Apple TV’s Trending New Crime Thriller Series Is One Of Its Most Ambitious

Published Jul 30, 2026, 12:30 PM EDT Liz Hersey is an Editor and Critic for ScreenRant's TV team, editing, reviewing, writing, and creating content about the iconic shows you love to watch. She began her editing career at ScreenRant in 2019, shortly after joining the site as a Writer that same year. With a passion for all things books, Liz frequently attends Toronto literary events and conferences, and loves interacting with her book lover community. In addition to being an avid reader of the romance and thriller genres, Liz is a writer of several short stories, and is currently at work on a young adult witch novel. When she's not working, reading, or writing, Liz can be found seeing movies at her local cinema, attending live jazz events, or curling up on the couch to binge her favorite TV shows. You can reach her at liz.h@screenrant.com. Just four episodes in, Lucky is the crime thriller hit of the summer. Created by Jonathan Tropper and inspired by Marissa Stapley's 2021 novel of the same name, Lucky, which released its two-part premiere on Apple TV last week, marks Anya Taylor-Joy's triumphant return to television six years after The Queen's Gambit. In Lucky, she swaps out chess-playing skills for con artist savvy as the titular protagonist. As badass as she is, Lucky is in the unenviable position of being pursued by both the FBI and the dangerous criminals whose $10 million she stole with her husband, Cary (Drew Starkey), who has not only gone missing but taken the cash with him. What follows is an action-packed, state lines-crossing cat-and-mouse chase, only the mouse in this case happens to have nine lives. While not a total critical darling, the Apple TV series has still earned a respectable 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, with most of the pundits praising the show's "propulsive" nature — including myself in my Lucky review for ScreenRant. Audiences certainly agree, as Lucky has appeared on Apple TV's global top 10 list of most-watched shows every day since its premiere (via FlixPatrol). By the looks of things, neither the show's action nor its success will let up in Lucky's remaining three episodes. Lucky Is A 7-Episode Big-Budget Blockbuster Action Movie Lucky may be a small-screen story, but it's big in spectacle and easy to imagine some of the show's inventive and, in some cases, death-defying chase sequences getting an uproarious reaction if they were screened in a packed movie house. Whether it's evading both FBI Agent Billie Rand (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) and gangster enforcer Dutch (Clifton Collins Jr.) in a labyrinthine Vegas casino or escaping capture by two thugs twice her size who have her bound and locked in the trunk of a car, Lucky knows how to get herself out of a sticky situation in the most thrilling ways possible. The excitement doesn't let up either, as Lucky continues to top itself in each subsequent episode. The show has both style and substance in spades, with Lucky fleecing a designer outfit, purse, and luxury car from a ridiculously fancy children's birthday party being one of the coolest scenes on TV in recent memory. As much of a thrill ride as it is, Lucky isn't reinventing the wheel when it comes to the crime thriller genre. We've seen cool chase scenes and morally grey protagonists use their ill-begotten skill sets to escape danger before. However, the vast majority of these TV antiheroes are men, often with size and strength on their side, à la Alan Ritchson's Jack Reacher. Rarely do we get to see a woman in such roles, which is what makes Lucky such a breath of fresh, high-octane air. "How can someone so small cause so much trouble?" Dutch asks throughout the series. Thus far, it has been a blast watching Lucky answer that question. Will Lucky Get A Second Season? Even though Lucky has three remaining episodes, it's such a hit that inevitable questions of a second season have already arisen. Having made it from Nevada to California, it feels like Lucky could slip Priscilla (Annette Bening) and Rand's grasp across the entirety of the United States. Plus, earlier this year, Stapley announced that she was writing a sequel novel to Lucky, set for release in summer 2027 (via Cosmopolitan). This would mean that a potential Lucky season 2 would have source material, which is a boon for adaptations, as most shows that extend past their literary stories, like Game of Thrones, Big Little Lies, and The Handmaid's Tale, often suffer for it. Unfortunately, just because there's a second Lucky book in the works doesn't guarantee a second season of the Apple TV series. ScreenRant's Ash Crossan interviewed Lucky's executive producers about a second season, with EP Lauren Neustader revealing that the show "was always architected" to be a limited series. Tropper added that Lucky was able to cast A-list talent like Taylor-Joy, Bening, and Timothy Olyphant precisely because it's a "one and done" show, and the actors' busy schedules would likely prevent them from coming back for more. New Lucky episodes are released weekly on Wednesdays on Apple TV, with the finale airing on August 19, 2026. This may be for the best because Lucky's masterfully taut storytelling is a big part of its appeal, and expanding a world like that is always risky. However, the classic "never say never" tease came up in the interview, so don't totally write off Lucky season 2 yet. After all, she's full of surprises. Release Date July 14, 2026 Network Apple TV Showrunner Jonathan Tropper, Cassie Pappas, Jonathan van Tulleken Cast Luciana 'Lucky' Armstrong Directors Greg Yaitanes Writers Ariel Levine Creator(s) Jonathan Tropper