Two Apple TV originals – the genre‑bending horror‑comedy *Widow’s Bay* and the star‑studded dramedy *Margo’s Got Money Troubles* – share the highest Rotten Tomatoes scores of the year, and both are currently rolling out new episodes.

Apple TV’s Top‑Rated Shows Are Streaming Right Now

Apple TV is about to launch its biggest summer slate, but the platform’s current lineup already includes the two highest‑rated series of 2026. Both hold a 97 % approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making them the best‑reviewed Apple originals so far.

Apple TV has its best reviewed shows of the year airing right now - 9to5Mac

1. Widow’s Bay

Widow’s Bay is a horror‑comedy‑thriller hybrid set on a remote New England island. Creator Katie Dippold and director Hiro Murakami blend supernatural dread with small‑town character work, delivering a tone that critics describe as “unlike anything else on TV.”

Rotten Tomatoes: 97 % (58 critic reviews) – tied for Apple’s top score.
Premise: Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) tries to revive his struggling community by attracting tourists, despite local legends of a curse. As the influx of visitors grows, the island’s dark folklore begins to manifest.
Current rollout: Three episodes are live now, with new installments dropping every Wednesday through June 17.
Where to watch: Stream on Apple TV.

The show’s mix of genuine scares, witty dialogue, and a strong ensemble cast makes it a compelling case study for developers building cross‑platform video experiences. The series uses Apple’s AVFoundation APIs to deliver adaptive bitrate streaming, a pattern you can replicate in both iOS and Android using ExoPlayer or AVKit wrappers.

2. Margo’s Got Money Troubles

Based on Rufi Thorpe’s bestselling novel, Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a limited‑run dramedy that follows a recent college dropout (Elle Fanning) navigating parenthood, debt, and a chaotic family. The series boasts an all‑star supporting cast, including Michelle F Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman, Nicole Kidman, and Greg Kinnear.

Rotten Tomatoes: 97 % (61 critic reviews) – tied with Widow’s Bay.
Creator: David E. Kelley, known for legal dramas such as Presumed Innocent.
Premise: Margo, the daughter of an ex‑Hooters waitress and a former pro‑wrestler, must balance a newborn, mounting bills, and a dwindling support network while chasing a writing career.
Current rollout: Six episodes are available now; new episodes arrive on Wednesdays through May 20.
Where to watch: Stream on Apple TV.

From a development perspective, the series demonstrates how Apple TV+ leverages SwiftUI for its on‑screen UI and Combine for data flow, providing a clean, reactive architecture that can be mirrored on Android with Jetpack Compose and Kotlin Flow.

What This Means for Mobile Developers

Both shows illustrate two trends that matter to anyone maintaining apps on iOS and Android:

High‑quality streaming pipelines – Apple’s use of HEVC and Dolby Vision on Apple TV+ pushes the envelope for bandwidth‑efficient delivery. When building cross‑platform streaming apps, consider integrating Shaka Player on Android and AVPlayer on iOS to support similar codecs.
Unified content metadata – The series’ metadata (episode titles, descriptions, ratings) is served via a GraphQL endpoint. Using a shared schema across platforms reduces duplication and keeps UI updates consistent.

Developers can experiment with these patterns in open‑source projects like the Apple TV+ Sample App and the Android counterpart ExoPlayer Demo. Both repos include sample code for adaptive streaming, subtitle handling, and background playback.

How to Start Watching

Apple TV+ costs $12.99 per month, with a discount available through the Apple One bundle. New subscribers can sign up via the Apple TV+ website and immediately start streaming Widow’s Bay and Margo’s Got Money Troubles.

Stay tuned for the summer lineup, but for now, these two critically acclaimed series are the best reason to fire up your Apple TV or the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, or Android.