Steven Spielberg's Reboot Of 45-Episode Sci-Fi Classic Deserves Another Look

Published Oct 12, 2026, 9:30 PM EDT

Memory Ngulube joined Screen Rant in April 2024 as part of the Movies and TV team. Since then, she has written for the Perennials and Streaming team, covering a wide range of topics from new releases to old movies and TV shows. Memory is currently a Classic TV writer. 

Before joining Screen Rant, Memory was a freelance copywriter who specialized in email marketing and social media management. While she enjoyed her job, her true passion was always movies and TV.

When she isn’t writing for Screen Rant, Memory can be found reading, baking (which is one of her passions), or watching her favorite K-drama.

Steven Spielberg is one of the most renowned filmmakers of our time with some of Hollywood's best blockbuster movies, including E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, and Minority Report, while films such as Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, and The Fabelmans demonstrate his ability to move between different genres. Though Spielberg's greatest movies are what put him on the map, the famous director, writer, and producer has also created some TV shows that have seen varying levels of success. Band of Brothers, for instance, was a critical and audience darling, while Falling Skies received mixed reviews.

In 1985, Spielberg was at the helm of an extraordinary series, Amazing Stories, a TV show that proved the director had a knack for telling intriguing sci-fi stories. Thirty-five years after the debut of the beloved sci-fi anthology, Apple TV sought to recreate the show’s magic with the reboot of Spielberg’s classic series.

Apple TV is currently the destination for prestige science fiction series, but not every one of the streamer’s shows in the genre has become successful or popular, particularly its Amazing Stories reboot. Amazing Stories’ mixed critical reception and low viewership numbers did not do it any favors, as Apple TV decided to cancel it after its five-episode debut season. However, the anthology series deserved better, despite criticisms, like the stories lacking some of the original show’s spark, being valid.

Spielberg's Amazing Stories Is Based On The Sci-Fi Anthology From The '80s

Apple TV’s library now boasts several great science fiction TV shows, but that wasn’t always the case. In 2020, the streaming platform commissioned a reboot of Spielberg’s Amazing Stories. Seeing as the director already had a great reputation and was well-known, it makes sense that Apple TV wanted a series created or produced by Spielberg. Unfortunately, Amazing Stories did not become the smashing success that the streaming platform hoped a series with Spielberg's name attached to it would be. In fact, the show currently holds a disappointing 41% rating on the Tomatometer and a 52% Popcornmeter score.

Apple’s reboot of Amazing Stories paled in comparison to the original show, which is still revered even to this day. It’s only natural to wonder what went wrong with the reboot, especially because Spielberg was one of the producers. Of course, that’s not to say that Amazing Stories is a complete flop; it does have really cool episodes that are easy to enjoy. However, the original TV show is far better, mostly because it was released during a time when that kind of fantasy and sci-fi wasn't common.

Why Apple TV Should Bring Back More Episodes Of Spielberg's Amazing Stories

The original Amazing Stories had 45 episodes, but Apple TV’s reboot only has five. With its poor reception, Apple TV, which at the time was trying to find its footing, axed the series. Of course, it's not surprising that the show had a lukewarm reception because reboots of beloved series tend to be more scrutinized compared to new stories. That being said, Apple’s Amazing Stories deserved to run for a longer period, more so because it had a lot more to give.

The beauty of TV's best anthology series of recent years is that they can cover a wide variety of topics in a single season, as they are not encumbered by a serialized format. With Spielberg releasing Disclosure Day earlier this year, there are more eyes on his filmography, and audiences are looking back to the forgotten reboot of Amazing Stories, which is slowly rising in popularity again.

Apple TV's reputation for creating magnificent science fiction TV shows is at an all-time high, so audiences will undoubtedly tune in to see what more the streaming platform has to offer, a far cry from 2020, when Amazing Stories premiered. Though Disclosure Day had a mixed reception, Spielberg proved with the movie that there is a reason he is so respected in the entertainment industry, which makes the time ripe for him to continue the canceled sci-fi show and bring his ideas to the small screen once again.