Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Episode 4 of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed

Apple TV is lining up to have another big year in 2026, and things are already off to a hot start with the Season 2 premiere of sci-fi shows like Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Apple TV also has a few big crime thrillers coming this summer with Cape Fear and Lucky, both of which are premiering this summer. Cape Fear features some big stars like Javier Bardem and Amy Adams, and it’s based on the same source material that inspired Robert De Niro’s 1991 film of the same name. Following Cape Fear around a month later is Lucky, the Anya Taylor-Joy-led crime thriller that also stars Timothy Olyphant. Last year around this time, Apple TV debuted all episodes of one of the most underrated crime thrillers in platform history, but the future of the show is still incredibly murky.

In the last few years, Apple TV has done more than enough to establish itself as one of the premiere homes for original sci-fi programming. Many fans first flocked to the platform for more wholesome hits like Ted Lasso (starring Jason Sudeikis), but it was more dystopian thrillers like Severance (starring Adam Scott) that got subscribers to re-up their deal and hang around for the long haul. Severance was the most-watched Apple TV show in platform history until last year brought on the arrival of Pluribus, which was written and created for TV by Breaking Bad scribe Vince Gilligan. Both Severance and Pluribus have been renewed for new seasons, but neither will return before the end of this year. There is another Apple TV sci-fi show you may have forgotten about that’s set to return for a new season sooner than you realize.

After a splashy premiere at this year's Cannes Film Festival, John Travolta's directorial debut — Propeller One-Way Night Coach — was released on Apple TV on May 29. It's an unusual movie, primarily because it barely qualifies as a feature. Propeller One-Way Night Coach comes in at a lean 61 minutes and unfolds largely during a cross-country flight to Los Angeles aboard a Lockheed plane in the 1960s. Travolta plays the supporting role of the plane's pilot, while the child protagonist is played by Clark Shotwell. Propeller One-Way Night Coach took the number one spot on the global Apple TV rankings upon debut. However, its reign was short-lived.

Apple TV is quietly having one of the biggest years in the streamer’s history, with new projects across the board in various genres taking the world by storm. The most popular show on Apple TV at the time of writing is Your Friends & Neighbors, which stars Jon Hamm. Apple TV has already picked up the series for Season 3, and it’s all but guaranteed that it will be back for more episodes sometime next year. The biggest movie on Apple TV right now is F1, the Brad Pitt-led racing blockbuster that’s now spent nearly six months at the top of streaming charts. Apple TV has become known for its dedicated work in the sci-fi genre with shows like Severance and Pluribus, but the streaming service has expanded enough to have hits sure to please fans of all preferences.

As one 97%‑rated series ends, Apple TV is enjoying the success of another. The new show couldn't be more different from the first, even though both have identical scores on the aggregator website and are fundamentally comedies. The first of these two new shows is Margo's Got Money Troubles, and together with the second, they're proving that Apple's slate of excellent content isn't limited to the sci-fi genre. Over the years, Apple has become somewhat synonymous with shows such as Severance, Foundation, Silo, and more recently, Pluribus. The streak continued on May 29 with Star City, a companion piece to the streamer's first-ever sci-fi series, For All Mankind.

Last December, John Travolta told Thierry Frémaux, the general delegate of Cannes, that he had finished his first film as a director, Propeller One-Way Night Coach, which premieres on Apple TV on May 29. “But I don’t know…,” he hesitated. “Send it to me,” the Frenchman shot back. A few days later, Frémaux called him and said: “For the first time in the history of Cannes, I’m going to do this. I’m selecting it for the festival myself — and don’t touch it. It’s perfect. But let me protect it.”

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The latest sci-fi release usually leads Apple TV's global streaming chart. But with the conclusion of the hit MonsterVerse series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, the next sci-fi show, For All Mankind, has failed to reach the needed viewership to claim the top position. The recently concluded series barely cracked the top five throughout its run. This has led to the domination of non-sci-fi shows like Your Friends & Neighbors, Margo's Got Money Troubles, and Widow's Bay. However, Apple TV always has the next big hit lined up, and the latest one is on its way to becoming a sensation.

When the topic of Apple TV's best new series of the year comes up, it's legitimately acceptable to name at least four and still be considered correct. Not too long ago, the streamer debuted the comedy-drama show Margo's Got Money Troubles, starring Elle Fanning as a young mother who turns to OnlyFans to support her family. The series received widespread acclaim and is now sitting at a "Certified Fresh" 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes. More recently, Apple unveiled its mysterious follow-up to For All Mankind, an alt-history sci-fi thriller titled Star City, which appears to have settled at a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes a few weeks into its run. Just this week, the streamer debuted the biggest show on its summer lineup, a limited series remake of Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear, which holds a 75% score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, one title ranks head and shoulders above the rest.