15 Best Movies on Apple TV+ 2026
Stream on Apple TV+: top dramas, documentaries and more — starring Mahershala Ali and Michael J. Fox; critics' favorites ready to watch now—start today.
If you're searching for the best movies on apple tv plus 2026, this curated guide gathers the platform's standout films across drama, romance, sci-fi, thriller and comedy so you can stop endlessly scrolling and start a great watch. You'll find powerhouse turns like Mahershala Ali in Swan Song, sharp nonfiction in Boys State, and the musical heart of Come from Away. The selection blends intimate documentaries, original dramas and inventive genre pieces, highlighting what critics praise and what viewers keep talking about. Each entry includes a quick take on tone, why it matters and which kind of viewer will get the most out of it, making it easy to pick your next stream.
Table of Contents
- Swan Song
- Come from Away
- Boys State
- The Last of the Sea Women
- Who Are You, Charlie Brown?
- Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
- Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas
- The Bloody Hundredth
- Emancipation
- The Banker
- 9/11: Inside the President's War Room
- 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas
- Spirited
- Sharper
- Bruce Springsteen's Letter to You
1. Swan Song
Year: 2021 | Rating: 6.8/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: drama, romance, sci-fi, thriller
In the near future, Cameron Turner is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Presented with an experimental solution to shield his wife and son from grief, he grapples with altering their fate in this thought-provoking exploration of love, loss, and sacrifice.
Available on: Apple TV Plus
Directed by: Benjamin Cleary
Cast: Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Awkwafina, Glenn Close, Nyasha Hatendi
2. Come from Away
Year: 2021 | Rating: 8.5/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: comedy, drama, musical
Filmed live on Broadway, the Tony Award-winning musical tells the remarkable true story of 38 flights grounded in a small Canadian town on September 11, 2001. As the locals host these “come from aways,” they come together and find hope.
Available on: Apple TV Plus
Directed by: Christopher Ashley
Cast: Petrina Bromley, Jenn Colella, De'Lon Grant, Joel Hatch, Tony LePage
3. Boys State
Year: 2020 | Rating: 7.5/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: documentary
This raucous journey into the heart of democracy captures an unusual rite of passage: 1,100 teenage boys from across Texas coming together to build a representative government from the ground up.
Available on: Apple TV Plus
Directed by: Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss
4. The Last of the Sea Women
Year: 2024 | Rating: 7/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: documentary
On the shores of Jeju Island, a fierce group of South Korean divers fight to save their vanishing culture from looming threats.
Available on: Apple TV Plus
Directed by: Sue Kim
5. Who Are You, Charlie Brown?
Year: 2021 | Rating: 7.1/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: documentary, animation, biography
Lupita Nyong'o narrates a documentary about Peanuts and its creator, Charles M. Schulz. Famous fans—including Drew Barrymore, Kevin Smith, and Al Roker—share its influence on them, and a new animated story finds Charlie Brown on a quest.
Available on: Apple TV Plus
Directed by: Michael Bonfiglio
Cast: Tyler James Nathan, Terry McGurrin, Isabella Leo, Holly Gorski, Hattie Kragten
6. Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
Year: 2023 | Rating: 8.1/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: documentary, biography
A short kid from a Canadian army base becomes the international pop culture darling of the 1980s—only to find the course of his life altered by a stunning diagnosis. What happens when an incurable optimist confronts an incurable disease?
Available on: Apple TV Plus
Directed by: Davis Guggenheim
Cast: Danny Irizarry, Hannah Galway, Miles Meacham, Kai Kreinman, Sherry Klassen
7. Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas
Year: 2023 | Rating: 8/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: music & musical
Ring in the holidays with Emmy-winning star Hannah Waddingham as she welcomes special guests for a musical extravaganza at the London Coliseum.
Available on: Apple TV Plus
8. The Bloody Hundredth
Year: 2024 | Rating: 7.5/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: documentary
Meet the real-life airmen who inspired Masters of the Air as they share the harrowing and transformative events of the 100th Bomb Group.
Available on: Apple TV Plus
Directed by: Laurent Bouzereau, Mark Herzog
9. Emancipation
Year: 2022 | Rating: 6.3/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: action, thriller
Inspired by the gripping true story of a man who would do anything for his family—and for freedom. When Peter, an enslaved man, risks his life to escape and return to his family, he embarks on a perilous journey of love and endurance.
Available on: Apple TV Plus
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Cast: Will Smith, Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Gilbert Owuor, Ronnie Gene Blevins
10. The Banker
Year: 2020 | Rating: 7.3/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: biography, drama
In the 1960s, two entrepreneurs hatch an ingenious business plan to fight for housing integration—and equal access to the American Dream.
Available on: Apple TV Plus
Directed by: George Nolfi
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Hoult, Nia Long, Scott Daniel Johnson
11. 9/11: Inside the President's War Room
Year: 2021 | Rating: 7.5/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: documentary, history
Experience the events of September 11, 2001 through the eyes of President Bush and his closest advisors as they personally detail the crucial hours and key decisions from that historic day.
Available on: Apple TV Plus
Directed by: Adam Wishart
Cast: Jeff Daniels
12. 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas
Year: 2021 | Rating: 6.3/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: documentary
In this true-life twist on a holiday fable, Jeremy Morris brings a whole new meaning to Christmas spirit when his extravagant seasonal display sparks a dispute with his neighbors that lands them all in court.
Available on: Apple TV Plus
Directed by: Becky Read
13. Spirited
Year: 2022 | Rating: 6.6/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: comedy, family, fantasy, musical
Each Christmas Eve, the Ghost of Christmas Present selects one dark soul to be reformed by a visit from three spirits. But this season, he picked the wrong Scrooge. Clint Briggs turns the tables on his ghostly host until Present finds himself reexamining his own past, present and future.
Available on: Apple TV Plus
Directed by: Sean Anders
Cast: Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, Octavia Spencer, Patrick Page, Sunita Mani
14. Sharper
Year: 2023 | Rating: 6.7/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: crime, drama, thriller
A small, wealthy family in New York City gets progressively torn apart by secrets, lies, and the theft that orchestrates all of it.
Available on: Apple TV Plus
Directed by: Benjamin Caron
Cast: Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith, Briana Middleton, John Lithgow
15. Bruce Springsteen's Letter to You
Year: 2020 | Rating: 7.3/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: documentary, biography, music
A tribute to The E Street Band, rock 'n' roll, and the way music has shaped Bruce Springsteen's life, this documentary captures Bruce reflecting on love and loss while recording with his full band for the first time since Born in the U.S.A.
Available on: Apple TV Plus
Directed by: Thom Zimny
Wrapping Up
Apple TV+ keeps delivering quality storytelling in 2026, from intimate biographies to crowd-pleasing musicals and tense thrillers. Bookmark this page and check back; we update these recommendations frequently as new exclusives and festival favorites arrive on the service. The roundup favors films with strong performances, distinct filmmaking and lots of buzz, so you get a mix of critic-approved picks and fresh discoveries. If you want a quick starting point, try the atmosphere and acting of Swan Song or the emotional portrait in Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie. Save this list and return whenever you want a current, critic-aware view of what to stream next.
Last updated: July 26, 2026