Here, in my mind, is a better indicator of where Apple TV+ is headed next than the kind of groupthink perspective you get from reading recent headlines about the streamer (such as the spate of aggregated news coverage in recent days about Apple TV+ supposedly pulling back on its spending — and that fact supposedly portending some sort of ominous future for the service). Specifically, I’d like us to consider Apple’s newly released Women in Blue, a police drama from Mexico that’s just debuted to positive reviews (and a 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes).
One of at least two Spanish-language dramas coming to Apple TV+ over the next couple of months — the other being the medical drama Midnight Family, which is debuting on Sept. 25 — Women in Blue is clearly aimed at an international audience. Based on real-world events, the 10-episode series dramatizes the creation of Mexico’s first female police force, which in turn is wrapped around a gripping serial killer mystery.
What we have here, in other words, is Apple making a play towards appealing to a broader group of viewers (in fact, to an international audience), which is the exact opposite thing you’d expect them to be doing if you only listened to the headlines that focused on Apple TV+ trimming its budgets. Rather than retrenching, in other words, Apple is thinking bigger — and Women in Blue, which isn’t exactly aimed at pleasing the kinds of Ted Lasso fans who love the service now, is a perfect example of this shift.
“In the coming year, you’re going to see an increased emphasis on international growth as well as more telco partnerships,” an unnamed Apple TV+ source said in an interview for Rick Ellis’ fantastic “Too Much TV” email newsletter (which I highly encourage you to sign up for here).
“And while I don’t have any first-hand knowledge about a timeline, I won’t be surprised to see an ad-supported tier rollout. It helps maximize revenue from a smaller subscriber base and our demographics make the audience valuable. But I think Amazon’s rate-cutting right now might push that timeline back a bit.”
The point: Apple TV+ isn’t going anywhere, never mind blog posts that declare Apple TV+ has “lost the plot,” reflected in the fact that it’s cutting costs and going to start showing ads soon. Guess what folks? The streamers all kind of play a giant game of follow the leader. When one raises prices, that’s when you see others do the same. One launches an ad tier, and others soon follow.
It’s like Logan Roy told Shiv in Season 3 of Succession: “Nothing is a line. Everything, everywhere is always moving. Forever. Get used to it.”
As for me, I can already tell it will be quite easy to get used to a show like Women in Blue, which looks like yet another winner in Apple TV+’s small but mighty library of content. “Set in 1971 and inspired by true events,” the streamer explains, “Women in Blue tells the story of four women who defy the ultraconservative norms of the time and join Mexico’s first female police force, only to discover that their squad is a publicity stunt to distract the media from a brutal serial killer.
“As the body count grows, María (Mori), whose determination to catch the killer becomes an obsession, Gabina (Amorita Rasgado), whose father is a renowned cop, Ángeles (Ximena Sariñana), a brilliant fingerprint analyst, and Valentina (Natalia Téllez), a young rebel, set up a secret investigation to achieve what no male officer has been able to do and bring the serial killer to justice.”
