Welcome to another edition of ‘Up Next’ here at Screen Times. ‘The Afterparty’ finale is finally here and it’s time to find out who killed Xavier after weeks of guessing and trying to decipher clues. Remember to check out Jonathan Reed’s interview with Phil Lord and Chris Miller, if you haven’t already. ‘The Afterparty’ has become a global success for Apple TV+ and has created online communities of fans across the likes of Twitter and Reddit, who love to discuss each episode and pour over every small detail. This week, it was confirmed that they’ll be able to continue their discussion and detective work for a lot longer as Apple announced that the show will return for a second season, with Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) set to return.
With that, here’s our guide to your week ahead on Apple TV.
Apple TV+
The Afterparty
S1, E8 | 35 min | TV-MA
In the season finale, an unexpected eyewitness emerges to help Detective Danner piece together the true story behind Xavier’s demise.
Severance
S1, E4 | 46 min | TV-MA
Irving finds an intriguing book at work. Helly aggressively pursues a meeting with her Outie. Mark attends a funeral with Ms. Selvig.
Servant
S3, E7 | 31 min | TV-MA
Dorothy works with Veera to get Leanne out of the house, but Jericho and Leanne are more connected than they know.
Suspicion
S1, E6 | 49 min | TV-MA
The suspects prepare to flee, but each must decide which way to run. Vanessa shares a secret with Scott. Katherine does client damage control.
The Problem with Jon Stewart
S1, E5 | 50 min | TV-MA
Jon Stewart is back for his second run of episodes on TV+, with the show now airing every week. This week, 'The Problem' being discussed is the stock market. The rise of e-brokers was meant to democratize the stock market—yet inequality in the market has actually worsened. How can it be fixed?
Dear...
Season 2 | 9 Episodes | TV-MA
From Emmy-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler, this docuseries returns for season two and profiles game-changing icons and the people whose lives they’ve inspired. The new season features the late André Leon Talley, Viola Davis, Malala Yousafzai, Jane Fonda, Ava DuVernay, Billy Porter, Sandra Oh, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Laird Hamilton.
Central Park
Season 2 | Episodes 9-11 | TV-MA
The animated musical comedy returns to TV+ with three new epsidoes. Cole finds an escape from his homework in model sail-boating. Molly becomes a published artist in the school newspaper but isn't proud of her work.
The Peanuts Classics
Season 1 | 5 Episodes
Experience the nostalgia and joy of these iconic specials going back more than 50 years. Tag along with Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, and their pals for the early days of their antics and adventures. This first collection of classic specials includes 'Charlie Brown's All Stars!', 'You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown', 'She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown', 'It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown' and 'Snoopy’s Reunion'.
Apple Arcade
Shadow Blade+
Action | 12+ | AirPlay
In this week’s new Arcade title, you play as Kuro i- a young man on his quest to become the Shadow Blade. He must seek the teachings of the last remaining ninja master. You will guide him through 40 challenging levels, around countless traps, sneaking past enemies or right over their dead bodies. The game is fast paced with plenty of combat to master as you explore the world and earn rewards.
Apple Music
Band of Horses - Things Are Great | Alternative | 2022 | 41 Minutes
This week's pick is the sixth album from the Seattle rock band and their first album in five years. It marks a return to their earlier work with both joyful and melancholic anthems. This is an album that will have you hitting the play button over and over again, with standout tracks such as 'Crutch', the incredibly catchy 'In Need of Repair' and the reflective, passionate sound of 'You Are Nice To Me', which comes near the end of the album. Don't miss this one.
Apple Fitness+
This week saw the debut of the first ever hour-long workout on Fitness+, with a new episode of ‘Time to Run’ with Coach Emily through Central Park. You’ll enjoy a high energy playlist featuring the likes of Imagine Dragons, Bastille and Ed Sheeran as you pass some of the New York City park’s most iconic locations, all viewable on your Apple Watch as you run.
ScreenTimes Apple TV Recommendations
Murderville
Netflix | Six episodes available now | TV-MA
Devon: “This Netflix series, part comedy and part murder mystery theatre, stars Will Arnett as homicide detective Terry Seattle. Each episode, Seattle is reluctantly paired with a different celebrity partner to help solve a murder. But here’s the twist: The celebrity guest doesn’t have a script, so they have to improvise their way through each scene and attempt to uncover clues along the way. At the end of the episode, the celebrity guest is tasked with identifying the killer based on what they’ve learned. This whole idea very much appeals to my sense of humor. The first episode, featuring Conan O’Brien, had me cracking up the whole time. It was a lot of fun, even though I wasn’t able to correctly identify the killer. I’m looking forward to diving into more episodes soon, especially the one featuring Ken Jeong. Other guests include Marshawn Lynch, Kumail Nanjiani, Annie Murphy, and Sharon Stone.”
Our Flag Means Death
HBO Max | New Episodes Every Thursday| TV-MA
Jonathan: "I’m always a sucker for anything Rhys Darby does. Flight of the Conchords is obviously a classic but his stand up is also wonderful. This new show from David Jenkins and Taika Waititi puts Darby front and centre in a loose telling of the ‘gentleman pirate’ Steve Bonnet, a real pirate from the 1700s. As you’d expect from Darby and Waititi, it’s deliriously silly and also features a fantastic cast including Fred Armisen, Nat Faxon, Samson Kayo, Leslie Jones and Waititi himself as, who else, Blackbeard!"
Licorice Pizza
TV app | 2hr 13 mins | R
Sigmund: "With many awards contenders now on the TV app, this week was a difficult pick. It could have been Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s ‘Drive My Car’ or Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ - both dazzlingly different cinematic spectacles in their own right. One other awards contender released this week is Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Licorice Pizza,’ a film that, despite its lack of conventional storytelling tropes is likely the most accessible to come from the much celebrated director. It’s a 1970’s period piece set in California’s San Fernando Valley that sees an entrepreneurial teenager called Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) falling for Alana (Alana Haim) - a young woman in her early twenties and their on-again off-again relationship. The film also stars Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Ben Safdie and Bradley Cooper amongst its ensemble cast and comes highly recommended despite its HD SDR only release - a decision made by the director. After you've watched the film, check out this wonderful feature in Los Angeles Magazine which looks at the record store that the film is named after."
Huntdown
App Store | Action | 12+
James: “I grew up playing Sega Megadrive (‘Genesis’ to you folks in the US) and ‘Streets of Rage’ was my all time favourite game as a kid. My cousin and I would spend countless hours in front of the TV playing through the games from start to finish, before retiring to watch one of our favourite 80s or early 90s action movies, which were also a passion of ours at the time. Recently, I picked up a Backbone controller for better mobile gaming and 'Huntdown' is a title that I stumbled upon completely by accident. It’s a game that pretty much combines those two aforementioned childhood passions. Imagine the cheesiest, most over-the-top 80s action movies combined with the Streets of Rage games and dial everything up to eleven and you have ‘Huntdown’. After selecting a hero from a choice of colourful bounty hunters, you’ll clean up the streets by overcoming hordes of villains and battling some tough-as-nails bosses. There’s over the top violence, plenty of explosions and hilarious one-liners that will have you coming back for more. It looks absolutely gorgeous playing on Apple TV too.”