Apple TV App not working at all, looking for advice

I feel like I'm losing my mind with this app. I foolishly started an Apple TV subscription a few days ago, and everything was working fine up until today, and now nothing will play. I have tried all of the troubleshooting I can think of, I've cleared the cache, uninstalled and reinstalled the app, I've reset the app multiple times, I've downloaded the app onto my phone to try casting from my phone to my TV. I have a smart TV, but it's not an Apple TV, is that the issue? It seems ridiculous that an app would be so exclusive as to not allow people to even stream it if they don't have an Apple TV. I'm about ready to cancel my membership and entirely, but I of course started the incredible show Widow's Bay, and would really love to finish it! Based on reviews that I've read from my Google Play app store of the Apple TV app, it seems like overall generally negative for views about the functionality of the app. Any insight is greatly appreciated!