Free Apple TV Plus Weekend Is a Great Chance to Check Out Severance and Other Hits
If you’re looking for a good reason to be a couch potato this weekend, Apple has you covered — it’s making its premium Apple TV Plus programming free for everyone with an Apple TV account. It’s the perfect chance to check out popular hits like Ted Lasso, Shrinking, Severance or The Morning Show.
Apple announced on Monday that it’s offering free streaming of its original series and films on Apple TV Plus on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 4 and 5, with no required subscription. In a post shared on X, the Apple TV Plus account said: “This weekend, see for yourself.”
A separate press release from Apple said that the premium programming would be free Jan. 3 to 5, but CNET testing on Friday morning indicates that the free promotion has not yet started. It’s possible that the bonus content might become available later today.
Read more: Best Streaming Services of 2025
Apple’s promotion is likely part of an effort to attract more subscribers to its streaming platform in a market still crowded with competitors including Netflix, Prime, Hulu, Peacock and Max. Industry watchers for months have been predicting a shakeout and consolidation of streaming options.
This weekend marks the first time Apple has ever offered extended free access to Apple TV Plus, although it does generally provide limited free streaming of select 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 purchases of select hardware products. Subscriptions start at $10 a month.
What could you watch this weekend on Apple TV Plus?
Here are the five most popular shows on Apple TV Plus right now, according to Apple’s own rankings.
Silo: Based on the science-fiction trilogy by Hugh Howey, this dystopian drama starring Rebecca Ferguson and Tim Robbins takes place in a gigantic underground bunker where a community of thousands whose history has been destroyed struggles with the truth of their current situation.
Shrinking: Featuring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford, this comedy-drama focuses on a grieving therapist who begins to take a dramatically more active role in his patients’ lives, with extremely complicated results. The show features 10 episodes in season 1, and 12 in season 2.
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 show flips back and forth between two timelines, before and after the death, gradually revealing the secret in a season 1 finale. The second season just wrapped up before Christmas.
Severance: Employees of Lumon Industries all 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. The highly anticipated second season is scheduled to launch on Jan. 17.
Ted Lasso: The power of unrelenting optimism is the real star of this comedy-drama starring Jason Sudeikis as a chronically upbeat American football coach hired to lead an English soccer club. The series set the record for the most Emmy nominations (20) for the first season of a comedy show.
For more, read our comprehensive review of the Apple TV Plus streaming service.
