The Apple TV Plus Free Weekend is a great chance to check out spin-off and other hits
If you’re looking for a good reason to be a couch potato this weekend, Apple has you covered—making its premium Apple TV Plus free programming for anyone with an Apple TV account. This is the perfect chance to check out popular hits like Ted Lasso, Shrinking, Severance or The Morning Show.
Apple announced on Monday that it is offering free streaming of its original series and movies on Apple TV Plus on Saturday and Sunday, January 4 and 5, no subscription required. In a post shared on X, the Apple TV Plus account said: “See for yourself this weekend.”
Separately press release from Apple said premium programming would be free from Jan. 3-5, but CNET’s testing on Friday morning indicated that the free promotion has not yet begun. Bonus content may become available later today.
Read more: The best streaming services of 2025
Apple’s promotion is likely part of an effort to attract more subscribers to it streaming platform in a market still crowded with competitors including NetflixPrime, Hulu, Peacock and Max. Industry watchers have been for months concussion prediction and consolidation from the streaming options.
This weekend marks the first time Apple has offered extended free access to Apple TV Plus, although it generally provides limited free streaming of select content, such as the first episodes of some original series.
The company is also promoting a seven-day free trial for new subscribers, as well as extended trials with purchases of select hardware products. Subscriptions start at $10 per month.
What can you watch this weekend on Apple TV Plus?
Here are the five most popular shows on Apple TV Plus right now, according to Apple’s own charts.
Silos: Based on Hugh Howey’s sci-fi trilogy, this dystopian drama starring Rebecca Ferguson and Tim Robbins takes place in a giant underground bunker where a community of thousands whose history has been obliterated grapple with the truth of their current situation.
Shrinkage: Starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford, this comedy-drama centers on a grieving therapist who begins to take a dramatically more active role in his patients’ lives, with highly complicated results. The show featured 10 episodes in Season 1 and 12 in Season 2.
Bad sisters: In this black comedy from Ireland, five sisters deal with the suspicious death of one of their abusive husbands and the ensuing insurance investigation. The show goes back and forth between two timelines, before and after death, gradually revealing the secret in the season 1 finale. The second season ended before Christmas.
Dismissal: All Lumon Industries employees undergo a procedure to completely separate work and home life in this mind-blowing sci-fi drama directed by Ben Stiller and starring Adam Scott, John Turturro, Patricia Arquette and Christopher Walken. The much-anticipated second season is slated to launch on January 17.
Ted Lasso: The power of relentless optimism is the real star of this comedy-drama starring Jason Sudeikis as a chronically optimistic American football coach hired to run an English football club. The series set the record for the most Emmy nominations (20) for a first season of a comedy show.
For more, read our a comprehensive overview of the Apple TV Plus streaming service.