Small Prophets on Apple TV+ review: slow, odd, and the one viewers keep calling comforting

Official platform artwork used as the hero image.

Small Prophets is the new show from Mackenzie Crook, the man behind Detectorists. It landed on Apple TV+ on October 7 after airing on the BBC in February. It is six episodes. A man who works at a DIY store finds an old recipe for brewing homunculi, tiny creatures that can tell the future. He wants one answer from them: will his missing girlfriend come back? Michael Palin co-stars.

That sounds like a strange pitch. The people watching it do not seem to care. They keep using the same word for it: comforting.

What viewers are actually saying

We read the reactions on X and Reddit before scoring this. Around ten people on X recommended it without being asked, in more than one language. We did not find a single negative post there.

• @Gatimo on X (Oct 22): “Small Prophets | tv Series is fantastic, unique and comforting.”
• @PoojaKrish06 on X (Oct 21): “only when I thought small prophets is a good show, it gets even better… episode 4 was all love.”
• A viewer on r/television (Sep 8): “It was such a charming, wistful, delightfully silly show. I adored it.”

The Reddit threads on r/BritishTV, r/television and r/televisionsuggestions say much the same. People call it brilliant. Some say it is already a comfort rewatch. The most common complaint is that they wanted more episodes. Detectorists fans keep recommending it in threads that have nothing to do with it.

The public scores line up with that. IMDb has it at 8.1 from about 8,800 votes. TMDb also has it at 8.1. Rotten Tomatoes' audience score is 94%.

Why it works

The magic part is small. The show is really about a man who has been stuck for years and is trying something ridiculous to get unstuck. The homunculi are funny. The grief underneath them is real. Crook keeps both in the same scene without making a speech about it.

It also helps that it is short. Six episodes is enough to land the story without stretching it. And Apple TV+ has already renewed it for a second season, so it does not end on a dead end.

The honest caveat

The viewers who like it are also clear about the catch. It is slow. The humour is deadpan. A lot of scenes are just people talking in sheds and kitchens. If you are not into that style within the first episode, it will not suddenly change on you.

The fantasy is light too. If you hear “homunculi” and expect a creature show with effects and lore, you will be disappointed.

Bottom line

If you want something kind and a bit strange to watch at the end of a long week, Small Prophets is an easy yes. The audience reaction is unusually consistent, and the people who love it say they want to watch it again.

The independent MyMovieJam score is 8.8 / 10. We recommend it strongly. The only real warning is the pace.