Two brand-new streaming TV series have just landed on Netflix and Apple TV+, both of which have something in common that you don’t see all that often: Perfect critics’ scores.
From an opulent culinary saga set in Napoleonic France to a sharply observed dramedy about friendship, aging, and emotional fallout, Carême (Apple TV+) and The Four Seasons (Netflix) showcase just how far premium TV series can go when storytelling, casting, and craft are firing on all cylinders. And the respective 100% scores on Rotten Tomatoes that accompanied both of their debuts is an indication that they each have critics swooning — in a crowded content landscape where such standout premieres are rare.
No matter whether you’re into historical prestige or modern relationship drama, this week’s streaming drop just raised the bar for 2025.
Carême (Apple TV+)
Before Gordon Ramsay, before Julia Child — there was Marie-Antoine Carême, the world’s first celebrity chef.
Apple TV+ brings his story to sumptuous life in Carême, a period drama so visually rich you’ll feel like you can almost taste what’s on the screen. Set in 19th-century France, the series blends opulence, obsession, and ambition, all with the meticulous flair of a master pastry chef. Critics have praised its lavish production design, nuanced performances, and surprising emotional depth.
What’s more: This new TV series isn’t just about sauces and soufflés. It also incorporates espionage, palace politics, and backroom power plays where the kitchen is just as cutthroat as the battlefield. In other words, think The Bear meets The Bourne Identity, sort of.
The Four Seasons (Netflix)
This next brand new TV series that also scored a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes ahead of its debut this week is Tina Fey’s new Netflix comedy that we previewed in our Netflix look-ahead over the weekend.
Based on the 1981 movie with the same name, this one is about a group of six old friends heading out for a relaxing weekend away. The shocking news that one couple in the group is about to split up changes everything. “Over the course of a year,” Netflix explains about the show that also stars Will Forte and Steve Carell in addition to Fey, “we follow the friends on four vacations, and watch how this shake-up affects everyone’s dynamic — sending old issues and new bubbling to the surface.”
Added Fey, in a Netflix promotional interview: “I hope audiences feel like they are inside a big sweater with us, and also having a dinner party with us, and I hope that any of the joy and warmth that we all feel for each other all transfers to them, and that we are a comfort and provide some laughs for them in their home.”
