Wade through the interface of Apple TV+, and you are pretty much bound to find one or two shows you’ve never heard of. In its relatively short six-year life cycle, the streamer has amassed an impressive library of titles featuring big name A-list actors and lush production values that you probably haven’t heard of at all. “Hello Tomorrow” starring Billy Crudup? “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey” starring Samuel L. Jackson? “Mr. Corman” starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt? These are shows that, for all intents and purposes, may as well have never actually existed.

Why does the Apple streamer have so many shows that feel vaguely as if they were made to be fake TV shows playing in the background of a movie? While the money Apple pours into their programs is readily abundant onscreen, that doesn’t always translate into amazing marketing. A lot of these series receive the bare minimum in promotion,...