Welcome to another edition of ‘Up Next’ here at Screen Times. It’s a big week with 'Friday Night Baseball' getting underway with a big double-header as live sports come to TV+. Coverage begins with the Mets visiting the Nationals and the Astros at the Angels. Apple has also updated the TV app with hours and hours of additional MLB content to get you ready for the new season. You can read all about it as well as info on the new production elements right here.
This week also sees the highly anticipated season finale of ‘Severance’ on TV+, which comes following the announcement that the show has been renewed for a second season. Our very own Sigmund Judge recently sat down with Tramell Tillman (Milchick) to talk all things ‘Severance’, which will be available right here on Screen Times later this weekend.
In addition, we’ve also got the series finale of ‘The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey’ and plenty of other new releases across TV, Apple Music, Apple Arcade and Fitness+ and don't forget to check out all of the news on the latest Apple TV and TV+ announcements too.
With that, here’s our guide to your week ahead on Apple TV.
Apple TV+
Severance
S1, E9 | 40 min | TV-MA
Season finale. The team discovers troubling revelations.
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey
S1, E6 | 51 min | TV-MA
Series finale. Ptolemy must settle all scores and make peace with his past—before he loses his memories once and for all.
Slow Horses
S1, E12 | 41 min | TV-MA
Slough House is the unlikely venue for a secret romance, but events take a dark turn when a dangerous encounter becomes deadly.
Pachinko
S1, E5 | 54 min | TV-MA
As she arrives in Japan with her husband, Sunja must depend on the help of others. Solomon copes with the aftermath of his deal.
WeCrashed
S1, E6 | 53 min | TV-MA
Chaos at WeWork sends the Neumanns on a retreat to the west coast. Concerns grow about Adam's leadership. Rebekah finds a new focus.
Central Park
S2, E16 | 23 min | TV-14
Season finale. Bitsy and Helen get stranded during a blizzard. The family finds out that the deal to sell Central Park is happening today.
Pinecone & Pony
S1, E1-8 | TV-Y
Based on the book “The Princess and the Pony” by New York Times bestselling author Kate Beaton and hailing from DreamWorks, “Pinecone & Pony” is an eight-episode animated comedy for kids and families about a young warrior-in-training and her best friend Pony, who, by helping each other, learn to challenge their expectations and break the mold. After all, when you keep an open mind and an open heart, you’ll discover that nothing is ever as it first appears, the world is full of possibilities, and life can be a fun-filled adventure if you let it.
MLB Friday Night Baseball
Mets @ Nationals / Astros @ Angels
Apple’s 2022 MLB slate begins with Max Scherzer and the Mets going up against Juan Soto and the Nationals at 7 p.m. ET. That will be followed by the defending American League champions, the Astros, visiting reigning AL MVP Shohei Ohtani and the Angels in Anaheim. Tune in for full pre-game coverage on TV+ before the game begins.
Apple Arcade
Gear.Club Stradale
4+ | Racing
This week's Apple Arcade release looks set to be one of the biggest and most visually impressive titles on the service yet.
Gear.Club Stradale is a dream come true: taking a long vacation in a gorgeous villa with all the time in the world to drive the most beautiful supercars. Gather your friends and start your own club in the breathtaking region of Tuscany, Italy. Cooperate with your friends in daily, weekly, and monthly exclusive content to build your dream car collection. This is a trip you’ll never want to end…
Apple Fitness+
This week, Fitness+ launched ‘Get Back to Fitness After Having a Baby’, a brand new program with Coach Betina created to help improve fitness, practice mindfulness or prepare for adventure. It’s designed for anyone who has recently had a baby with workouts to help you feel stronger, more energetic and help to build up ab and back strength. There are seven workouts in the program in total and it is available in the Fitness app now.
Apple Music
MLB Friday Night Baseball - Apple Music Playlists
To mark 'Friday Night Baseball' on TV+, Apple Music has put together a collection of classic songs across various genres that celebrate the game as well as a roster of players’ favourite walk-up songs. This week, you’ll find Walk-Up albums for the Mets, Nationals, Astros and Angels as well as a playlist curated for Opening Day featuring the likes of Pearl Jam, Bob Dylan, Kanye West and Dropkick Murphys.
ScreenTimes Apple TV Recommendations
The Sandlot
TV App | 1 hr 41 min | TV-PG
James: With MLB Opening Day upon us and Friday Night Baseball making its Apple TV+ debut, I was put in the mood to revisit this classic coming-of-age sports comedy. In the summer of 1962, a new kid in town is taken under the wing of a young baseball prodigy and his ragtag group, resulting in an unforgettable adventure. This is one my favourite sports movies and one of the best good spring/summer movies of all time - perfect for this time of year as the nights get brighter and baseball season rolls in. It never fails to make me laugh and make me long for those seemingly never-ending childhood summers all over again. It’s also ridiculously quotable and a film from which so many memes were born. “You're killin' me, Smalls!”
Young Rock
Hulu (US) / Sky Comedy on NOW TV (UK) | Season one available now; new episodes of season two every Tuesday | TV-14
Devon: “Sigmund’s Wrestlemania pick last week got me thinking about one way I’ve recently been learning a bit about the wrestling world: through an NBC sitcom called Young Rock. Starring and executive produced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson himself, the series tells his life story, from growing up in Hawaii to his teenage years in Pennsylvania, playing college football in Florida, and eventually finding his way to the family business. The series also features a good bit of wrestling history. Johnson’s father and grandfather were both legends in the ring, and he grew up around some of the greats, many whom are portrayed on the show. So I’ve not only been enjoying the show as a fun, 20-minute sitcom each week but also as a chance to learn more about this world that means so much to a lot of people.”
Parallel Mothers
TV app | 2 hrs 2 min | R
Sigmund: "The latest film from Pedro Almodóvar saw Penélope Cruz nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role. The acclaimed actress stars as Janis who meets Ana (Milena Smit) in a hospital room where they are both going to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, doesn't regret it and she is exultant. The other, Ana, an adolescent, is scared, repentant and traumatized. Janis tries to encourage her while they move like sleepwalkers along the hospital corridors. The few words they exchange in these hours will create a very close link between the two, and soon their generational trauma and collective memory converge in a masterpiece full of femininity, pathos and sensual melodrama. A superb precursor to next week’s highly anticipated release of anthology series ‘Roar’."
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Cinemas Across America | 2 hrs 19 min | R
Jonathan: “My recommendation this week comes in two parts. Firstly, this week sees the full release in North America of the multiverse action/comedy/drama/adventure movie Everything Everywhere All At Once. Now if that sentence tired you out I won’t bother explaining the plot but here is the official description: “An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save the world by exploring other universes connecting with the lives she could have led.”
This recommendation is a bit of a cheat as I haven’t actually seen the film yet which leads me on to the second part of my recommendation: Daniels.
Daniel’s are a super talented directing duo (both named Daniel) and the reason I can recommend the film, sight unseen. Starting off in the music video world, they did amazing music promos for the likes of The Shins, Tenacious D and the viral smash ‘Turn Down for What’ by DJ Snake. Their videos are incredibly creative and energetic. More recently they directed the feature film ‘Swiss Army Man’. Otherwise known as the film Daniel Radcliffe spends the entire time as a farting corpse. So, the second part of my recommendation is to check out any and all of their previous work, including the excellent short film ‘Pockets’.