Apple TV Plus is offering certain content for free in the face of social isolation

Apple TV Plus is offering some of its content without a subscription as people around the country shelter in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The service, which normally costs $4.99 a month, is offering a handful of its original TV series, kids shows, and a single documentary for free.

The documentary in question is The Elephant Queen, a wildlife show narrated by Chiwetel Eljiofor. The other available shows are Dickinson, the very modern take on the life of Emily Dickinson starring Hailee Steinfeld; Little America, Lee Eisenberg and Kumail Nanjiani's series about immigrant life in the US; Servant, an M. Night Shymalan thriller; For All Mankind, an alternative history drama; Helpsters, a preschool show from the people behind Sesame Street; and reboot of Ghostwriter; and Snoopy in Space.

These Apple TV Plus originals are currently available for free for US viewers, and will roll out to 100 other countries and regions starting Friday, April 10. It's nice to see Apple TV join other streaming platforms like HBO and AMC who are offering their content for free in the face of the pandemic (although I, personally, would have liked to see game dev show Mythic Quest thrown into Apple's free bundle). It's worth noting that HBO's free content is only available to American viewers, while Apple TV Plus is extending the favor worldwide.

While the spread of COVID-19 has delayed the release of some highly-anticipated movies and TV shows, the entertainment industry has gotten creative with new releases. For example: Trolls World Tour, starring Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake, is going to be released on streaming services instead of in theaters.

In video game news, here's the many ways the video game industry is helping coronavirus relief efforts.

Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar+ and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.