Apple Working on 'Are You Sleeping' TV Show Starring Octavia Spencer

[MacRumors]

Apple has yet another new original television show in the works, which will star Octavia Spencer, known for her work in movies like "Hidden Figures," "The Help," "Gifted," and "The Shape of Water."

According to Variety, the upcoming series is a drama called "Are You Sleeping," which is based on a novel by Kathleen Barber.

Image of Octavia Spencer via Variety​

Described as a psychological thriller, the book focuses on a podcast that reopens a murder case, similar to the popular "Serial" podcast. The novel explores how the reopening of the murder case impacts the victim's daughter and disrupts her life. Sarah Koenig, who created and produced the "Serial" podcast, will consult on the series.

"Are You Sleeping" was written by Nichelle Tramble Spellman, and the series will be produced by Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine and Chernin Entertainment/Endeavor Content.

Apple is also working with Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine on an as of yet untitled "morning show drama" that will take a look into the "cutthroat world" of morning TV.

Along with these two TV shows, Apple has picked up two additional shows, including a revival of 1985 Steven Spielberg sci-fi series "Amazing Stories" and an untitled space drama developed by Ronald D. Moore, known for "Battlestar Galactica."

Apple has been heavily pursuing original content since June of 2017, which is when it hired former Sony executives Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht to form a new video unit. Van Amburg and Erlicht, who produced shows like "Breaking Bad," "The Crown," and "Better Call Saul," are running Apple's video programming efforts on a worldwide scale under iTunes chief Eddy Cue. Since June, Apple has made multiple high-profile TV-related hires and has opened an office at The Culver Studios in Los Angeles.

It's not yet clear when the first of Apple's original TV shows will premiere, but it's possible at least one of these will be ready in time for a 2018 debut.

Article Link: Apple Working on 'Are You Sleeping' TV Show Starring Octavia Spencer

 

[Sanlitun]

And I will be sleeping through it.

 

[pk7]

Nowadays, "Are you sleeping?" means something else.

 

[Asarien]

Apple is such a lame company these days.

 

[Naraxus]

Apple lagging further and further behind Netflix and Amazon. This is pathetic.

 

[tkermit]

I just wonder whether I'll end up paying for this with my Apple Music subscription... Apple should just buy Netflix already if they want to get into that business.

 

[sidewinder3000]

Sounds like it has potential. I love Serial (and love S-town even more), really enjoy Spencer as an actor, and am psyched to see what they do with such a culturally relevant topic. It’s encouraging to see Apple kick-starting such promising productions for their new streaming offering. Looking forward to seeing where it winds up.

 

[adamjackson]

if it makes you feel any better, my girlfriend is really excited for this show.

 

[5105973]

I loved Octavia Spencer in Hidden Figures. I don’t watch tv shows anymore, but this sounds interesting and miles above something like Planet of the Apps.

 

[Rogifan]

Apple is such a lame company these days.

Pot. Meet kettle.

 

[BornAgainMac]

I want to see Apple and Google sleeping with each other.

 

[sblemmy]

I just wonder whether I'll end up paying for this with my Apple Music subscription... Apple should just buy Netflix already if they want to get into that business.

I agree Apple would do better if they bought their way into the streaming video content market. Home-brewing video content seems like a bizarre move, since they have zero experience in this area.

They did have enough sense to buy into streaming music, even though iTunes was, up until a few years ago, the premiere music distribution system. That makes their reluctance to make a streaming video acquisitions seem even more puzzling.

 

[Mike MA]

I‘m not convinced that focusing their original content mostly on shows like these will be the right strategy.

 

[itsmilo]

Time for a proper name. Apple MUSIC for tv shows is just plain STUPID. You would think thats what they would have used TV for

 

[Naraxus]

So long as Barney Fife, I mean Eddy Cue is in charge I really have no hope for anything close to the great content on Netflix/Amazon

 

[swingerofbirch]

"Are You Sleeping" — the thrilling bookend to "Good Morning America."

 

[Danoc]

-

 

[sully54]

Apple’s services business, as profitable as it may be, is a huge mess. People are paying for separate subscription for iCloud and Apple Music. Add a TV component and that’s now 3 different subscriptions.

They should take a page from amazon and put all of their subscription services under one sunscription and have different tiers depending on what services are important to each customer.

 

[nfl46]

Ohhhh, this is probably going to be good! Love her as an actress! I think everyone will remember that "(s)" scene from The Help! Hilarious!!

 

[notspock]

Jeez, just buy Disney already.

 

[testcard]

She was great in Hidden Figures.

 

[killr_b]

love how they waste money on this and can't even make an os update work lmao

 

[blacktape242]

3...2....1....terrible....

 

[snowboarder]

A fresh good show requires a couple of guys with a fresh idea.
Apple is an opposite of this, a corporation hiring an army of writers to over-digest any idea and make it boring
and completely unwatchable.
That's what they did to their advertising effort, organizing an in-house "agency" of 1000
unable to create any fresh advertising. Good luck

 

[drewyboy]

I love how people think just because Apple has a lot of money somewhere that they can just buy Netflix or Disney. Yeah... because it's THAT easy.