Catch-up guide | Best of the year on Disney + and Apple TV +

Launched barely two years ago in Quebec, the Disney + and Apple TV + platforms are gaining ground as they expand their catalog of new products. Here are the best recent productions offered on these platforms, according to our columnist Hugo Dumas and our specialist journalists Marc-André Lemieux and Marc-André Lussier.

the top 3 by Hugo Dumas

The Morning Show (Apple TV +)

Yes, the scenario is scattered in all directions and stretches the elastic of plausibility. But only to see two terrific actresses (Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon) in action, it’s worth watching the two seasons of this series that takes us behind the scenes of a morning show at the Hi hello. A story of #moiaussi cuts the head of a star co-host (Steve Carell), and everything goes wrong. We could have done without the intrigue of the coronavirus. Still, the images of New York are spectacular, as is the production budget.

Only Murders in the Building (Disney +)

Quite charming and captivating series about three inhabitants (Selena Gomez, Martin Short and Steve Martin) of a big building in New York who get excited, without knowing it, for the same podcast of ” true crime “. When one of their neighbors dies under nebulous circumstances, the three new friends (and apprentice detectives), who each have their own personal secrets, embark on an investigation that will be anything but trivial. It’s excellent. Nice cameo from Tina Fey.

Ted lasso (Apple TV +)

This is the most heartwarming series of the past two years, filled with kindness, benevolence and good gags. Parachuted in London, American football coach Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) finds himself at the head of a declining soccer team, which he must bring together. No need to love sport to get on board Ted lasso. Each of the secondary roles is well defined and important in the story. It is not for nothing that honors are raining down on this pure happiness production.

the top 3 by Marc-André Lemieux

The Good Fight (Paramount +)

Since its debut in 2017, this series derived from the excellent judicial drama The Good Wife (An exemplary woman) goes unnoticed. Too bad, because, season after season, it provides brilliant hours of television. Released last July, its fifth season continues the tradition. The texts are always so intelligent and glued to the news, and Christine Baranski continues to impress under the features – and behind the contagious laughter – of the lawyer Diane Lockhart. In Quebec, An exemplary struggle is presented in French on Séries Plus, in addition to being offered (with a little delay) on ICI Tou.tv Extra.

WandaVision (Disney +)

You don’t have to be a superhero fan to love this television UFO. Fans of American series will get their bearings in the first few episodes, which pay homage to some of the biggest small-screen hits of the past five decades, such as The Dick Van Dyke Show, I love lucy, Bewitched, Malcolm in the Middle and Modern Family. Warning: you will be initially unsettled, and that’s OK. Let yourself be carried away by the action, be patient, and you will have all the pieces of the puzzle in your hands.

Ted lasso (Apple TV +)

Kindness. This is a trendy term that we are no longer able to hear. And yet, it is the perfect word to speak of Ted lasso, this irresistible comedy that paints the portrait of an American college football coach at the helm of a professional British soccer team. After a refreshing first season, perfectly balanced between good feelings and naive humor, we feared a mixed second season, but no. This new batch of 12 episodes is tasted like a ” midnight Putin “.

the top 3 Apple TV + by Marc-André Lussier

CODA (Apple TV +)

CODA is the American remake of The Aries family, huge success of French cinema. Viewers who remember the original film will obviously find themselves on familiar ground. By transposing the story to a New England fishing family, director Siân Heder nonetheless echoes another social reality. Musically, Michel Sardou has been replaced by hits from Motown and Joni Mitchell.

The Velvet Underground (Apple TV +)

Todd Haynes had hitherto used the springs of fiction to do justice to artists (David Bowie in Velvet Goldmine, Bob Dylan in I’m not there). However, he chose the documentary approach to retrace the journey of The Velvet Underground, a group emblematic of New York culture in the 1960s. Launched at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was presented out of competition, the film borrows the form of avant-garde cinema to offer a very rich documentary.

Swan song (Apple TV +)

Written and directed by Benjamim Cleary, Oscar winner for best short film in 2016 thanks to Stutterer, Swan song relates the journey of a man who, in the near future, agrees to undergo an experimental treatment with the aim of avoiding the pain of bereavement for those close to him. Around Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Green Book) revolves around a prestigious cast that includes Glenn Close, Naomie Harris and Awkwafina.