News

A one-season sci-fi series has been cancelled by Apple TV+ despite its promising cliffhanger ending. For the past couple of months, there have been relatively few major renewals and cancellations. But with the year rushing to a close, streamers have also been in a sprint to announce some last-minute decisions.

Just this week, FX cancelled the Jeff Bridges action thriller series The Old Man, which did not quite capture the same attention as its buzzy first season after an extended break between episodes. Although it had long been presumed dead, after failing to make a splash with subscribers, Netflix made it official and axed Girls5eva after three seasons. It's not all bad news, with Hulu picking up Tell Me Lies for another run after the young adult adaption grew its audience. However, for one sci-fi standout, it's the end of the road.

Apple TV+ Has Cancelled Sunny After One...

You would think that with there being only a couple of weeks left until 2024 ends, the TV networks and streaming services would stop with all the cancellations. Nope! If anything, they're trying to quickly get them out so that they can start fresh in the new year. Sadly, Apple TV+ is the latest to announce one of its shows being canceled, and I'm sure many people aren't going to be happy about this one.

On Dec. 19, the streaming giant announced its decision to axe one of its beloved series, Sunny, after only one season. We learned of this unfortunate news from TVLine. However, we're not completely shocked by this because there had been a rumor swirling around that the sci-fi show had been canceled. It just hadn't been confirmed. Now, it looks like we got that confirmation.

While an official reason for its cancellation was not given, low viewership is...

Sunny, starring Rashida Jones, receives high critical and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes, outperforming other Apple TV+ sci-fi shows. The show follows an American woman in Japan grappling with loss, forming an unexpected bond with a domestic robot, Sunny. Sunny has some pacing issues, but critics praised Jones' performance and the intriguing mix of sci-fi and comedy.

Sunny, the new sci-fi comedy from A24, boasts the best score for a genre that Apple TV+ has become known for. Although it doesn't have the extensive catalog of Netflix or the enviable library of the Max streaming service, Apple TV+ has shown a particular affinity for science fiction shows that are headlined by some very recognizable actors. It continues down that path with the A24-produced ten-episode Sunny, starring Emmy-nominated Parks and Recreation actor Rashida Jones, who is returning to Apple TV+ after a pivotal recurring role in the breakout hit Silo.

Suzie Sakamoto is struggling with loss. The American expatriate has called Kyoto home for over a decade, but after the mysterious deaths of her husband Masa and young son Zen in an apparent plane crash, she finds herself adrift.

Looking for answers, and with little left to ground her, Suzie turns to an unexpected source: Sunny, an advanced home robot gifted to her by Masa’s colleague from his work in robotics. As Suzie grows closer to Sunny, she discovers her late husband kept far more secrets than she ever realized.

This is the premise of the Apple TV+ series Sunny, created by Katie Robbins. The 10-episode, one-hour drama explores mystery and grief through the lens of robotics and modern Japan. Rashida Jones stars as Suzie, alongside Hidetoshi Nishijima as Masa in flashbacks. As Suzie investigates with Sunny’s aid, her understanding of her husband and life in Kyoto is turned upside down,...

Companionship comes in many forms. What soothes one person could feel foreign to another, with people, pets, and inanimate objects bringing joy and solace to those affected by various traumas. When Suzie (Rashida Jones), a woman living in Japan, inherits Sunny (Joanna Sotomura), a domestic robot made by her husband’s company, they uncover dark truths about what happened to Suzie’s husband and son, trapping them in a spiral of violence, secrecy, and a war for power. I mean this sincerely: Sunny is my favorite TV series of 2024 so far. So, you can imagine my excitement when I was allowed to speak with members of the cast and creative team: Rashida Jones, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Joanna Sotomura, Annie the Clumsy, Judy Ongg, Jun Kunimura, Sunny creator Katie Robbins, and director Lucy Tcherniak.

During our discussions, Rashida and Hidetoshi reveal the secrets of their incredible on-screen chemistry, acting alongside a robot...

Plot: Set in Japan, the series follows Suzie who recently lost her husband and son in a mysterious plane crash. As consolation, her husband’s company gives Suzie a robotic home assistant with a sunny disposition–aptly named Sunny. A begrudging relationship forms between the two as they set out to figure out what really happened to Suzie’s family.

Review: Love or fear them; robots have been a part of popular culture for over a century. As technology develops, so do the various interpretations of sentient machines. From Metropolis and Star Wars to M3GAN and Optimus Prime, robots are interpreted as everything from comic relief to villainous killers bent on the destruction of mankind. The new AppleTV+ series Sunny takes a darkly funny look at the potential balance between love and hate for robots in a great example of mature storytelling combined with an original take on a timeless genre.

Apple TV+ has announced the programming that will be added to the streaming service next month. The Apple TV Plus July 2024 lineup includes the thriller series Sunny, the family series Me, the limited series Lady in the Lake, the docuseries Omnivore, the comedic adventure series Time Bandits, and the crime drama Women in Blue (“Las Azules”).

Apple’s production Fly Me to the Moon, starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, will also be released in theaters in July by Sony Pictures and will later be available on Apple TV+.

Apple TV+ offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment. It is available to watch across all of a user’s favorite screens.

Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung,...

Apple TV+ has debuted the trailer for the darkly comedic mystery series ‘Sunny.’ The ten-episode thriller is set to premiere globally with the first two episodes on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through September 4.

The show stars Rashida Jones as Suzie, an American woman living in Kyoto, Japan, whose life is upended when her husband and son disappear in a mysterious plane crash. As “consolation” she’s given Sunny, one of a new class of domestic robots made by her husband’s electronics company. Though at first, Suzie resents Sunny’s attempts to fill the void in her life, gradually they develop an unexpected friendship, as together they uncover the dark truth of what really happened to Suzie’s family, becoming dangerously enmeshed in a world Suzie never knew existed.

Created by Katie Robbins, who also serves as showrunner, and executive producer and director Lucy Tcherniak, “Sunny” stars Emmy Award nominee,...

Today, Apple TV+ announced that Sunny, its 10-episode mystery thriller with a darkly comic bent, is set to premiere globally with the first two episodes on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through September 4.

Created by Katie Robbins, who also serves as showrunner, and executive producer and director Lucy Tcherniak, Sunny stars Emmy Award nominee multi-hyphenate Rashida Jones.

Jones also serves as executive producer, along with stars Hidetoshi Nishijima, Joanna Sotomura, Judy Ongg, You, Annie the Clumsy, and Jun Kunimura.

Sunny stars Jones as Suzie, an American woman living in Kyoto, Japan, whose life is upended when her husband and son disappear in a mysterious plane crash. As “consolation,” she’s given Sunny, which is one of a new class of domestic robots made by her husband’s electronics company.

Though Suzie initially resents Sunny’s attempts to fill the void in her life, they gradually develop an unexpected friendship.

Apple TV+ has debuted a set of first-look images alongside announcing that ‘Sunny,’ its ten-episode mystery thriller with a darkly comic bent, is set to premiere globally with the first two episodes on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through September 4.

The show stars Rashida Jones as Suzie, an American woman living in Kyoto, Japan, whose life is upended when her husband and son disappear in a mysterious plane crash. As “consolation” she’s given Sunny, one of a new class of domestic robots made by her husband’s electronics company. Though at first, Suzie resents Sunny’s attempts to fill the void in her life, gradually they develop an unexpected friendship, as together they uncover the dark truth of what really happened to Suzie’s family, becoming dangerously enmeshed in a world Suzie never knew existed.

Also in news – Zachary Levi set for action-thriller ‘Free Fall’

Created by Katie Robbins,...

“Hacks” is back, and Max has revealed the official trailer and key art for the show’s long-awaited Season 3. The new installment of “Hacks,” which Variety chronicled in this recent feature, returns on Thursday, May 2, with two episodes on Max. The nine-episode season will continue with two episodes each week, up until the season finale on May 30.

Here’s this season’s logline: “A year after parting, Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) is riding high off the success of her standup special while Ava (Hannah Einbinder) pursues new opportunities back in Los Angeles.”

Smart and Einbinder star along with Paul W. Downs, Megan Stalter, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Kaitlin Olson, Christopher McDonald, Mark Indelicato, Rose Abdoo and Lorenza Izzo. Guest stars this season include J. Smith-Cameron, Helen Hunt, Christina Hendricks, Christopher Lloyd, Dan Bucatinsky, George Wallace, Tony Goldwyn, and Aristotle Athari.

Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky are the show’s exec producers.

Exclusive: Apple TV+ has rounded out the ensemble cast for Sunny (fka Dark Manual), a half-hour darkly comedic drama, starring and executive produced by Rashida Jones. Joanna Sotomura (Barry) stars in the titular role, along with annie the clumsy (Miss Osaka), You (Nobody Knows), Judy Ongg and Jun Kunimura (Kill Bill) join Jones in the series from Katie Robbins (The Affair, The Last Tycoon) and A24. Lucy Tcherniak (Station Eleven, The End of the F***ing World) is attached to direct.

Written by Robbins, Sunny is based on the book Dark Manual by Japan-based award-winning Irish writer Colin O’Sullivan.

Jones stars as Suzie, an American woman living in Kyoto, Japan, whose life is upended when her husband and son disappear in a mysterious plane crash. As “consolation” she’s given Sunny (Sotomura), one of a new class of domestic robots made by her husband’s (Hidetoshi Nishijima) electronics company. Though...