A bumper crop of fresh and returning series make the prospect of snuggling up in front a screen even more attractive, as the nights get longer and the outside weather colder this month.
For free-to-air fans, there are new seasons of Lego Masters NZ, The Rookie (both April 10, TVNZ 2), 7 Days (April 13, Three), Match Fit (April 12, Three) and Hard Quiz (April 13, TVNZ 1), as well as the debut of Kiwi reality competition Blow Up (April 17, Three) and travel series Jimmy Doherty’s New Zealand Escape (April 12, Eden).
Elsewhere, Neon has the latest episodes of Barry (April 17) and Dave (April 8), while Apple TV+’s line-up includes more of Schmigadoon (April 5), as well as oenology drama Drops of God (April 21) and kids series Jane (April 14).
Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker, Love and Death and Citadel are among the most highly anticipated shows coming to a screen near you this month.
Disney+ boasts the Jeremy Renner-hosted lifestyle programme Rennervations (April 12), the Alexander Armstrong-narrated docu-series History: The Interesting Bits (April 5) and teen basketball drama The Crossover (April 5), TVNZ+ has western show Django (April 13) and a “reimagining” of 1987 adult thriller Fatal Attraction (April 30) and Prime Video debuts James Marsden comedy Jury Duty, Indian period drama Jubilee (both April 7) and David Attenborough’s latest nature series Wild Isles (April 21).
Finally, the highlights amongst Netflix’s eclectic mass of arrivals include the return of the Aotearoa-shot Sweet Tooth (April 27), Casablanca-inspired Transatlantic (April 7), erotic thriller Obsession (April 13), Korean political drama Queenmaker (April 14), Danish series The Nurse (April 27) and the New Zealand-debut of Miriam Margoyles’ travelogue Almost Australian (April 24).
However, after looking through the schedules, Stuff to Watch has come up with our picks of the dozen shows we believe are well worth checking out over the next few weeks.
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* Bouncers: Joe Daymond’s mockumentary series charms its way onto Comedy Central
* Daggy undies, pratfalls and pithy comedy: Netflix’s Wellmania plays to Celeste Barber’s strengths
* A Town Called Malice: Neon’s lurid, flavourful, somewhat fruity ’80s crime-thriller cocktail
* Up Here: Disney+ delivers a delightful new pre-millennial angst musical rom-com
Steven Yeun plays Beef’s frustrated failing contractor Danny Cho.
Beef (April 6, Netflix)
Minari’s Steven Yeun and Paper Girls’ Ali Wong face-off in this 10-part dramedy about two people whose road rage incident begins to consume their every thought and action. He is a failing contractor with a chip on his shoulder. She is a self-made entrepreneur with a seemingly picturesque life.
“A feast of sharp comedy, wild thrills and disarming empathy,” wrote The Hollywood Reporter’s Angie Han.
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Boris Becker won Wimbledon at the age of just 17.
Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker (April 7, Apple TV+)
Alex Gibney’s (Totally Under Control) two-part docu-series looks at the rise and fall of former tennis star Boris Becker. It promises to explore every aspect of the German, who became a sporting sensation after winning Wimbledon at age 17, including his high-profile, sometimes, tumultuous personal life.
“Fabulously paced, nicely shot, with snappy, illuminating contributions from Borg, McEnroe and an unexpectedly wry Mats Wilander,” wrote The Times’ Kevin Maher.
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Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas play former spies unexpectedly thrust back into action in Citadel.
Citadel (April 28, Prime Video)
Richard Madden, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Stanley Tucci and Lesley Manville team up for this six-part sci-fi action-thriller about one man’s (Tucci) attempts to resurrect an independent global spy agency after it was destroyed by a nefarious, powerful, rival syndicate.
However, in order to achieve his goal, he’ll have to persuade two former employees (Madden and Chopra Jones) to re-enter a world that’s been wiped from their memories and nearly cost them their lives.
A second season has already been greenlit and a series of spin-offs, set in different countries and languages, are also in the works.
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Former This is Us star Milo Ventimiglia returns to the spotlight in The Company You Keep.
The Company You Keep (April 5, Disney+)
Based on the South Korean show My Fellow Citizens, this US crime-drama tells the story of con man Charlie (This is Us’ Milo Ventimiglia) and undercover CIA officer Emma (Catherine Haena Kim). While a night of passion ignites a love affair between the pair, professionally, they are on a collision course.
“That The Company You Keep treats its characters as intelligent – capable not merely of pulling off a con, but of designing one that uses their ingenuity and their humour – feels like a breath of fresh air,” wrote Variety’s Daniel D’Addario.
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Rachel Weisz pulls double duty as twins Elliot and Beverly Mantel in Dead Ringers.
Dead Ringers (April 21, Prime Video)
Rachel Weisz headlines this six-part series based on David Cronenberg’s 1988 psychological thriller. Like that film’s Jeremy Irons, she plays the Mantle twins, Elliot and Beverly, who both work as gynaecologists.
The siblings share everything: drugs, lovers, and an unapologetic desire to do whatever it takes – including pushing the boundaries on medical ethics.
The update has been penned by Lady Macbeth, The Wonder and Normal People screenwriter Alice Birch.
Keri Russell is The Diplomat.
The Diplomat (April 20, Netflix)
The Americans’ Keri Russell is joined by David Gyasi, Rory Kinnear and Rufus Sewell for this eight-part action-thriller.
Set in the midst of an international crisis, it follows career diplomat Kate Wyler (Russell), as she lands in a high-profile job she’s not suited for. It’s a move that has tectonic implications for both her marriage and political future.
The show was created by former Grey’s Anatomy and The West Wing writer Deborah Cahn.
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Freema Agyeman and Lily Allen play sisters in Dreamland.
Dreamland (April 6, Neon)
Pop star Lily Allen and New Amsterdam’s Freema Agyeman team up for this six-part British comedy based on Sharon Horgan’s (Bad Sisters) 2017 short Morgana Robinson’s Summer.
Exploring the dynamics of an often dysfunctional, multi-generational Margate family, it focuses in on the lives, lies, secrets and aspirations of four sisters and – in particular – pregnant Trish (Agyeman) and disruptive recent returnee Mel (Allen).
“A candy-coloured comedy with daring emotional and intellectual depth,” wrote Independent.ie’s Meg Walters.
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Nikolaj Coster-Waldau stars opposite Jennifer Garner in The Last Thing He Told Me.
The Last Thing He Told Me (April 14, Apple TV+)
This highly anticipated seven-part drama is based on the critically-acclaimed, best-selling 2021 novel by Laura Dave.
Jennifer Garner plays Hannah, a woman who is forced to forge a close relationship with her 16-year-old step-daughter Bailey (Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Angourie Rice) in order to find the truth about why her husband Owen (Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) has mysteriously disappeared.
Jesse Plemons and Elizabeth Olsen join forces for Love & Death.
Love & Death (April 28, Neon)
Hot on the heels of last year’s Melanie Lynskey-starring Candy, comes this six-part true-crime drama which is also based on the case of Wylie, Texas housewife Candy Montgomery, who was accused of the brutal 1980 axe murder of her friend Betty Gore.
WandaVision’s Elizabeth Olsen takes on the main role, while the supporting cast of this David E. Kelley-penned (The Undoing, Big Little Lies) tale includes Jesse Plemons, Patrick Fugit and Lily Rabe.
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Legendary comedian Lenny Bruce (Luke Kirby) continues to follow the fortunes of rising star Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) during the final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (April 14, Prime Video)
Rachel Brosnahan’s aspiring mid 20th-century American female comedian is back for one final, nine-episode run.
Having fought back from a career low, Midge has found herself closer than ever to the success she’s dreamed of. However, as she’s about to discover, that might still be rather far away.
Helena Bonham-Carter shines as Scottish-born soap star Noele Gordon in Nolly.
Nolly (April 9, TVNZ 1)
Years and Years, It’s a Sin and returning Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies turns his attentions to the reign, and fall from grace, of the inimitable British Soap star Noele Gordon for this three-part ITV drama. Helena Bonham-Carter essays the Scottish actor who played Crossroads’ Meg Mortimer/Richardson/Ryder for more than 17 years.
“You can’t hear the writing in Nolly, and you certainly can’t see the acting. Instead, you’re frozen in place, hypnotised by Davies’ masterfully campy fever dream,” wrote Sydney Morning Herald’s Michael Idato.
Kathryn Hahn headlines Tiny Beautiful Things.
Tiny Beautiful Things (April 7, Disney+)
Based on the best-selling 2012 literary collection by Wild author Cheryl Strayed, this eight-part dramedy follows Clare (Kathryn Hahn), a floundering writer who becomes a revered advice columnist while her own life is falling apart.
Executive produced by Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern, while Strayed has said that while the character isn’t exactly her, “there were pieces that come from my life”. “She had to have a mother who died young of cancer, who got married young and then divorced. She had to grow up in a rural environment like I did.”
