Apple TV+ tends to make up for its relatively slim streaming offerings by emphasizing shows and movies with big-name stars—with the company presumably hoping that this will convince the 62 percent of Apple TV+ users on trial subscriptions to actually pay for it the service at some point—and now it looks to be continuing that trend with a new drama series starring Brie Larson called Lessons In Chemistry. This comes from Variety, which says the series will be based on the not-yet-published debut novel from Bonnie Garmus and that it centers on a woman named Elizabeth Zott in the 1960s who dreams of being a scientist but is forced into the “domestic sphere” after getting pregnant. That all seems like it could carry a story on its own, but there’s more: After getting fired from her science job, Elizabeth Zott takes a gig as the host of a cooking show on TV and uses that as a stealth opportunity to teach other ‘60s women about science.
This will be Larson’s first TV role since she was on Community in 2014 and her first regular TV role since she was on The United States Of Tara a few years before that, but she was actually supposed to make her Apple debut before this: Back in 2019, she was attached to star in an adaptation of Amaryllis Fox’s memoir Undercover: Coming Of Age In The CIA, but Variety says that “stalled in the writing phase” and then got sidelined by COVID-19, and now with Larson needing to keep room in her schedule for Captain Marvel 2, it has been put “on hold.” It’s unclear if that’ll still happen, but Apple would most likely appreciate having two original dramas starring a Marvel superhero/Oscar winner (both of which are equally prestigious).
No word on when this might be premiere, but you should pick up a new iPhone and see if you can stack Apple TV+ free trials just in case.
27 Comments
o.O if either show ever happens.
Is there anyone here that actually pays for Apple TV? I have it available for year from buying something and keep forgetting to even bother with it, not intentionally just I have enough available in my queue and I constantly forget I have it. The idea of someone actually paying for it seems like it almost never happens and they’re not even treating it like a gift with purchase like Prime.
I paid for a month to see FOR ALL MANKIND, and will absolutely do the same when the new season is all up for viewing. Nothing else of theirs has really caught my eye thus far.
I got a free one-year trial last year (thanks to a new iPad I got from work, so I didn’t even have to pay for that!), and I’m not too impressed.The movie Wolfwalkers is pretty great. I’m glad I was able to see that for free. And my kids enjoy the show Helpsters.
But the free trial ends on February 13, and I have a reminder in my phone to cancel the subscription on February 12. I’ve never once thought about keeping it.
WATCH TED LASSO!That is all.
The ALL CAPS is absolutely necessary in praise of Ted Lasso! Best show anywhere!
Absolutely, Ted Lasso is an incredible show.
I just started it and it’s surprisingly good.
Yeah I have it for free for the next 6 months or so after buying a new laptop in June. I watched Central Park and Mythic Quest and that’s about it. Loved the former and was kind of meh with the latter.
We have it because I bought my wife a new iPad for her birthday. We are currently watching “The Morning Show” and it’s fine. We have watched a few other things, but the only reason to renew would be “Ted Lasso.” Maybe “For All Mankind.”BTW, this “free” year cost me $40 since the Android based Sony TV didn’t have the app available and I didn’t want to bother with the laptop, so I bought a Firestick. TANSTAAFSS.
…but is there such a thing as a pitching prospect?
I just saw a story saying only 38 percent of people that have apple tv pay for it. So, not very many.
I assume in 2024, I’ll see something on Netflix and be like “how did miss this?” and never realize that it originally aired on Apple+.
That reminds me, I have a free year too and need to cancel next month…I was barely interested in anything they had to offer. Ted Lasso is fine, a few others I guess too but nothing essential. The service feels like a placeholder, like “maybe in a few years we’ll do something with this for real.” The only way I could see justifying paying for it would be if I got Apple One and that would be for the music, news and Apple Arcade.
I heard that Brie Larson loves chemicals so much, she’s a regular Walter White over here!
Oh my mistake I misread.
Yay! Brie Larson!She was clear the standout of a USoT cast that included Toni Colette, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Patton Oswalt (plus John Corbett and Keir Gilchrist, with Eddie Izzard and Zosia Mamet in recurring roles!)…and she was 19!More Brie Larson is always better.
Hmmm…disagree.
Look, she was great on Tara, but since greatest living actor Toni Colette was given a chance to really cut loose as the title character (characters?), it’s not even close who was the “standout.”Also, yes, the rest of the cast was amazing. I really liked how it deconstructed John Corbett’s gift for playing a nice guy.
Only liked for the John Corbett love, haha – he fucking killed it, in what could have been a thankless role. Max might have been my favorite character….but Larson consistently owned the screen, despite Colette’s far showier role.Toni got to do a lot more all-caps ACTING, but Larson created a *person*, living in that world.
I did a one-week trial of Apple TV+ to watch Wolfwalkers and On the Rocks. I was shocked by how little content they’re offering. I kept poking around the app expecting to find more, but to no avail. A dedicated viewer could easily watch literally everything there is to watch on there in a month’s time.
I still can’t understand why Apple didn’t buy Fox when it was up for sale. They could have easily outbid Disney.
That’s a good point. Would have given them a pretty large back catalog to work with instead of the nothing they have right now. Though I’m sure there will be other studios open to a buyout soon. Maybe they’ll pull the trigger at some point.
Looking forward to the collective neckbeard pants-shitting and torrent of negative reviews from basement dwellers who never saw the show.
I wonder if we’re going to get talented, charming, and interesting Brie Larson, or the disinterested and terrible Brie Larson?
You seem to have the one dressed like Helen of Troy. Which one’s that?