Timothy Olyphant & Anya Taylor-Joy’s New Apple TV Thriller Debuts To Solid Rotten Tomatoes Score

Timothy Olyphant and Anya Taylor-Joy‘s new Apple TV thriller is bringing good fortune.

Both are some of Hollywood’s busiest actors, whether Olyphant’s The Adventures of Cliff Booth or Taylor-Joy’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Very soon, the two stars will collaborate for the first time together as a father-daughter pair in the upcoming Apple TV adaptation, Lucky. The project would also mark Taylor-Joy’s first television series in six years since her Emmy-winning series The Queen’s Gambit. Now, the first reviews of Lucky are starting to settle in.

Based on 45 reviews so far, Lucky has debuted to a solid 78% score on Rotten Tomatoes. While the rating could fluctuate over time, most critics agree that the new Apple TV series is a twisty, fast-paced crime heist anchored by phenomenal performances from the main cast. Even with the thrilling elements, the story’s core is elevated by an emotional dynamic between the father and daughter.

In ScreenRant‘s review of Lucky, Liz Hersey declares that the upcoming series “delivers an adrenaline-fueled, emotional gut-punch of a story in just seven taut, edge-of-your-seat episodes,” praising the cat-and-mouse games as “bloody, badass, and often fun.” While lauding Taylor-Joy’s performance as “a joy and heartbreaking to watch,” the story reaches its peak when “it’s a three-hander” between her, Annette Bening, and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor. Ultimately, the series was awarded a solid 9 out of 10 stars.

The solid Rotten Tomatoes score means that the two key stars will extend their hot streak. Since Olyphant’s starring role in 2004’s Deadwood, the Emmy-nominated actor has yet to have a series rated below 60%. In fact, his lowest-rated series was Netflix’s new series, Mating Season, which earned 71%.

Meanwhile, Taylor-Joy doesn’t have as many television projects as her co-star, but her four major series have also been certified fresh, including the critically acclaimed The Queen’s Gambit. However, Lucky would be considered her lowest-rated series in her television career, ranking just below the Netflix series, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, which earned 89%.

Based on Marissa Stapley’s bestselling novel, Lucky follows the titular con artist, whose million-dollar heist goes wrong, and she must escape from the FBI and a crime boss. The series was created by Jonathan Tropper (Banshee and Warrior), who is also a co-showrunner with Cassie Pappas. Both are also executive producers, alongside Reese Witherspoon, Lauren Neustadter, Taylor-Joy, and Jonathan Van Tulleken.

After its premiere on July 15, Lucky has already gained significant attention on Apple TV. With the first two episodes now available, the thriller adaptation quickly climbed to #1 on the streamer’s top 10 charts before being overtaken the following day by Silo, which is also airing new season 3 episodes weekly. Meanwhile, Taylor-Joy’s sci-fi movie, The Gorge, also rose to #3.

Although the critical response was positive, the viewers weren’t as receptive. The audience score is currently at 60%, but that’s based on fewer than 50 verified ratings. While the rating isn’t as strong, it’s worth noting that only two episodes are out, and the reaction may fluctuate between now and the show’s end in August.

Regardless of Lucky‘s streaming potential, the thriller series will likely remain a miniseries. While speaking with ScreenRant‘s Ash Crossan, Pappas and Tropper asserted that Lucky “was designed as a one-and-done,” with the latter elaborating that “we really wanted to make this a closed-ended story” and “didn’t draw up any plans or ideas for a sequel.” Neustadter doubled down on this expectation, saying that it is “definitely a limited series.“

The Apple TV thriller won’t be the only adaptation that Olyphant and Taylor-Joy will star in this year. Olyphant just recently starred in Peacock’s new drama series, The Four-Star Weekend, which premiered in early July and earned a strong 89%.

Taylor-Joy is set to reprise her role of Alia Atreides in Dune: Part Three, which is based on Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah. In addition, she will also portray a Sindar Elf in the upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which is based on appendices in Tolkien’s books.

Lucky will drop new episodes weekly until August 19.

Release Date

July 15, 2026

Network

Apple TV

Showrunner

Jonathan Tropper, Cassie Pappas, Jonathan van Tulleken

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