Thu Oct 22 2026, 09:06 PM EDT · 1 minute read

'Servant' is a dramatic thriller series on Apple TV

There's no twist ending for M. Nigh Shyamalan's day in court, as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has maintained the ruling that Apple TV 's "Servant" series did not copy a film titled "The Truth About Emanuel."

A lawsuit brought on by filmmaker Francesca Gregorini in January 2020 accused the creators of Servant of plagiarizing her film. The case was initially dismissed , but was then brought back to trial by jury, which ruled in favor of Apple.

Gregorini appealed the decision, but according to a report from Reuters , the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the challenge. While both The Truth About Emanuel and Servant are both about a mother grieving the death of their child and becoming attached to a doll, that's where the similarities end.

The jury determined as much after viewing both the film and the first three episodes of the Apple TV series. M.…