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Loring is a Los Angeles-based writer, director, and creative producer. His work has been commissioned by a diverse range of clients- from Havas Worldwide to Wisecrack, inc.- and has been screened around the world. Through a background that blends project development with physical production across multiple formats, Loring has developed a uniquely eclectic skillset as a visual storyteller.
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Apple TV has carved out its own corner of the streaming market with an eclectic mix of critical darlings and fan favorites. As the platform continues to define its brand, unscripted producers should take note of how reality and documentary content is shaping Apple’s slate.
In this post, we’ll bite into all things unscripted on Apple TV. We’ll take a look at a few of its recent hits, highlight some of its upcoming projects, and analyze what kinds of unscripted content Apple TV might be looking for next.
Apple has been a global tech titan for nearly half a century. In the age of streaming television, the company’s leap into entertainment was inevitable.
However, among streamers, Apple TV is still a relative newcomer. The service launched back in 2019 with an exclusive focus on original programming, a content strategy that the platform continues to use largely—though no longer exclusively—to this day.
Now armed with a consistent audience and a fistful of Emmys, Apple TV has officially hit its stride. As the streamer continues to develop its slate of Apple Originals, the presence of unscripted content will likely expand and diversify as well. To get an idea of Apple TV’s programming preferences, we’re going to review five of the platform’s current unscripted hits.
Born to Be Wild is a wildlife docuseries that follows six endangered young animals as they prepare to exit captivity and begin their lives in the wild. Check out the official description for more detail:
“From their earliest days to their journey into the wild, the series highlights the challenges, triumphs and resilience that define their survival—both for the animals and the remarkable people working to raise and protect them. As each animal finds its place in the world after being orphaned or born through conservation programs—from an elephant calf and two young cheetahs, to a ring-tailed lemur pup, a moon bear cub, Iberian lynx kittens and rescued African penguins—‘Born to Be Wild’ offers an intimate and emotional look at the powerful relationships between these animals and the heroic humans dedicated to raising, rehabilitating and rewilding them to help save their species.”
Narrated by Hugh Bonneville, season 1 of Born to Be Wild debuted on Apple TV on December 19, 2025. There’s no word yet on the possibility of a season 2, but perhaps that shouldn’t be a surprise. Season 1 of Born to Be Wild was shot over several years and across five countries. The mammoth documentary production serves to illustrate a powerful truth: “In the face of extinction, survival often depends on the extraordinary bonds between humans and animals.”
Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars takes viewers behind-the-scenes of some of the world’s best restaurants to discover what it takes for elite chefs to “win, maintain, or lose” a much-coveted Michelin Star. Produced by Gordon Ramsay through Studio Ramsay Global, the series’ hallmark feature is its “exclusive access over the course of the yearlong Michelin Guide season.”
Hosted by Jesse Burgess of Topjaw, Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars offers a portrait of both a struggling industry and the enormous perseverance of the talented teams driving it to new heights. Season 1 was a hit among critics and audiences alike. To no one’s surprise, Apple TV has officially renewed Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars for a second season. Keep an eye out for release dates in the near future.
Mr. Scorsese is a five-part documentary series of the iconic director Martin Scorsese. The limited series acts as “a film portrait of a man through the lens of his work, exploring the many facets of a visionary who redefined filmmaking, including his extraordinary career and personal history.”
Director Rebecca Miller enjoyed “exclusive, unrestricted access to Scorsese’s private archives” while making the film, which is “anchored by extensive conversations with the filmmaker himself and never-before-seen interviews with friends, family and creative collaborators[.]” Mr. Scorsese is the latest of Apple TV’s prestige docuseries to center on high-profile artists, a trend previously demonstrated by STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, and STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie.
Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age is the latest chapter of Apple TV’s Prehistoric Planet, an innovative series that repurposes the format of nature docs like Planet Earth to explore the prehistoric world. Using realistic 3D animation, Prehistoric Planet takes its audience millions of years into the past, showing them what it may have been like for now-extinct animals to have lived on Earth at that extraordinary time.
Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age—the third season of Prehistoric Planet—transports viewers into the Pleistocene era and spares no expense in the process. In addition to the draw of its impressive 3D animation, season 3 is narrated by Tom Hiddleston and features an original score by Hans Zimmer in collaboration with Anže Rozman and Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music.
Twisted Yoga is a three-part docuseries that details how a dangerous, self-styled guru used a tantric yoga school to lure members into an abusive cult. Check out the official description from Apple TV:
“Twisted Yoga follows a group of young yoga students from around the world drawn to the ancient practice in search of inner peace and purpose, only to fall under the influence of reclusive Romanian ‘guru’ Gregorian Bivolaru, the spiritual leader of an international network of yoga studios specializing in tantric rituals. As they begin to fear they’ve joined a cult, they discover that Bivolaru, who often summoned select female students to his Paris apartment for private initiations, has a dark past. Bivolaru now faces charges in France, including human trafficking, kidnapping and rape—allegations he denies—as these women work with French authorities to convict him.”
The docuseries provides a first-person view inside the organization through interviews with its ex-members, exploring their traumatic past as well as their search for justice.
Now that we’ve got the gist of Apple TV’s current unscripted programming, let’s take a look at how the platform’s slate will evolve in the near future.
Below, we’ll explore three upcoming shows recently announced or acquired by Apple TV.
The Dynasty: UConn Huskies is a three-part documentary sports series centered on the historic run of the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team under head coach Geno Auriemma. The series will trace 40 years of the team’s history, tracing its rise from underwhelming underdog to one of the most dominant dynasties in college athletics.
Directed by Erica Sashin and Matthew Hamachek, The Dynasty: UConn Huskies combines never-before-seen archival footage with “incisive interviews and intimate access to players, coaches, alumni, and more[.]” The three-part series is scheduled to premiere globally on August 21, 2026.
The Unlikely Cook with Awkwafina is an upcoming unscripted food series starring and executive produced by award-winning comedian, writer, and actor Nora Lum, aka Awkwafina. The eight-episode series tracks a deeply personal journey into Asian American cuisine that’s sparked by the remarkable culinary legacy of Awkwafina’s own family. Check out this excerpt from the official description:
“Nora’s family ran Lum’s, the iconic Cantonese restaurant in Flushing, New York, and the very first in a now thriving Chinatown. But despite growing up in the family business, she can’t cook. At all. She could ruin an instant ramen.”
This charming set-up leads to a cross-country exploration of “what it takes to master Asian food in the kitchen and whether [Nora] will ultimately reimagine Lum’s legacy for today.” With the help of celebrated chefs, professional restaurateurs, and—of course—Nora’s family, The Unlikely Cook with Awkwafina offers an intimate portrait of personal reconnection rarely captured on television. A release date for the series has yet to be announced.
Earlier this year, Apple TV announced a “multi-part documentary series on the incredible life of Andre Agassi,” one of the most legendary players in the history of professional tennis. As yet untitled, the series “will tell the thrilling, complex and inspiring story of an American legend[.]”
The docuseries will be directed by documentary heavyweight Chris Smith and executive produced by Stacy Smith and Justin Gimelstob. Other official details are scant for now, but the announcement notably comes 16 years after the publication of Agassi’s celebrated memoir, Open: An Autobiography. Expect more news in the coming months.
Streaming services represent a meeting point for the tech and entertainment industries. Therefore, Apple TV occupies a uniquely powerful position by virtue of its corporate lineage alone. Apple’s customer loyalty and brand recognition remain unparalleled among both peers and competitors in tech.
The degree to which this characteristic offers a competitive advantage in entertainment is debatable, but it’s nonetheless a factor worth noting. Vertical integration with other Apple products theoretically makes Apple TV more accessible to new subscribers. The company has historically been quick to leverage that advantage by offering free trial subscriptions with the purchase of seemingly any new Apple device.
However, for some producers, the exclusivity to Apple TV could be a double-edged sword. The platform prioritizes a unique experience for its audience by focusing exclusively on Apple Originals. In practice, this means that Apple TV often favors high-profile or prestige programming in support of deliberate, tightly-controlled brand management.
The good news for unscripted producers is that Apple TV seems less rigidly defined as a platform for reality and documentary content. While a string of hits has continued to sculpt and expand Apple TV’s reputation in scripted entertainment, the streamer’s unscripted identity remains far more open-ended.
With that in mind, let’s analyze some of the trends we can observe in Apple TV’s current and upcoming unscripted slates. In the next section, we’ll break down what these trends might suggest about the platform’s unscripted content strategy in the near future.
If we look closely at the current and upcoming series referenced above, a few clear trends emerge from Apple TV’s unscripted programming decisions.
Below we’ll make three distinct observations about these trends and analyze what they might mean for the future of unscripted content on Apple TV.
It’s no secret that sports are a strong play for turning eyeballs toward any streaming platform. Prime Video has heavily invested in Thursday Night Football, and Peacock plans to transform Sunday Night Sports into a year-round institution. In its own way, Apple TV is following a similar strategy.
Apple TV broadcasts live sporting events like Formula 1 racing, Major League Soccer, and Major League Baseball. Adding to their roster of live entertainment, the streamer also hosts an ever-increasing number of high-profile sports documentaries and docuseries. The Dynasty: UConn Huskies and the untitled Andre Agassi docuseries are the latest data points in what is by now a well-established programming trend.
For producers, the platform’s proclivity for sports content could be an opportunity. Note, however, that Apple TV’s unscripted sports slate leans strongly toward high-profile subject matter. If you want to sell a sports show to Apple, you’ll have a much better chance if your project is connected to a well-known player, organization, or event.
After enduring a feast of programming from the mid-2010s to the early-2020s, the last few years have seen a relative reduction in unscripted cooking content. However, if Apple TV’s recent programming suggests a wider trend, the pause might already be over, so we hope you’re ready for seconds.
The announcement of The Unlikely Cook with Awkwafina and the continued success of Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars suggests that both audiences and Apple TV still have an appetite for food-based programming. Perhaps more intriguing though is that each of these shows seems to be striving for a more unique identity than the oft-repeated formats of previous food formats. The Unlikely Cook is built on an incredibly specific personal story, while Knife Edge resembles a seasonal sports saga like Formula 1: Drive to Survive.
But let’s not bite off more than we can chew here. While these shows are notable in their own rights, it’s difficult to say whether they mark an emerging trend or merely a programming coincidence. Only time will tell whether audiences are ready for dessert or just the check.
The single clearest trend demonstrated by Apple TV’s current and upcoming unscripted slate is the importance of access. With the lone exception of Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age, every series mentioned in this post heavily relies on some form of exclusive access to its subjects. In many cases, Apple TV even explicitly references this quality in their press releases.
Given Apple TV’s lean towards prestige programming, this trend should come as no surprise. Direct access is the natural key to any documentary about a high-profile celebrity, sports team, or fine dining experience. The same could be argued for any series that hinges on a personal story or even true crime.
For producers, this simple fact represents valuable intel. If you want Apple TV to purchase an unscripted project, access to your subjects will be a critical selling point. It would be wise to design your pitch accordingly.
Unscripted content on Apple TV is an exclusive but still growing market. We’re excited to see how the streaming platform continues to expand its slate.
For more in-depth coverage from the world of unscripted production, keep an eye on Wrapbook. Check out our free eBook on the art of unscripted collaboration or our guide to understanding the unscripted market with Michelle Van Kempen.
