Far from being just a main rival to HBO, Showtime has aired many notable shows and movies over the decades, including Homeland, The L Word, Ray Donovan, Shameless, Queer as Folk, and more. In recent years, it’s been home to such critically acclaimed series as Yellowjackets, starring Christina Ricci, The Chi from writer Lena Waithe, and Your Honor, starring Bryan Cranston and Hope Davis.
Even in the streaming era, Showtime, like its sister network Paramount+, continues to deliver hit after hit. With access to the massive Viacom library, the network airs such diverse programming as the Oscar-nominated horror classic Carrie with Sissy Spacek, the modern comedy Mean Girls with Lindsay Lohan and Tina Fey, and the Tom Cruise franchise Mission: Impossible. The sheer amount of content can be overwhelming, which is why Digital Trends is here to highlight the network’s offering for each month.
Read on for the full list of everything coming to Showtime in April 2023, with Digital Trends’ recommendations highlighted in bold.
Original series, documentaries, and specials
Catching Lighting (Docuseries Premiere: Friday, April 7)
Directed by two-time Emmy Award winner Pat Kondelis, Catching Lightning tells Murray’s story in his own words and features interviews with his wife, daughter, and closest friends, as well as mixed martial arts legends Anderson Silva, Chuck Liddell, Pat Miletich, Tony Fryklund and more, some of whom have never spoken publicly about the crime. The series vividly dissects the daring heist and investigation that dominated British headlines for months using previously unreleased evidence, dramatic recreations filmed at the scenes of the crime and exclusive testimonies from a rogues’ gallery of conspirators, police investigators, and attorneys to tell this tale like never before.
2nd Chance (Documentary Premiere: Friday, April 7)
An exploration of the life and legacy of Richard Davis, the brash inventor of the modern-day bulletproof vest. Determined to prove his risky product worked, Davis traveled the country shooting himself at least 192 times, gaining the trust and business of the U.S. Government along the way. No one believed in his product more than Davis, but when safety questions arose, a key partner turned federal whistleblower and Davis went to inexcusable lengths to obscure defects in both the vest and his business.
Personality Crisis: One Night Only (Documentary Premiere: Friday, April 14)
Personality Crisis: One Night Only tells the definitive story of the culture-defying David Johansen, notorious ’70s glam punk lead singer of the New York Dolls. Framed around an intimate cabaret performance filmed in January 2020 at New York City’s storied Café Carlyle, Personality Crisis: One Night Only reveals Johansen’s enormous influence, transcending the walls of music as a window into the art and cultural evolution of New York City. Streaming April 14 on Showtime.
Waco: The Aftermath (Series Premiere: Friday, April 14)
Waco: The Aftermath focuses on the fallout of the Waco disaster: the trials of the surviving members of the Branch Davidian sect and the rise of homegrown terrorist, Timothy McVeigh. The five-episode limited series also provides a broader context for the escalation of the American militia movement, which foreshadows the infamous attacks of the Oklahoma City bombing and the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
Movies available April 1:
April Fool’s Day
Avarice
Awakenings
Big Top Pee-Wee
Bio-Dome
Bodies Bodies Bodies
Bullets Over Broadway
Carrie
Casino
Charlotte’s Web
Clear and Present Danger
Defiance
Drinking Buddies
Free State of Jones
Gladiator
Grizzly II: Revenge
Harlem Nights
Hart’s War
Keeping Company
Loneliest Boy in the World
Marvelous and the Black hole
Mean Girls
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Mission: Impossible 2
Mission: Impossible III
Operation Odessa
Pride
Selma
Senseless
Sliver
Sniper: The White Raven
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The Freshman
The Guilt Trip
The Manchurian Candidate
The Rage: Carrie 2
The Squid and the Whale
The Truman Show
Universal Soldier
Valley Girl
Walkaway Joe
World Trade Center
April 12
3 Days To Kill
Available April 15
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Gods and Monsters
New streaming collections
DMX: Beyond the Law, Pimp & Top Five
Harrison Ford: American Graffiti, Clear and Present Danger, Patriot Games & The Conversation
Natalie Portman: Annihilation, Beautiful Girls & Cold Mountain
Seth Rogen: The Disaster Artist, The Guilt Trip, Zack and Miri Make a Porno & Zeroville
Ari Graynor: Celeste and Jess Forever, The Disaster Artist & The Guilt Trip
Robert De Niro: Awakenings, Casino, Last Vegas, The Family & The Untouchables
Laura Linney: Falling, The House of Mirth, The Nanny Diaries, The Squid and the Whale & The Truman Show
