Summary

• A24’s
  Sunny
  is a successful sci-fi thriller and dark comedy that balances multiple genres as it explores grief and loss.
• A24’s recent TV shows, like
  Sunny
  , continue the trend of certified fresh Rotten Tomatoes scores.
• From
  Euphoria
  to
  Beef
  , A24 has cemented its place in the television industry too.

Sunny, Apple TV+ latest sci-fi thriller, continues an impressive Rotten Tomatoes trend for beloved entertainment company A24. Founded in 2012 by film vets Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, and John Hodges, the independent production and distribution banner is perhaps the most well-known for its films. Bolstered by genre-spanning hits, like Alex Garland’s sci-fi psychological thriller Ex Machina and Robert Eggers’ folk horror film The Witch, A24 helped renew mainstream movie-goers’ interest in indie and arthouse-style films. Since then, the company has backed projects with cult-like followings as well as groundbreaking Oscar winners.

For many cinephiles, A24 has become synonymous with quality — no matter the genre. As of 2024, the company’s catalog includes a wide range of movies, from the Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once and Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, to Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird and Ari Aster’s Midsommar. Although A24’s list of projects is pretty eclectic, many of the movies and TV shows under its banner are mind-bending, psychological thrillers or heightened genre fare that explores trauma and grief. Sunny, Apple TV+’s sci-fi show with 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, is no exception.

A24’s Sunny Is Apple TV+’s Latest Sci-Fi Thriller Success

Rashida Jones’ Sunny Is Also A Searing Dark Comedy About Grief

Based on Colin O’Sullivan’s novel The Dark Manual, A24’s Sunny juggles several genres and tones across its 10-episode first season. There are definitely sci-fi elements that make the world feel like a slightly different version of our own, but a core mystery propels the plot along, giving Sunny shades of a thriller. However, the series is also a dark comedy that takes a more cynical approach to the typical slice-of-life movie about loss and grief. Sunny‘s cast of characters is led by Suzie Sakamoto (Rashida Jones), a misanthropic American woman living in Kyoto, Japan.

This discovery sends the often-harsh, not-so-great-at-grieving Suzie on a thrilling investigation into Masa’s secrets.

In the show’s pilot, Suzie learns that her husband, Masa (Hidetoshi Nishijima), and young son were involved in a tragic plane crash. While Suzie’s mother-in-law, Noriko (Judy Ongg), holds out hope that her family is still alive, Suzie is more of a realist. Soon enough, Suzie receives a domestic robot, Sunny (Joanna Sotomura), from her husband’s robotics company as a kind of condolence. Allegedly, Masa programmed Sunny for Suzie, even though he worked in the refrigeration department. This discovery sends the often-harsh, not-so-great-at-grieving Suzie on a thrilling investigation into Sunny and Masa’s past.

From Euphoria to Beef, A24 Has An Impressive TV Track Record

A24’s TV Shows Are Just As Acclaimed As Its Films

This year alone, A24’s best movies have also been some of the film industry’s biggest commercial and critical successes, including Civil War, I Saw the TV Glow, Love Lies Bleeding, Tuesday, MaXXXine, and the stirring Colman Domingo-led Sing Sing, among others. But A24 also boasts an impressive track record when it comes to producing hit TV series. From its first stabs at television — Playing House, Random Acts of Flyness — to the programs that cemented the company’s place in the TV landscape — Ramy, Euphoria — A24 has perfectly grafted its film sensibilities onto another medium.

Almost All Of A24’s TV Series Have Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes Scores

A24 Has Very Few “Rotten” Shows

Recently, all the A24-produced TV releases have been hits with critics and audiences alike. Shows like Sunny, The Sympathizer, Such Brave Girls, and Hazbin Hotel continue the trend set by a string of recent successes, including Dreaming Whilst Black, Survival of the Thickest, The Curse, and, of course, the multi-Emmy-winning hit Beef. In fact, A24’s Rotten Tomatoes track record boasts just two rotten TV shows — the misfire Moonbase 8 and the truly awful The Idol. It’s an impressive pattern of television success, and it’s exciting to see Rashida Jones’ Sunny carry on A24‘s near-spotless showing.

New episodes of Sunny air on Wednesdays through September 4, 2024, on Apple TV+.