When Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg relocated to Apple in 2017 after more than 15 years at Sony Pictures Television, the first thing they did was set up a whirlwind series of meetings with writers, talent agencies and studios.  In their first extensive interview as heads of Apple TV Plus, Erlicht and Van Amburg provide Variety with a brief overview of the process of building Apple’s bold video venture from scratch.

Van Amburg noted for the Variety report that "This has been more than two years in the making.  We’ve all been working so hard to do the best work of our lives. We’re anxious to begin to share that."

Apple TV+ is a different animal from its major streaming competitors in that it does not come with a deep library of content. For $4.99 a month, subscribers will be able to count on at least one fresh series or original movie per month at the start. 

The Apple TV+ service is just one component of Apple's TV strategy, but there’s no doubt Apple’s effort will be defined by the response to the first slate of shows that carry the Apple imprimatur.

Leading off the inaugural lineup of four scripted series is "The Morning Show," the high-wattage drama starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell that’s set behind the scenes of an a.m. TV news franchise in turmoil.

Jamie Erlicht lets us in a little secret: "What I’m most excited about is that the world is going to be able to see what we’ve been doing. And they’re going to see a user interface that will change the way the consumer watches video. It’s a real experience."

Apple has a history of creating new interfaces on devices that are revolutionary and so the hint that a new one was designed specifically for Apple TV+ no doubt caught my attention. This was a twist that I wasn't expecting and it probably explains why we haven't been able to sign up for Apple TV+ before it launches on Friday. If it pans out, the new interface just might be the story to kick off November with style.

In the end Erlicht said that Apple TV+ will have a bigger slate in the first year than we thought we would, and we will be bigger in year two than year one. For more on this story, read the full Variety report.