Apple’s entrepreneurial series Underdogs is back with a fresh dose of humour and brand storytelling. The tech giant has released an eight-minute episode titled BSOD, inspired by last year’s global CrowdStrike outage that affected Windows PCs worldwide. The episode was developed by Apple’s in-house team and directed by Bertie Ellwood of Object & Animal.
In this latest instalment, the scrappy start-up team at Apple’s fictional packaging company faces chaos at a trade show when rival exhibitors’ PC setups crash, plagued by the infamous “blue screen of death.” The Underdogs, meanwhile, remain unflustered, relying on their Macs — whose isolated security routines ensure the team keeps the show running. A tongue-in-cheek FaceTime cameo from the resident IT expert highlights this distinction.
The series, now in its eighth episode, has become a cornerstone of Apple’s brand storytelling. It chronicles the team’s quirky entrepreneurial journey as they pitch clients, design new products, navigate remote work, quit their jobs, and even stage daring rescues across New York. The franchise has previously garnered critical acclaim, including a Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix in 2022.
While last year’s Thailand-set episode faced backlash for cultural insensitivity and was subsequently pulled, Underdogs continues to blend humour with Apple’s product narrative, turning real-world tech glitches into creative marketing opportunities. With BSOD, Apple reinforces its message: even under pressure, Macs stay reliable.
