Apple TV’s 6-Hour Sci-Fi Series That’s ‘Black Mirror Meets Severance’ Is Quietly One Of Its Best Shows

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Science fiction TV shows exploring bleak, futuristic worlds shaped by extreme capitalism and out-of-control technology are becoming increasingly popular. This makes sense, as these stories tap into anxieties we’re all feeling today. Among these shows, Netflix’s Black Mirror and Apple TV+’s Severance stand out for their ability to capture that sense of unease.

As a huge fan of shows that make you think, I’ve been obsessed with both Black Mirror and Severance. They’re totally different in how they tell their stories – Black Mirror is all self-contained episodes, while Severance is a slow-building mystery – but they both really dig into how big corporations and technology could mess things up for all of us. But honestly, there’s another show that combines those themes so well, and it doesn’t get nearly enough credit: Sunny. Seriously, you should check it out!

Coming to Apple TV+ in 2024, Sunny centers around Suzie Sakamoto (Rashida Jones), an American woman living in Japan. Her world is turned upside down when her husband and son disappear in a plane crash. She receives a home robot created by her husband’s company, and soon finds herself entangled in a conspiracy that will appeal to viewers who enjoy shows like Severance and Black Mirror.

Black Mirror’s Technoparanoia Meets Severance’s Corporate Dystopia In Sunny

At its heart, Sunny strikes a compelling balance between the unsettling themes of Black Mirror and the intriguing mystery of Severance. The show’s central idea – a woman receiving a strange robot from her late husband’s company – feels like something straight out of Black Mirror. Like the best episodes of that series, Sunny explores anxieties about technology, prompting viewers to consider how much we should rely on machines that attempt to replicate human relationships.

The show’s main character, Sunny, is a robot who’s both a friend and a mystery. Like episodes of Black Mirror such as “Be Right Back” and “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too,” Sunny makes you wonder if technology can actually feel emotions, or just convincingly pretend to.

As a huge fan of shows like Severance, I’ve been struck by how much Sunny feels like a kindred spirit. Both shows have this really interesting balance – they’re funny and quirky, but there’s always this unsettling feeling underneath, even in the calmer scenes. Just like Mark in Severance, the main character in Sunny feels pretty isolated, trying to figure things out in a world where it feels like people are deliberately hiding the truth. And honestly, a big part of what drives both shows is this sense of mystery around what these corporations are really up to.

As a sci-fi fan, I’ve been really struck by how much Sunny and Severance have in common. Both shows really get at this idea of corporations stripping people of their humanity – in Severance, they literally fragment employees, and Sunny seems to treat both its tech and the people using it as disposable. It gives Sunny a surprising amount of depth. But it’s not just copying other shows; it actually blends them brilliantly. You definitely see echoes of Black Mirror‘s warnings about technology running wild, but it’s combined with the slow-burn, unsettling mystery of Severance. It feels familiar, but ultimately, Sunny carves out its own unique space.

Sunny Is An Underrated Apple TV Gem That Deserved Better

Even though critics love Sunny and it has a great score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, it hasn’t become popular with a large audience. It’s a smart and unusual sci-fi show that usually gets people talking, but it hasn’t reached the same level of recognition as shows like Black Mirror and Severance.

One reason why some great shows don’t get the attention they deserve is that not everyone can easily find them. Apple TV+ makes really good shows, but it doesn’t have as many viewers as bigger streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. Because of this, even excellent series like ‘Sunny’ can get overlooked.

It’s particularly frustrating that Sunny doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, especially when compared to other sci-fi shows on Apple TV+. While shows like Severance have become huge successes, Sunny provides a similarly engaging experience but rarely receives the same level of attention.

The show’s cancellation is especially disheartening. Apple TV+ is known for giving its series room to grow, so the early end of Sunny after just one season feels unusual. Given how original and thought-provoking the show was, it deserved a larger audience and the chance to develop further.

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2026-04-26 01:28