Lucky

With a record number of 89 Emmy nominations across its productions, Apple TV+ has officially joined the top tier of premium content providers. Its latest release, Lucky, continues the platform’s strategy of combining acclaimed source material with high-profile talent.

The Marissa Stapley novel upon which the show is based was featured in Reese Witherspoon’s book club before her production company, Hello Sunshine, acquired the rights and went on to produce the adaptation. Anya Taylor-Joy plays the titular lead and also serves as executive producer.

After pulling off a $10 million heist with her husband (Queer’s Drew Starkey), Lucky awakens alone in their Las Vegas hotel room – with no sign of him or the money. As the police close in, she also finds herself targeted by a dangerous group of organised criminals determined to recover what was stolen.

The series starts off with a burst of action, but those sequences remain somewhat restricted and lack the visual flair needed to grip viewers from the first second or make a lasting impression. Names and references are dropped as if they should carry immediate weight, but without context, they mean nothing to the viewer. Once the series takes its foot off the accelerator and establishes the corresponding backstory, the narrative starts to gain traction. Scenes focusing on its characters beyond their baser fight-or-flight instincts prove more intriguing than brute action, in particular when it comes to Lucky’s clever scheming. Flashbacks reveal that her father (Timothy Olyphant) groomed her from an early age to become the perfect criminal – training her to identify possible angles and people’s soft spots in any situation.

Viewers may be startled by her seemingly endless streak of luck (the likely source of her name) that continually allows her to evade capture despite sporting conspicuous pink crop tops and hiding behind slatted fences. The necessary suspension of disbelief is further required to accept the FBI’s short-sighted approach of launching a nationwide pursuit, always two steps behind, instead of trying to anticipate her next moves. While undoubtedly more highbrow than Amazon Prime’s 56 Days, Lucky falls into the same trap of dividing screen time between a sexy young couple’s criminal exploits and the law enforcement efforts to stop them, when one is clearly more engaging. Nevertheless, the sheer talent within the supporting cast (also featuring Annette Bening and William Fichtner) keeps audiences sufficiently engaged and on their toes.

Although Lucky takes time to find its footing rather than arriving with the desired bang, it ultimately proves worth the investment for anyone interested in character-driven crime narratives and morally ambiguous female protagonists.

Selina Sondermann

Lucky is released on Apple TV+ on 15^th July 2026.

Watch the trailer for Lucky here: