The Post-Severance Blues—And Why Apple TV+ Doesn't Care
Let's be real: Severance was a lightning bolt in a bottle—a show so weird and wired it made corporate drudgery feel like a psychedelic thriller. Now that it's over, Apple TV+ isn't scrambling to clone it. Instead, they're doubling down on what they do best: niche brilliance.
April's lineup doesn't have a Severance replacement. Good. Because trying to replicate that would be like microwaving filet mignon—pointless and sad. Instead, we get four shows that each, in their own way, poke at the same existential itch: What happens when the system kicks you out?
Your Friends and Neighbors: When White-Collar Crime Gets Petty
Jon Hamm as a down-and-out hedge fund manager turned kleptomaniac? That's not a plot—it's a therapy session for Wall Street bros. In Your Friends and Neighbors, Hamm's Coop isn't some slick Mad Men rogue; he's desperate, divorced, and stealing his neighbor's silverware.
But here's the twist: The real crime isn't his petty theft—it's the rot behind the McMansions he's robbing. Creator Jonathan Tropper (Banshee) loves morally messy antiheroes, and with Olivia Munn and Amanda Peet as his foils, this could be Succession meets Home Alone—if Kevin McCallister grew up to be a Bernie Madoff fanboy.
Stream it if: You've ever side-eyed your neighbor's Tesla and thought, “They'd never miss it.”
Government Cheese: Divine Intervention Meets Power Tools
David Oyelowo plays Hampton Chambers, an ex-con turned inventor whose big idea is a self-sharpening drill. That's either genius or a metaphor for capitalism—jury's out. Set in 1969, Government Cheese is part redemption tale, part heist drama, with God (or luck?) tipping the scales.
Oyelowo's Hampton isn't just fighting his past; he's fighting the gravity of poverty. And when the show's title references welfare-era food handouts, you know this isn't some saccharine second-chance story. It's The Wire with a Southern gothic twist—and a drill bit that won't quit.
Stream it if: You believe in miracles… or just really love power tools.
Jane Season 3: The Kids Are Alright (And Saving the Planet)
Ava Louise Murchison's Jane is back, swinging from vines and schooling kids on conservation. Produced by the Jane Goodall Institute, this live-action series is Dora the Explorer meets Planet Earth—if Dora had a pet chimp and a PhD in eco-activism.
In a streaming landscape cluttered with CGI sludge, Jane is a breath of fresh air. It's earnest, educational, and actually fun—a rarity in kids' programming that doesn't treat its audience like ADHD lab rats.
Stream it if: You miss the days when TV taught kids something besides unboxing toys.
Carême: The Original Celebrity Chef (Who Spied for France)
Napoleonic-era France. A self-made chef. Espionage. Carême isn't just The Bear in a cravat—it's Bourdain meets Bond. Benjamin Voisin stars as Antonin Carême, the world's first celebrity chef, who cooked for kings and stole their secrets.
This French-language drama promises lavish feasts and dirtier politics. Because what's more thrilling than a man who could poison your soup—but chooses to flambé it instead?
Stream it if: You've ever looked at a Michelin star and thought, “That's a cover for something.”
The Verdict: Apple TV+'s Quiet Dominance
Netflix churns out content like a factory. HBO maxes on spectacle. But Apple? They're the sommelier of streaming—small pours, but every sip lingers. April's lineup proves they're not chasing trends; they're curating them.
So no, there's no new Severance. But with a thief, a saint, a kid activist, and a spy chef, who needs it?
Watch. Or don't. But if you don't, your neighbors might.
