April promises to be an exciting month for streaming TV. Popular shows are returning this month for second seasons, including Apple TV+’s Schmigadoon! and The Afterparty, which return on April 7 and 28, respectively. Then there’s HBO’s Somebody Somewhere, which is back for season 2 on April 23. But there are exciting new shows premiering this month as well that are worth checking out.
Amazon Prime Video, for example, has an interesting gender-reversed version of David Cronenberg’s 1988 movie Dead Ringers, starring Rachel Weisz in the role previously portrayed by Jeremy Irons. Hulu, meanwhile, will see the premiere of Saint X starring Alycia Debnam-Carey (Fear the Walking Dead) on April 26 and the following day, HBO Max will premiere Love & Death starring Elizabeth Olsen as accused murdered Candy Montgomery. There’s a lot to watch this month and we’ve highlighted seven of the most intriguing options.
Tiny Beautiful Things (April 7)
Move over Carrie Bradshaw. Kathryn Hahn stars in this comedy-drama as Clare, a flailing writer who takes a job as an advice columnist. Based on the real-life story of Cheryl Strayed and her best-selling collection of the same name, the irony is that while Clare is doling out life advice to others, her own life is falling apart. Her marriage is in ruins, she faces challenges with her teenage daughter, and her past wounds are slowly coming to the surface.
But something beautiful happens. Clare manages to draw from her own troubles to develop a humorous, popular column that saves not only her readers but herself. She shares the lessons, those Tiny Beautiful Things, she has learned along the way and continues to learn day by day.
Stream Tiny Beautiful Things on Hulu.
The Last Thing He Told Me (April 14)
Jennifer Garner returns to the small screen as Hannah, a woman who forms a tight bond with her stepdaughter while searching for her recently missing husband. Accused of embezzling money, he leaves her a note before leaving, asking her to care of his teenage daughter, with whom she has never gotten along. As Hannah investigates further, she discovers she might not really have known her husband at all. His past is clearly filled with trauma and misdeeds.
The thriller is based on the Laura Dave novel of the same name and hails from Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine production company. As a miniseries, The Last Thing He Told Me should wrap up neatly with season 1. But if Witherspoon’s other projects like Big Little Lies are any indication, The Last Thing He Told Me could bear more fruit if it’s well received by critics and viewers.
Stream The Last Thing He Told Me on Apple TV+.
Barry (April 16)
Ending its successful run after this fourth and final season, Barry has taken many twists and turns through its exciting, multi-award-winning first three seasons. In a departure from his goofy Saturday Night Live personas, Bill Hader plays Barry Berkman, a career hitman re-evaluating his life choices who, through a series of random events, ends up in an acting class, taught by the inspiring Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler).
While Barry is reluctant at first, he finds a sense of self he never had with the “theater geeks” and tries to end his involvement in the criminal underworld. But this proves much easier said than done. As a dark comedy-drama, Barry wonderfully mixes terrifying scenarios with light-hearted, comedic moments.
Stream Barry on HBO Max.
Mrs. Davis (April 20)
Timely and relevant, Mrs. Davis stars Betty Gilpin (GLOW, Roar) as Simone, a nun who has taken on a battle with artificial intelligence (AI), which she believes poses a real threat to humanity. Mrs. Davis, the name of this omnipresent AI, has managed to garner a legion of loyal fans who will do its bidding. But Simone isn’t falling under its spell and promises to make the world better.
Mrs. Davis is unlike any other show, and its story of a street-savvy nun battling the tech world is an exciting and unusual twist that is sure to entice viewers. It’s also an interesting commentary about religion, the concept of worship, and, particularly in this day and age of the rise of AI chatbots, the idea of robots taking over the world.
Stream Mrs. Davis on Peacock.
Dead Ringers (April 21)
In yet another dual-role series, Rachel Weisz plays twins Elliot and Beverly Mantle, both of whom work as gynecologists. Based on the David Cronenberg 1988 psychological thriller of the same name, which starred Jeremy Irons in the titular dual roles, Dead Ringers examines two siblings with very different personalities who fool patients and others by swapping roles, often to disastrous and horrific outcomes.
The expectation is that this new gender-flipped version of Dead Ringers will explore the story in a different way, keeping with the overarching theme of deception and deadly violence. There will be six episodes, all released at once making this show a perfect (and relatively short) one for binging.
Stream Dead Ringers on Amazon Prime Video.
Saint X (April 26)
Alycia Debnam-Carey (Fear the Walking Dead) stars in this multiple-timeline series about a girl who winds up missing during a Caribbean vacation. Following the tragic disappearance, her sister goes on the hunt to find out what happened, pulled into dangerous territory in the process.
With eight episodes in the first season of Saint X, the first three released at once followed by a new one weekly, not much is known just yet about Saint X other than it will tackle the girl-gone-missing trope in a unique way, touching on everything from class and race inequalities to troubled family bonds.
Stream Saint X on Hulu.
Fatal Attraction (April 30)
It has been more than a quarter-century since the psychological thriller Fatal Attraction graced the big screen. The movie remains a classic and its title is the terminology used to describe severely obsessed lovers. Now, the concept is being revived in the form of a series. Joshua Jackson and Lizzy Caplan star as Dan and Alex, respectively. He’s a married man and Alex is his jilted mistress who isn’t about to let him off scot-free. The iconic roles were originated by Michael Douglas and Glenn Close.
Amanda Peet, meanwhile, plays Dan’s wife Beth and Alyssa Jirrels their daughter Ellen. The times, marriage dynamics, and attitudes toward women have all changed since Fatal Attraction first graced Hollywood in 1987. This reimagining of the classic psychosexual thriller takes all that into consideration. The show has the potential to introduce a whole new generation to Fatal Attraction and tell a much more nuanced story through multiple episodes. Don’t expect any boiled rabbits, though.
Stream Fatal Attraction on Paramount+.
