Top TV in April: ‘The Last of Us,’ ‘Hacks,’ ‘Black Mirror’ return
Top TV in April: ‘The Last of Us,’ ‘Hacks,’ ‘Black Mirror’ return
Major series returns and highly anticipated premieres dominate April’s release list.
Spring is all about rebirth and renewal, and in the first full month of the season, some of TV’s biggest shows are on their way back for their first or follow-up seasons. Two highly anticipated new series debuted during the first week of April—Netflix’s “Devil May Cry” adaptation and FX and Hulu’s “Dying for Sex,” starring Michelle Williams—but the best is yet to come this month. Several major series will return this month, including one of the year’s most anticipated returns: Season 2 of HBO’s “The Last of Us,” picking up five years after the Season 1 finale.
If the post-apocalyptic drama is (somehow) not your thing, there are plenty of other top titles to watch this month, such as the fourth season of Emmy winner “Hacks,” the long-awaited final season of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and the sophomore season of the “Star Wars” series “Andor.”
From Emmy-winning comedies to too-close-to-home dystopian dramas, get ready to watch the best series streaming throughout April!
‘Devil May Cry’ Season 1 | Premiered Thursday, April 3 (Netflix)
Capcom’s hack-and-slash urban fantasy adaptation has had a frustratingly long wait—the series was announced in late 2018 — especially for such a fast-moving game, but the wait was worth it. The new anime adaptation, which follows a professional demon hunter named Dante on the quest for vengeance after the death of his family, premiered on April 3, joining other Capcom-Netflix adaptations, including “Onimusha” and “Dragon's Dogma.”
Creator/showrunner Adi Shankar (“Castlevania”) has changed up some of the lore for the first season, but it’s obvious he’s a fan of the source material, striking a loving balance of the franchise’s canon and a new point of view that makes the series an immediate success. All eight episodes are available now.
Devil May Cry
In this epic battle of good vs. evil, the lines are blurry as hell. But a devilishly handsome demon hunter could be the world’s best hope for salvation.
FX’s ‘Dying for Sex’ | Premiered Friday, April 4 (Hulu)
It’s now or never for Molly Kochan, newly diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer and determined to have a little death before the big one. The Wondery podcast of the same name, co-created by the real late Kochan, gets a starry FX adaptation with Emmy winner and FX alum Michelle Williams (“Fosse/Verdon”) telling Molly’s story as she decides to end her 15-year marriage and explore the full breadth of her sexual desires for the first (and last) time in her life.
Molly’s racy race against the clock is can’t-miss TV— bittersweet but honest, unrestrained, and full of love in its many forms. The full eight-episode miniseries, which currently holds a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, is available to binge on Hulu now.
Dying for Sex
After Molly Kochan receives a diagnosis of Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, she leaves her husband and explores the full breadth and complexity of her sexual desires for the first time in her life.
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 6 | Premiered Tuesday, April 8 (Hulu)
Whether it was planned or not, there may be no better (or worse) time for the return of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” There may also be no better/worse time to end it as the dystopian series heads into its sixth and final — how can fiction compare to an increasingly fascist reality, especially when Margaret Atwood’s words were a warning all the way back in 1985?
Elisabeth Moss leads the cast through its 10-episode series conclusion, joined by O.T. Fagbenle, Yvonne Strahovski, Bradley Whitford, Max Minghella, Ann Dowd, Samira Wiley, and more, with Josh Charles and D’Arcy Carden joining for the final installment. The first three episodes are now available on Hulu, with a new episode each Tuesday through the series finale on May 27.
Watch the trailer for ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 6 trailer:
The Handmaid’s Tale
Set in a dystopian future, a woman is forced to live as a concubine under a fundamentalist theocratic dictatorship. A TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s novel.
This harrowing series features dynamite performances from Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Joseph Fiennes, and Ann Dowd. The show’s first season won 8 Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series.
‘Black Mirror’ Season 7 | Thursday, April 10 (Netflix)
Speaking of non-escapism TV, Charlie Brooker has found some new horrors to reflect upon. Netflix’s dark anthology series returns for six sci-fi-heavy episodes, including two feature-length entries— most notably, a sequel to the classic Season 4 opener “USS Callister.”
The Season 7 cast is bigger and starrier than ever, including Asim Chaudhry, Will Poulter, Peter Capaldi, Emma Corrin, Paul Giamatti, Osy Ikhile, Issa Rae, Tracee Ellis Ross, Harriet Walter, and many others. All episodes will be available at once— maybe binge them and go outside to touch some grass for a bit after.
Black Mirror
Twisted tales run wild in this mind-bending anthology series that reveals humanity’s worst traits, greatest innovations and more.
‘Hacks’ Season 4 | Premieres Thursday, April 10 (Max)
Historically, the late-night wars have their biggest battles behind the cameras. Sometimes it’s a ratings issue… sometimes, it’s a writer blackmailing you into making her your head writer because she knows you slept with the head of the network. There’s always something, which means “Hacks” will never get hackneyed.
The reigning Emmy winner for Outstanding Comedy Series returns for Season 4, led by Emmy winner Jean Smart and nominee Hannah Einbinder, both now old pros and TV’s most perfect foils. The season will have a weird release schedule—some weeks will have a two-episode release, others will have one—but the finale is scheduled for May 29.
Watch the trailer for ‘Hacks’ Season 4:
Hacks
Explore a dark mentorship that forms between Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), a legendary Las Vegas comedian, and an entitled, outcast 25-year-old (Hannah Einbinder).
‘Your Friends & Neighbors’ | Premieres Friday, April 11 (Apple TV+)
Fans of “The White Lotus” thankfully don’t have to wait very long for a new “rich people behaving badly” show. The new series, Apple TV+’s new Friday release, stars Jon Hamm as Coop, a recently divorced New York hedge fund manager fired in disgrace who’s taken community building and getting close with your neighbors to a new extreme as he begins to steal from their homes, discovering secrets hidden behind the wealthy facades.
The nine-episode comedy also stars Olivia Munn, Amanda Peet, Mark Tallman, Hoon Lee, Lena Hall, and more. The first two episodes will be available at launch.
Your Friends & Neighbors
When a financial titan suddenly finds himself divorced and jobless, he starts robbing his wealthy neighbors to stay afloat. Stealing from his own social circle strangely exhilarates him—but he gradually gets tangled in a deadly web.
‘Doctor Who’ Season 2 | Premieres Saturday, April 12 (Disney+)
The Disney+ era of “Doctor Who” has lost its new TARDIS smell, but the Fifteenth Doctor’s adventures through time and space are just getting started. The endlessly charming Ncuti Gatwa returns for Season 2 of the big-budget reset, but it’s already time for new company as Varada Sethu joins the lead cast as Belinda Chandra, the latest companion with a mysterious background to decode and demystify.
Rose Ayling-Ellis, Alan Cumming, Christopher Chung, Freddie Fox, Kadiff Kirwan, Charlie Condou, Rylan Clark, and other guest stars will come along for the ride.
Doctor Who
The Doctor and his companion travel across time and space encountering incredible friends and foes.
‘Godfather of Harlem’ Season 4 | Premieres Sunday, April 13 (MGM+)
A bloody territory battle, a political assassination, and a new gangster in town— Bumpy Johnson’s battles only get bigger, but season after season, “Godfather of Harlem” gets stronger, thanks to Forest Whitaker’s expectedly excellent performance and the series’ consistent, smart writing.
Vincent D’Onofrio, Ilfenesh Hadera, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, Nigel Thatch, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and others join Whitaker for Season 4 of MGM+’s best drama, with new episodes dropping Sundays through June 22.
Godfather of Harlem
Loosely based on infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson, who in the early 1960s returned from ten years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy attempts to regain his piece of Harlem.
‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 | Premieres Sunday, April 13 (Max)
Between the chemistry of its leads, its allegiance to its source material, and some of the most devastatingly beautiful episodes of the decade, “The Last of Us” made a show about a plague unmissable and unavoidable, even while we were in the middle of a plague.
Picking up five years after the finale of Season 1, the series returns for its sophomore season with Pedro Pascal’s Joel and Bella Ramsey’s Ellie continuing their fight for survival alongside the new and returning ensemble, including Kaitlyn Dever, who joins the cast in the season’s most pivotal role. Season 1 spent a lot of time perfecting its swing; those of us who played “The Last of Us Part II” are anxiously speculating.
Watch the trailer for Season 2 of ‘The Last of Us’:
The Last of Us
Twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed, Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the United States and depend on each other for survival.
‘Government Cheese’ | Premieres Wednesday, April 16 (Apple TV+)
From “Selma” to “Lawmen: Bass Reeves,” Golden Globe, SAG Award, and Critics’ Choice nominee David Oyelowo has become a pro at the period drama. This time, he’s throwing it back to 1969 for something very different: the surrealist dramedy “Government Cheese,” where he’ll play convicted burglar Hampton Chambers, who tries to resume life after prison as an inventor but finds out fast his family’s lives didn’t pause in his absence.
Simone Missick, Bokeem Woodbine, Adam Beach, Sunita Mani, Jahi Winston, and more make up the ensemble of the streamer’s weird and daring new series. The first four episodes will be available on April 16, followed by a weekly episode drop through May 28.
Watch the trailer for ‘Government Cheese’:
Government Cheese
When Hampton is released from prison, his long-awaited family reunion doesn’t quite go as he hoped. In his absence, Hampton’s wife and sons formed an unconventional family unit, and his return spins their world into chaos.
‘#1 Happy Family USA’ Season 1 | Thursday, April 17 (Prime Video)
Between multiple standup specials, “Ramy,” “Mo,” and more, Ramy Youssef continues to be one of Hollywood’s most necessary and urgent voices. He kind of has to be, because how many shows about Muslim families and communities are actually being given the green light (and how long do they get to stick around), especially with so much white-hot white anger in the atmosphere?
But Youssef has even said the new A24 animated satire “#1 Happy Family USA,” co-created by Pam Brady (“South Park”) and following “the maniacally upbeat Husseins - the most patriotic, most peaceful, and most definitely-not-suspicious Muslim family in post-9/11 ‘Amreeka,’” is less about inclusion/representation and more about capitalism, and what’s more American than that? The highly anticipated comedy features a voice ensemble including Youssef, Alia Shawkat, Salma Hindy, Randa Jarrar, Chris Redd, Akaash Singh, Whitmer Thomas, Mandy Moore, Kieran Culkin, Timothy Olyphant, and Paul Elia, among others. All eight episodes will be available on April 17.
#1 Happy Family USA
An exploration of the experiences of a Muslim-American family that must learn how to code-switch as they navigate the early 2000s: a time of fear, war, and the rapid expansion of the boy-band industrial complex.
‘Leverage: Redemption’ Season 3 | Premieres Thursday, April 17 (Prime Video)
The Scheme Team, and sure, they’re a little slow to return—the Season 2 finale aired in January 2023—but they are effective. Promoted during the break from Freevee to Prime Video, “Leverage: Redemption” gets 10 new episodes that pit the team against some of their greatest challenges yet, “from greedy power brokers to corrupt mayors who are the law, and wealthy industrialists exploiting child labor for ill-gotten gains.”
The third season stars Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf, Aldis Hodge (in a limited capacity thanks to some “Cross” filming conflicts), Noah Wyle, Aleyse Shannon, and more.
Leverage: Redemption
The Hitter, the Hacker, the Grifter and the Thief are together again, this time with help from a new tech genius and corporate fixer, to take on a new kind of villain. From the man who created an opioid crisis from the comfort of his boardroom to the shadowy security firm that helps hide dangerous secrets for a price - when someone needs help, they provide… Leverage.
‘The Rehearsal’ Season 2 | Premieres Sunday, April 20 (Max)
Get ready to get uncomfortable as the weird and wonderful mind of Nathan Fielder gets a new canvas. The surreal dark comedy series, which helps people prepare for their biggest moments through high-budget, complicated, and sometimes confusing simulations, is back for a second season, and if some of the month’s other picks won’t have you questioning the line between reality and simulation, “The Rehearsal” absolutely will. The six-episode season will begin streaming on April 20 with new episodes through May 26.
Watch the teaser for Season 2 of ‘The Rehearsal’:
The Rehearsal
With a construction crew, a legion of actors, and seemingly unlimited resources, Nathan Fielder allows ordinary people to prepare for life’s biggest moments by “rehearsing” them in carefully crafted simulations of his own design. When a single misstep could shatter your entire world, why leave life to chance?
‘Andor’ Season 2 | Premieres Tuesday, April 22 (Disney+)
Tony Gilroy’s prequel series may not have gotten the pomp and circumstance of some of the other Disney+ “Star Wars” series like “The Mandalorian,” but it is unquestionably one of its better entries (and one of Disney+’s best series, in general)— mature, confident, focused, and thrilling all at once.
Diego Luna returns for the second and final season as thief-turned-rebel spy Cassian Andor, now a key player in the Rebel Alliance with war on the horizon, with Stellan Skarsgård, Genevieve O’Reilly, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Faye Marsay, Varada Sethu, Elizabeth Dulau, Alan Tudyk, Ben Mendelsohn, and Forest Whitaker. Three episodes will be released each week through the series finale on May 13.
Andor
In an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue, Cassian Andor will discover the difference he can make in the struggle against the tyrannical Galactic Empire. He embarks on a path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero.
‘Étoile’ Season 1 | Thursday, April 24 (Prime Video)
Prime Video is scoring big by bringing Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, the husband-wife team behind “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” back for a new series, but it’s fans of Sherman-Palladino’s “Bunheads” here. The new ballet-centric series follows the dancers and artistic staff of two world-renowned ballet companies — one in New York and the other in Paris — as they embark on an ambitious gambit to save their storied institutions by swapping their most talented stars.
Luke Kirby, Simon Callow, Lou de Laâge, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Gideon Glick, David Alvarez, and others lead the ensemble cast between the two schools, two countries, and two seasons, as a second season is already in the works. The full first season will be available on April 24.
Étoile
In an ambitious gambit to save their storied institutions, two world-renowned ballet companies in New York City and Paris swap their most talented stars.
‘You’ Season 5 | Thursday, April 24 (Netflix)
Once a Lifetime series, “You” has made a killing over at Netflix, where Joe Goldberg will end his journey. In the final season, Joe and Kate leave London for New York, taking new work opportunities, trying to keep their promises, and enjoying their “happily ever after.” But inevitably in the final act, that comes crashing down as ghosts from Joe’s past reemerge and he must reconcile his dark desires against the person he wants to be.
Penn Badgley and Charlotte Ritchie lead the final season with Madeline Brewer, Griffin Matthews, Anna Camp, Natasha Behnam, and others. All 10 episodes will be available at once.
You
A dangerously charming, obsessive man goes to extreme measures to insert himself into the lives of women who fascinate him.