Tim Cook walked into his final Apple TV premiere as chief executive on July 27, 2026, wearing a navy suit, an unbuttoned white shirt, and a Believe pin. So did the man replacing him. Deadline

John Ternus, Apple's SVP of Hardware Engineering, takes over as CEO on September 1. The Ted Lasso Season 4 red carpet at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles was his first Apple TV premiere since the succession was announced. Cook announced his planned departure in April 2026 after 15 years in the role; Apple's official press release confirmed Cook will move to executive chairman and Ternus will become CEO. Apple Newsroom, April 20, 2026

The matching outfits were not the only symmetry. Cook told Deadline he had been praying for Ted Lasso to return but said he did not use his position to influence Jason Sudeikis's decision. The show, Apple TV+'s first global hit, had initially concluded after a three-season arc before being revived for a fourth. The first two episodes screened at the premiere. Cook said he chose not to watch them early, preferring to see them with the rest of the audience. He watched Season 3 on Apple Vision Pro and said he would do the same for Season 4.

Ternus described himself as a Ted Lasso fan and praised the show's message of optimism and belief. On the red carpet, he told Reuters he was committed to building on Apple's progress in film and television. Reuters, July 28, 2026 Cook, in a separate interview, said of his successor: "He is ready to be a first-class CEO." Yahoo Finance, July 28, 2026

The premiere came on the heels of Apple stock closing at a record high the Monday before, and a record 89 Emmy nominations for Apple TV+ — a new high for the service. Six of those nominations landed in the top series categories: Pluribus, Your Friends & Neighbors, Slow Horses, Shrinking, Widow's Bay, and Margo's Got Money Problems. Deadline

Apple TV+ launched on November 1, 2019, during Cook's tenure. Ted Lasso became the service's breakthrough title. A show about an American football coach managing a London football club — the kind of premise that lives or dies on charm — turned into the property Apple built its streaming identity around.

Cook was also scheduled to host his 90th and final earnings call before the transition. At the premiere, he and Ternus sat alongside Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, Apple's Heads of Worldwide Video, the executives responsible for the service's original programming slate.

The handover is weeks away. The show that helped define Apple TV+ is back for a new season. And the two men sat side by side in the same suits, watching the same episodes at the same time, wearing the same word on their lapels.