Apple TV Buys an Existing Hit for the First Time Ever

Apple TV has bought the worldwide rights to "Small Prophets," breaking with how it normally operates in acquiring an existing English-language hit rather than commissioning a show of its own from the start.

‌Apple TV‌ has typically developed or, at the very least, commissioned shows in-house and given them their premiere on the service, regardless of where they may eventually end up. This was the model behind the BBC's "Trying," which ‌Apple TV‌+ produced first and later licensed to the BBC once its own run had finished.

Apple has also picked up individual foreign-language titles in the past, such as the French-Japanese drama "Drops of God." "Small Prophets" marks new ground since it is an English-language series and it had already become a broadcast hit elsewhere before Apple stepped in.

The acquisition, reported by Deadline, follows a run on BBC Two that produced the strongest 28-day launch numbers for a comedy on the channel since 2022, a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and the International Panorama award at this year's Series Mania festival.

"Small Prophets" will stream on ‌Apple TV‌ worldwide starting on October 7, with the exception of the UK, where the show debuted on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two earlier this year. Viewers in the UK will be able to continue watching it on iPlayer before it eventually moves to ‌Apple TV‌.

The show is written, created, and directed by Mackenzie Crook, best known for appearing in "The Office" and "The Detectorists."

Small Prophets follows Quigley as the eccentric Michael Sleep, an ordinary man who, since his darling Clea disappeared seven years ago, has worked in a DIY store, while visiting his elderly dad Brian and hoping for Clea to return. One day, Brian shares an old recipe for a potion so a skeptical Michael can create homunculi – magical spirits that can predict the future – to learn if he will see Clea again.

Michael gets help from his young DIY store co-worker Kacey and their unlikely friendship blossoms through a dislike of store manager Gordon, while his nosy neighbors obsess about what Michael is doing in the garden shed.

The show, set in and around suburban Manchester and is seeped in Crook's trademark gentleness... includes animated elements to show the more magical elements of the story.

Deadline compared "Small Prophets" to "Ted Lasso," which recently began its fourth season as ‌Apple TV‌'s biggest premiere ever, favoring a gentler, more serialized storytelling style over a traditional sitcom.