Apple TV+ now available in Canada — here’s everything you need to know

Apple TV+ has officially launched in Canada.

As the latest in a long line of video streaming services, there’s a lot to go over with Apple TV+. With that said, here’s a breakdown of what Canadians should know about the service.

Platforms and price

Apple TV+ content can be streamed in the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch and Mac, as well as online at tv.apple.com.

In Canada, the service costs $5.99 CAD/month, with a free seven-day trial to start. Up to six family members can share one subscription.

Apple is also offering a free 12-month subscription ($71.88 value) to anyone who buys an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch or Mac.

It’s important to note that this free one-year trial will end once you cancel your subscription. This is in stark contrast to how many subscriptions offer continued use until the trial period ends, even with early cancellations.

Launch content

Of course, you need to know what you’re actually getting for your money. One of the most notable elements of Apple TV+ is that it will feature 100 percent original content, instead of a mix of licensed and original content like Netflix.

On launch day, Apple TV+ will offer the following original content:

• Dickinson — a dark comedy series following the rise of rebellious young poet Emily Dickinson (Edge of Seventeen’s Hailee Steinfeld)
• The Elephant Queen — a documentary about Athena, an elephant who must protect her herd after being forced out of their waterhole (narrated by 12 Years A Slave’s Chiwetel Ejiofor)
• For All Mankind — an alternate fiction sci-fi drama series where the USSR won the space race; starring Joel Kinnaman (Altered Carbon)
• Ghostwriter — a new take on the 1990s PBS children’s mystery series of the same name that follows four kids who team up to release fictional characters from books
• Helpsters — the creators of Sesame Street’s newest show is about a team of monsters who help solve problems
• The Morning Show — a drama that explores the world of morning news; starring Jennifer Aniston (Friends), Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line) and Steve Carrell (The Office)
• Oprah’s Book Club — media mogul Oprah Winfrey chats with some of the world’s most renowned authors (first episode about Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer)
• See —  a drama about a world where a virus has rendered the population blind, starring Jason Momoa (Aquaman) and Alfre Woodard (Marvel’s Luke Cage); filmed in Vancouver
• Snoopy in Space — popular Peanuts character Snoopy journeys to become an astronaut

It’s important to note that Apple TV+ will mostly stay away from Netflix’s all-at-once, binge-ready release structure. Instead, Apple says most series will premiere with three episodes and one new episode will roll out each subsequent week. Some series will release all at once, however.

Apple has yet to confirm the specific rollout plans for all of its series. That said, all of these launch series have debuted with three episodes each.

Future content

Remaining content with confirmed 2019 dates are:

Servant — a psychological thriller series from M. Night Shyamalan about grieving parents facing mysterious forces (begins streaming on November 28th)
Truth Be Told — a drama series that follows a man who may have been wrongfully convicted (starring The Help’s Octavia Spencer and Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul (begins streaming on December 6th)

It’s worth noting that Hala, a drama film about a teenager struggling with her traditional Muslim upbringing, is listed with all of these other shows. However, no release information is mentioned beyond “coming soon.”

Outside of these series, Apple is also working on a variety of other TV shows, such as:

• A Christmas Carol reimagining starring Anchorman’s Will Ferrell and Vancouver’s own Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool)
• A documentary about mental health from Oprah and Prince Harry
• Amazing Stories — a revival of Steven Spielberg’s ’80s anthology series of the same name
• The Banker — drama film based on a true story about African-American entrepreneurs in the 1950s providing loans to the black community during a time of deep racism (starring Pulp Fiction’s Samuel L. Jackson and Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s Anthony Mackie)
• Defending Jacob — a drama miniseries about a man (Avengers: Endgame’s Chris Evans) whose 14-year-old son has been accused of murder
• Little America — an anthology series about immigrants in America, produced by Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon (The Big Sick)
• Swagger! — a drama miniseries about NBA star Kevin Durant’s childhood
• Time Bandits — a series based on the 1981 sci-fi film Time Bandits, directed by Jojo Rabbit filmmaker Taika Waititi

It’s unclear when any of these or other in-development Apple TV+ shows and movies will hit the service.