Apple TV+ has unveiled a first look at its newest star-studded comedy, Palm Royale, starring Kristen Wiig as an ambitious social climber in the sun-drenched Palm Beach of 1969.
It’s a powder keg of a year, with Dick Nixon sworn in as the 37th president, Neil Armstrong taking his giant leap for mankind, and Wiig’s Maxine Simmons looking to start anew after having been unceremoniously dumped by her husband. Breaking into Palm Beach’s exclusive high society — whose ruling dame, Norma, is played here by Carol Burnett — thus represents a fresh start for Maxine, in this story about the line between the haves and the have-nots.
Based on Juliet McDaniel’s 2018 novel Mr. & Mrs. American Pie, Palm Royale debuts on Apple’s streaming service on March 20, 2024, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through May 8. In addition to Wiig and Burnett, the cast also includes Josh Lucas, Ricky Martin, Leslie Bibb, Laura Dern, Allison Janney, and Kaia Gerber.
Furthermore, Palm Royale joins a long and growing list of comedies on Apple’s now four-year-old streamer, which continues to rake in scads of awards and critical acclaim. Much of that acclaim is thanks to one particular standout comedy, a little show you might have heard of by the name of Ted Lasso — but there are also lots more to enjoy, in addition to upcoming titles like Palm Royale.
Speaking as a subscriber from Day 1, the Apple TV+ comedies I recommend putting on your watch list include (in no particular order):
- Bad Sisters: This Irish black comedy from Sharon Horgan follows the Garvey sisters after the death of their jerk of a brother-in-law. Life insurers set out to prove malicious intent, and all the sisters have their own motives.
- Acapulco: Set in the 1980s, this dramedy is about a young man named Maximo Gallardo who gets the job of his dreams: Working at the sunny, stylish Acapulco resort Las Colinas.
- The Afterparty: From the official Apple TV+ synopsis, “Nothing is as it seems in this hilarious murder mystery where each suspect’s story is told through a different film genre.”
- Mythic Quest: A workplace comedy about the maker of a multiplayer video game, created by Charlie Day, Megan Ganz, and Rob McElhenney.
- Central Park: From the creator of Bob’s Burgers, this is an animated musical comedy about life in and around the titular New York City Park.
- Ted Lasso: A fish-out-of-water comedy about a small-town soccer coach who’s brought in to lead a down-on-its-luck UK football club.
- Shrinking: From the co-creator of Ted Lasso, Jason Segel here plays a grieving therapist who eventually cracks and starts offering his patients the kind of no-holds-barred advice that, before, he’d kept to himself.
