Apple Officially Orders 'Are You Sleeping' Drama Series Starring Octavia Spencer

Apple has given a series order for 10 episodes of "Are You Sleeping," a drama series that will star Octavia Spencer, who is known for her work in movies that include "Hidden Figures," "The Help," "Gifted," and "The Shape of Water."

News of Apple's work on "Are You Sleeping" first surfaced in January, but now Variety says the company has decided to move forward with production on the show.

octaviabutler

Image of Octavia Spencer via Variety

"Are You Sleeping" is based on a novel by Kathleen Barber, which has been described as a psychological thriller. The book focuses on a podcast that reopens a murder case, similar to the popular "Serial" podcast that led to a new trial for Adnan Syed, in jail for allegedly murdering a former girlfriend. Sarah Koenig, who created and produced "Serial," will consult on "Are You Sleeping."

The novel the TV show is based on explores how the reopening of the murder case impacts the victim's daughter and disrupts her life, and it's likely the TV show will follow a similar plot.

"Are You Sleeping" was written by Nichelle Tramble Spellman, and the series will be produced by Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine and Chernin Entertainment/Endeavor Content.

Apple is also working with Reese Witherspoon's production company on an as of yet untitled "morning show drama" that takes a look into the cutthroat would of morning TV.

Apple now has more than a dozen television shows in the works, with a full list of what's on the horizon available in the original content section of our Apple TV roundup.

It's not yet known when the first of Apple's TV shows will debut nor how they'll be distributed, but rumors have suggested we could see the first fruits of Apple's efforts in 2019.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
macOS Tahoe 26 Thumb

Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.2 With Edge Light

Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1. Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...

Top Rated Comments

Nunyabinez Avatar
99 months ago
"Are you sleeping" The tragic story of how Tim Cook fell asleep at the Mac wheel and drove it into a ditch.
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
trip1ex Avatar
99 months ago
I think apple’s foray into video will make me puke.

I imagine it all as super safe super pc very beautifully shot saccharine tv.

I hope I am wrong.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PBG4 Dude Avatar
99 months ago
So I’m guessing this is why we can’t have nice routers anymore.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Diamond Dog Avatar
99 months ago
I don't know of anybody who's asking for this.

Octavia Spencer isn't a great actress. Unfunny and just loud.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
idunn Avatar
99 months ago
Where is the Mac Pro?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
scottcampbell Avatar
99 months ago
Exactly what the MacRumors readerbase has been clamoring for!
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)