If you're looking for a good reason to be couch potato this weekend, Apple has you covered — it's making its premium Apple TV Plus programming free to anyone with an Apple TV account. It's the perfect chance to check out popular hits like Ted Lasso, Shrink, Break or The Morning Show.
Apple announced on Monday that it is offering free streaming of its original series and movies on Apple TV Plus on Saturday and Sunday, January 4 and 5, without mandatory subscription. In a post shared on X, the Apple TV Plus account said, “This weekend, see for yourself.”
Special press release from Apple said premium programming would be free from Jan. 3-5, but CNET testing Friday morning indicates that the free promotion has not yet begun. Bonus content may become available later today.
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Apple's promotion is likely part of an effort to attract more subscribers to it streaming platform in a market still crowded with competitors, including NetflixPremier, Hulu, Peacock and Max. Industry watchers have been for months shaking prediction and consolidation of streaming options.
This weekend is the first time Apple has offered extended free access to Apple TV Plus, although it generally provides limited free streaming of certain content, such as the first episodes of some original series.
The company is also promoting a seven-day free trial for new subscribers, as well as extended trials with the purchase of select hardware products. Subscriptions start at $10 per month.
What could you be watching this weekend on Apple TV Plus?
Here are the five most popular shows on Apple TV Plus right now, in order Apple's own ranking.
Silos: Based on Hugh Howey's science fiction trilogy, this dystopian drama starring Rebecca Ferguson and Tim Robbins takes place in a giant underground bunker where a community of thousands whose history has been destroyed grapple with the truth of their current situation.
Shrinkage: Starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford, this comedy-drama centers on a grieving therapist who begins to take a dramatically more active role in his patients' lives, with extremely complicated results. The series contains 10 episodes in the first season and 12 in the second season.
Bad sisters: In this black comedy from Ireland, five sisters deal with the suspicious death of one of their abusive husbands and the insurance investigation that follows. The series flips back and forth between two timelines, before and after death, gradually revealing the secret in the season one finale. The second season ended before Christmas.
Severance pay: All employees at Lumon Industries undergo a procedure to completely separate their work and home lives in this mind-bending sci-fi drama directed by Ben Stiller and starring Adam Scott, John Turturro, Patricia Arquette and Christopher Walken roles. The highly anticipated second season is set to begin on January 17.
Ted Lasso: The power of unrelenting optimism is the real star of this comedy-drama starring Jason Sudeikis as a chronically moody American football coach hired to run an English football club. The series set the record for the most Emmy nominations (20) for the first season of a comedy show.
For more, read our a comprehensive review of the Apple TV Plus streaming service.