'Amazing Stories' Apple TV+ Release Date, Trailer, Plot for Spielberg Show
Another thrilling genre anthology series gets a revival.
Steven Spielberg has a new television series coming to Apple TV+ called Amazing Stories, but it’s actually a reboot of a classic series Spielberg himself created in the 1980s. So rather than a “new” series or even a reboot, this situation more closely resembles what happened to Doctor Who, which went off the air in 1989 and then was revived in 2005.
On Monday, Apple offered more details about this and other new television series coming to its standalone streaming service, newly titled Apple TV+. Amazing Stories is an anthology that drifts between fantasy, horror, and science fiction akin to newer shows like Black Mirror, but its format is near identical to The Twilight Zone (which is also getting its own revival on CBS All Access this year).
According to a press release from Universal TV and Amblin Television, Amazing Stories “will transport the audience to worlds of wonder through the lens of today’s most imaginative filmmakers, directors and writers.” Once Upon A Time’s Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz will serve as showrunners with Spielberg, Edward Kitsis, and Adam Horowitz as producers. But the cast and crew of individual stories will change episode-to-episode.
Here’s everything we know about Amazing Stories.
In "Remote Control Man," a man buys a remote control that brings characters out of the TV.
What Was the Original Amazing Stories About?
The original Amazing Stories ran in the mid-‘80s on NBC, and it was named after the science fiction magazine of the same name created by Hugo Gernsback in April 1926. Despite winning five Emmy awards and picking up a total of 12 nominations, Amazing Stories was cancelled after only two seasons with a total of 45 episodes.
Stories varied wildly in genre, topic, and themes. Some are frightening, like the episode in which a bald man gets a hairpiece that drives him to murder a lawyer. Others are funny, like when Santa Claus is arrested on Christmas Eve. Each episode has a self-contained 30-minute story that almost always involves a science fiction or fantasy premise.
The show was also renowned for showcasing the talents of a wide variety of famous actors, directors, and writers.
Steven Spielberg during the Apple livestream event on March 25, 2019.
What Is the Plot of Amazing Stories?
Apple TV+’s Amazing Stories revival should follow the original series’ approach of anthological storytelling, so there won’t be a continuous serialized plot of any kind. Each story will be totally unique.
Some rumors claim the new series will reimagine original versions for a modern-day audience. Even if that’s not the case, the show as a whole will definitely reflect more contemporary fears and technologies.
When Is the Amazing Stories Release Date?
There’s no official release date announced just yet for the series, but it seems possible that it might be the flagship launch series when Apple TV+ goes live this fall.
Local newspapers in Georgia reported that Amazing Stories production was actively shooting there in November 2018, and production was most recently spotted in Atlanta in January 2019.
Is There a Trailer Yet for Amazing Stories?
Not yet, but you can probably catch a few moments from the newly revived series in the montage of clips Apple released (embedded at the top of this page).
Who’s in the Amazing Stories Cast?
In December 2018, Deadline reported that Edward Burns was starring in and executive producing an episode. He’ll play a government agent, starring alongside Austin Stowell (Bridge of Spies) and Kerry Bishé (Halt and Catch Fire).
The show’s IMDb page lists a huge number of actors, each of which appear in only a single episode.
Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories series on Apple TV+ has no confirmed release date.
