from the part of his brain that lives outside of work, meaning he has no idea what his job is ... and the part of him who works has never seen the sun. The show functions as part workplace satire and part puzzle box: Why does the company he works for want to keep his work secret? Season two premieres on Jan. 17, giving you just enough time to catch up on season one.
"For All Mankind"
What if Russia had been the first country to put a man on the moon? America might have decided to put the first woman on the moon to compete, and all of history might be different. "For All Mankind" is technically a science fiction show, but really it's an alternate history drama that imagines what the world would be like if the space race had never ended. The show's version of what happens in the US in the second half of the 20th century differs just enough from reality to keep things interesting, but the action sequences where something goes wrong in space are exhilarating, reminding the viewer just how dangerous space travel is for humans.
"Shrinking"
Psychologist Jimmy (Jason Segel) decides he's had enough of his usual tactics: He's going to simply tell his patients what to do. This is how "Shrinking" begins, but the show expands to tell a story about grief -- Jimmy is mourning the loss of his wife -- and the network of friends and co-workers who are helping him and his teenage daughter get through it. Harrison Ford is a particular delight as Jimmy's colleague and mentor, Paul, putting his taciturn grump persona to good use as someone who hates what Jimmy is doing but loves him anyway.
"Masters of the Air"
This Steven Spielberg-produced miniseries uses fictional characters to tell the real story of the group of soldiers who crewed the massive B-17 bombers that flew missions into heavy German fire during World War II. The show boasts a charismatic lead performance from "Dune: Part Two" and "Elvis" star Austin Butler, plus enough thrilling action sequences to satisfy most plane and history buffs. But it excels at quieter moments, as well, showcasing the camaraderie and struggles the men experience between flights.