Apple TV’s latest addition, “Small Prophets,” is not a flashy original, but an acquired British gem that critics are calling one of the streamer’s standout offerings of 2026. The series was created, written, and directed by Mackenzie Crook (best known for “Detectorists” and his role in the original UK “The Office”), premiered on the platform in early October after a celebrated run on BBC Two.
The six-episode series follows Michael Sleep (Pearce Quigley), a lonely hardware-store worker in the Manchester area whose life has been frozen since his partner Clea disappeared seven years earlier on Christmas Eve. His days consist of work, visits to his eccentric father Brian (Sir Michael Palin), and a house still filled with her unpacked boxes and an untouched Christmas setup. When Brian shares an old alchemical recipe involving rainwater, horse manure, and more, Michael begins growing tiny prophetic homunculi in jars in his garden shed—hoping the small creatures can reveal what happened to Clea. Along the way, he forms an unlikely friendship with a younger coworker, Kacey (Lauren Patel), while navigating a nosy neighbor and a difficult boss (played by Crook himself).
Reviews have been exceptionally warm. The series holds a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 87 on Metacritic, indicating universal acclaim. The Hollywood Reporter’s Daniel Fienberg argued it “may be the finest show to hit Apple this year,” with the caveat that the ranking depends on one’s feelings about the Emmy-winning horror-comedy “Widow’s Bay.” He singled out Quigley’s lead performance as one of the year’s best. The Verge called it “extremely strong in basically every regard,” praising its “perfect mix of sweet and silly tones” and noting that its goofy, heartwarming nature fills a unique space on Apple TV. Other critics have described it as a “gentle, jewel-like, unhurried masterpiece” and “pure, pure pleasure,” with The Guardian awarding it five stars for its “gorgeous surprises.”
The tone is classic Crook: droll rather than broad, whimsical without tipping into twee, and grounded in ordinary grief even as the alchemy grows stranger. Reviewers highlight the show’s ability to break and mend the heart in the same stretch, its excellent supporting cast (including Palin’s return to television comedy at age 82), and the genius dovetailing of story arcs. Quigley, previously a supporting player in “Detectorists,” shines as the sarcastic yet oddly lovable Michael, while Patel’s turn as Kacey has been called a breakout.
The series was a major success in the UK, becoming the BBC’s biggest new scripted launch of the year with viewership peaking at 9.2 million. The BBC has already ordered a second season, due in 2027. Apple’s acquisition of worldwide rights after the BBC run marks a rare move for the streamer — the first time it has bought an existing English-language series in this way — bringing the show to global audiences (outside the UK, where Apple TV subscribers will wait until 2027).
In a year when Apple TV has dominated awards conversations (including a record Emmy haul led by “Widow’s Bay”), “Small Prophets” offers something different: a low-key, humane, and gently magical comedy that proves the platform’s strength extends beyond its big-budget originals. For fans of “Detectorists” or anyone seeking a quietly profound, funny, and moving watch, it’s a must-stream.
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I’d say TV is “better than cable” if the cable TV industry wasn’t a sinking ship falling into irrelevancy. Cutting the cord is the best thing anyone that’s a fan of film and TV can do for themselves.
I do question why MDN is propping up Samsung’s smart TVs, though? I seem to remember Steve Jobs throwing a fit after being asked if making an Android version of iTunes was a good idea. Since TV is apparently a hobby, this little side comment can slide but it’s still jarring seeing MDN say that you can get this on a Samsung device after years of rightly bashing them. I’d personally recommend the Roku TVs simply because Roku didn’t maliciously try to sabotage Apple to my knowledge…and their interface is one of the best that I have used on a smart TV.
The Samung TV UI might be the most horrific known to mankind. My workplace has them.
Exactly. They can’t seem to copy other companies well, even in the smart TV space. Rokus are fantastic though, but I might be biased as that was my first smart TV set. Having the TV app on it or even connecting an TV box to it would be like an ideal setup for me. Leaving the Samsung Smart TV out of that note would have been great.
Rokus are great, easier to use than AppleTV IMHO, and 1/3 the price.
Roku is fast, easy to figure out and cheap.
Apple is fast, kind of twitchy, and expensive.
Google, the UI is fine, but sluggish, even though it’s a recent, mid-level model TV. We use a Roku Ultra on that TV, almost never use the built-in Google UI.