âDickinsonâ Is an Offbeat Literary Origin Story, Written in Fire In the eerie, gleefully absurdist second season, the young poet ponders whether itâs better to be Nobody. The new season of âDickinson,â with Hailee Steinfeld, retains the showâs humor but is overall more serious and spooky.Credit...Apple TV+ Jan. 7, 2021 In 2019 the new streaming service Apple TV+ released a trailer for âDickinson,â which framed the story of the enigmatic 19th-century American poet as a contemporary young-adult melodrama, complete with power ballad soundtrack and conspicuous employment of the honorific âDude.â The series looked ridiculous. Naturally, I had to watch it.