When Apple TV+ launched, everyone was looking for that one "killer app" show. Steven Spielberg’s name carries a lot of weight, so when it was announced he’d be reviving his 1980s cult classic, expectations hit the ceiling. People wanted Black Mirror but with a soul. Or maybe they wanted The Twilight Zone but with a billion-dollar budget. What we got with Amazing Stories season 1 was something a bit more divisive, a bit more nostalgic, and honestly, a lot more earnest than most modern TV.
It didn’t try to be cynical. That was the big shock.
Most anthology series these days feel like they’re trying to ruin your week with a bleak twist. Spielberg and showrunners Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz took a different path. They leaned into wonder. If you go back and watch it now, away from the 2020 launch hype, the five episodes feel less like "prestige TV" and more like those big-hearted 80s movies we all grew up on.
The Rough Start and the "Cellar Door" Magic
The first episode, "The Cellar Door," is probably the most talked-about part of the season. It stars Dylan O'Brien and Victoria Pedretti. It’s a time-travel romance. Simple. A guy is fixing up an old house, finds a portal in the basement, and ends up in 1919.
He falls in love.
Most critics at the time felt it was too sweet. Too "Amblin." But looking back, O'Brien’s performance is grounded in a way that makes the high-concept sci-fi feel tactile. It’s about the grief of losing someone you haven’t even met yet. That’s a heavy concept for a show that many dismissed as "family-friendly fluff." The production design alone—switching between the modern, dusty restoration site and the vibrant, candle-lit world of the past—shows where that Apple budget went.
There’s this specific texture to the cinematography. It’s warm. It’s inviting. It’s the polar opposite of the cold, blue-tinted digital look of most streaming sci-fi.
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Was the anthology format a mistake?
Anthologies are hard. You’re essentially making a pilot every single week. You have to establish characters, a world, a set of rules, and a satisfying emotional payoff in 50 minutes. Most shows fail at this. Amazing Stories season 1 struggled with consistency, which is the standard "anthology curse."
You might love the superhero-tinged "Dynoman and the Volt!!" because it features the late, great Robert Forster in one of his final roles. It’s a story about a grandfather and grandson finding common ground through a comic book ring that actually works. It’s cheesy. It’s also incredibly moving if you’ve ever had a complicated relationship with an aging parent or grandparent.
Then you have "Signs of Life," which feels like a total departure. It’s more of a medical mystery/thriller. A woman wakes up from a coma after years, but she isn't herself. It’s tenser. It’s darker. This lack of a unified "vibe" is why some viewers tuned out, but it’s also exactly what a true anthology is supposed to do. It’s a grab bag.
Why the critics got it wrong about the Spielberg influence
There was a lot of noise about Steven Spielberg’s actual involvement. He’s an executive producer. He didn’t direct any of these. People felt cheated, which is a bit silly if you know how TV production works. Spielberg’s DNA is all over the tone, even if he wasn’t behind the camera calling "action."
The show explores "The Big Idea."
- What if a ghost could help you solve your own murder?
- What if you could fly, but only if you felt enough joy?
- What if the past wasn't actually behind us?
Critics wanted "The Twilight Zone." They wanted Rod Serling pointing out the flaws in the human psyche. Spielberg has always been more interested in the potential of the human spirit. Amazing Stories season 1 is about wonder, not dread. In a world where the news is a constant stream of anxiety, there’s something brave about making a show that is unironically hopeful.
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A Breakdown of the Best Moments
Let's talk about "The Rift." This was arguably the strongest episode for hard sci-fi fans. A WWII pilot crashes in modern-day Ohio. The military wants him. A single mom and her son want to save him. It’s a classic "man out of time" trope, but it works because it focuses on the internal logic of the characters rather than just the spectacle of the plane crash.
Austin Stowell plays the pilot with this stiff-upper-lip confusion that feels authentic to the 1940s. Edward Burns directed it, and you can see his influence in how the family dynamics feel lived-in and messy. It’s not a "perfect" family. They’re struggling. That groundedness makes the sci-fi element—the literal rift in the sky—feel much more dangerous.
Then there’s "The Heat," written by Chinaka Hodge. This one followed two best friends, track stars, one of whom dies and returns as a ghost. It’s a story about the Black experience, grief, and the unfinished business of youth. It felt the most modern of the bunch. It didn't rely on gadgets or portals; it relied on the raw emotion of a girl trying to say goodbye to her best friend.
It’s these small, character-driven moments that define the season.
The Technical Side of Amazing Stories Season 1
If you're a gearhead or a cinephile, this show is a masterclass in high-end television production. Apple poured millions into each episode. The visual effects in "Dynoman and the Volt!!" aren't just "good for TV"—they’re cinematic. The way the lightning crackles around the ring looks like something out of a Marvel feature.
But it’s the sound design that really kills.
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The score for each episode was handled by different composers, including legends like Noah Itman and Harry Gregson-Williams. They didn't just reuse a theme. They built an auditory world for every story. If you listen with a good pair of headphones, the atmospheric noises—the ticking of the clock in "The Cellar Door" or the rushing wind in "The Rift"—create a sense of immersion that most shows ignore.
What we can learn from the show’s legacy
It’s been a few years since the first season dropped. There hasn't been a season 2. In the current streaming climate, if a show doesn't become a global phenomenon in 48 hours, it's often left to gather digital dust.
That’s a shame.
Amazing Stories season 1 serves as a reminder that there is a place for "sincere" television. We don't always need to be deconstructing the hero's journey or subverting expectations with a grim-dark twist. Sometimes, we just want to be told a bedtime story with a big budget.
The show faced stiff competition. It came out around the same time as the Twilight Zone reboot hosted by Jordan Peele. While Peele’s version was intellectual and social-justice focused, Spielberg’s was emotional and nostalgic. Audiences seemed torn. But if you look at the audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes versus the critic scores, there's a clear gap. People liked it. They liked the warmth.
Actionable Takeaways for the Modern Viewer
If you haven't seen it yet, or if you skipped it because the reviews were lukewarm, here is how to actually enjoy it:
- Don't binge it. This is the biggest mistake people make with anthologies. These episodes aren't meant to be consumed back-to-back. They have different tones and different emotional weights. Watch one. Let it sit. Wait a day.
- Start with "The Cellar Door." It is the gold standard for what the show was trying to achieve. If you don't like that one, you probably won't like the rest.
- Appreciate the guest stars. Robert Forster, Kerry Bishé, Dylan O'Brien—the casting is top-tier. These aren't just "TV actors"; these are performers giving movie-quality turns in a condensed format.
- Look for the "Easter Eggs." There are subtle nods to the original 80s series and other Spielberg projects hidden in the production design. It’s a love letter to a specific era of filmmaking.
The reality of Amazing Stories season 1 is that it wasn't trying to change the world. It was trying to give you an hour of escape. In an era of "prestige" stress-watching, that's actually a pretty amazing thing to do. It reminds us that the best stories aren't always the ones that shock us, but the ones that make us feel a little less alone in a big, weird universe.
To get the most out of your viewing experience, approach it like a short story collection rather than a serialized drama. Focus on the craft of the individual episodes, specifically "The Rift" and "The Cellar Door," which represent the peak of what high-budget anthology television can be. If you're looking for a deep dive into how these stories were built, check out the behind-the-scenes features on the Apple TV+ interface; they provide a genuine look at how the practical effects were balanced with CGI to maintain that classic Spielbergian aesthetic.