Best Apple TV TV Shows for character development

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Best for character development

Slow Horses, Season 6

5.0 attribute score

Highest scored product for this attribute based on supporting review evidence.

Safest pick

Margo's Got Money Troubles

4.8 attribute score

Balances the attribute score, supporting reviews, and overall product strength.

Most evidence

Ted Lasso, Season 4

21 supporting reviews

Has the broadest review evidence for this attribute.

Best overall product

Small Prophets

4.5 overall score

Strongest overall product among items with scored evidence for this attribute.

#1 Slow Horses, Season 6
5.0

Returning characters are pushed into new emotional and professional territory, with River’s grief and old relationships receiving particular attention. Reviewers generally welcomed the way the season develops familiar people without...

Pros: main cast performance, humor

Cons: plot originality

#2 Last Seen
4.8

Reviewers consistently prefer the show when it focuses on grief, guilt, identity, and damaged family relationships rather than puzzle-box mystery. Sarah, Ian, Henry, and Donald are often highlighted as richer...

Pros: story quality, genre satisfaction

Cons: realism, season pacing

#3 Margo’s Got Money Troubles
4.8

Margo, Shyanne, and Jinx are widely praised as flawed people whose motives remain clear. Some supporting figures, especially Susie, KC, and Rose, are criticized for existing mainly to help Margo.

Pros: audience appeal, character development

Cons: season pacing, season length

#4 Small Prophets
4.5

Michael’s gradual openness and his growing friendship provide meaningful movement. Kacey’s backstory is less fully developed, and some narrative layers remain thin.

Pros: entertainment value, story quality

#5 Dark Matter, Season 2
4.5

The season’s strongest praise centers on deeper character work, grief, marriage strain, regret, and the way alternate lives reshape familiar people.

Pros: story quality, theme depth

Cons: plot clarity, season pacing

#6 Pluribus, Season 1
3.9

Carol is treated as a genuine character study rather than a simple mystery-box hero. Reviewers like how new layers emerge through isolation, grief, anger, and changing relationships.

Pros: acting quality, story quality

Cons: season pacing, character likability

#7 Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, Season 1
3.7

Character development is uneven but often interesting. Paula receives the richest treatment, while coworkers and some side players are repeatedly described as thin, flat, or underexplored.

Pros: main cast performance, supporting cast performance

Cons: plot clarity, season pacing

#8 Star City, Season 1
3.5

Character work is the show’s most divided area. Irina, Anastasia, Tanya, and familiar younger figures draw real interest, but some critics find parts of the ensemble thin, emotionally guarded, or...

Pros: character development, spin-off quality

Cons: accent authenticity, plot clarity

#9 Ted Lasso, Season 4
3.4

Alice receives the clearest growth arc, gradually softening her pressure-first coaching and connecting with the team, while several players still need more individual depth.

Pros: humor, sports storyline quality

Cons: story quality, character development

#10 Cape Fear, Season 1
3.3

Character development works best around Max Cady and the Bowden children, especially when the show connects family secrets to emotional damage. Some reviewers thought certain backstories, especially Zack's, were thin...

Pros: acting quality, visual style

Cons: story quality, season length

#11 Silo, Season 3
3.2

The memory-loss arc divides reviewers more than most elements. Some find it tired or frustrating at first, while others say it becomes emotionally and thematically meaningful by the end.

Pros: main cast performance, episode structure

Cons: season pacing, character development

#12 Brothers (2026)
2.5

Character work is one of the more common weaknesses: many family members stay one-note or thin. Harrelson’s late efforts to reconnect with his daughters provide one of the clearer growth...

Pros: cast chemistry, supporting cast performance

Cons: humor, story quality