Worst-Case Scenario: Apple TV+

The streamer's on a roll. But this is about how Hollywood's prestige darling could go sideways

COOK’S NIGHT Tim Cook flanked by Ariana DeBose and CODA’s Marlee Matlin after his big win. (Kevin Mazur/VF22/WireImage for Vanity Fair)

This is the latest installment in my Worst-Case Scenario series. I’ve covered Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Amazon and Hollywood before; and the best case for Paramount.

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You may be asking yourself, “a ‘worst-case scenario’ for Apple? It’s on a roll…”

And yeah, it got 52 Emmy nominations last week (on the heels of that big Oscar). Almost every time I hear people talk about Apple, everyone says it’s the “it” streaming service, with a string of buzzy, critically adored, zeitgeist-y hits.

That’s all true. So how many people are actually watching its shows?

Consider this: Apple TV+ hasn’t had a single show make the Nielsen Top 10 rankings in 2022 so far. It’s only had two programs make TV Time’s weekly rankings in 2022, Coda and Severance. And that’s not for a lack of trying. Here’s my list of the original shows just released, from March to May: